Saugata Roy asks Question on setting up new nuclear plants

FULL TRANSCRIPT

There are two mistakes in the reply given by the Hon’ble Minister. One, on page 1, Gorakhpur is mentioned being part of Haryana, which is not correct. The same should be corrected. On page 2, they’ve mentioned that in West Bengal, in Haripur, in-principle approval has been given for building a nuclear plant. The State Government has not cleared the project nor has it promised any land. I don’t know from where the Ministry got the fact that Haripur nuclear plant would be set up. The Minister should correct this.

But my question is regarding the problem of setting up new nuclear plants – it is a problem of civil liability for nuclear damage, and the insurance. The Minister has said in his reply that they have resolved this. No Bill, no legislation for civil liability for nuclear damage has been brought forward by the Government yet. Nor do we know what insurance will be paid to those who will be affected by nuclear disasters. I would like the Minister to clarify the position of the Government with regard to civil liability for nuclear damage and with regard to insurance pool.

 

Trinamool reacts to General Budget 2016, calls it a hopeless Budget

February 29, 2016, 2.30 pm

This is a hopeless Budget: Trinamool reaction

When something is good, Trinamool Congress is always positive in its outlook and constructive in its criticism. But when something is not upto the mark and not pro industry, not pro farmer, not pro youth, not pro downtrodden and not pro people, we are compelled to be critical.

This Budget is not constructive, nor is it creative. It is stereotype and routine. We are left with no option, but to call it a hopeless budget : no hope for industry, no hope for the farmers, no hope for the poor, no hope for the middle class, no hope even for the Sensex.

Let us now raise some specific examples:

1. NREGA: FM has said that the figure is up from Rs.34000 crores of last year to Rs.38000 crores of this year for the entire nation. But if you look at the figure of 2009-2010, that is, Rs.39000 crores so in effect the 2016 outlay is actually lower than the 2009-2010 outlay.

2. We believe in total transparency. Why has the FM not mentioned the details of the changes in the FDI policy in his Budget Speech? It is shrouded in an annexure and opens up 100% FDI in many sectors. Why can’t the Government be transparent?

3. Lots of good prose in the budget, but where are the jobs? Where are the solutions? How will industry benefit? How will agriculture benefit? There are millions of hungry, young, unemployed youth yearning for jobs. Job creation has not been outlined.

4. The FM made an attempt to emphasize on social sector schemes. But the reality is different. Almost 40 social sector schemes have been stopped and States have been burdened for funding new schemes. One example is the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sevak Yojana. Instead of the Centre now funding 100%, the Centre will only fund 60% and the States have to bear 40%. So in Bengal where 3000 crores was spent, the State would now have a burden of 1200 crores. Is this cooperative federalism?

5. There were some mild noises made about the health sector. But even here if you look closely States like Bengal have already implemented many of these measures like big discounts on medicine and cheaper healthcare for the under-privileged. On the point of dialysis becoming cheaper, yes the machines will become cheaper but what about the cost of treatment and medicines which is always a burden?

6(a). Power

While it is good that on the national level, rural electrification will be completed by 100% by 2018, Bengal has already achieved this in early 2016 itself.

6(b). SC/ST

We ask : Rs.500 crores is all that you could allot for SC/ST?

6(c). LPG for BPL families

Rs.2000 crores you say will cover 5 crore families. In reality, this is an exaggerated figure.

6(d). Farmers

In Bengal, about 80000 farmers have doubled their income in two years. That is the benchmark this Government should have followed.

6(e). No major tax reforms to benefit the middle class.

 

Lots of big words. No real big solutions.

 

Issued on behalf of All India Trinamool Congress

Sudip Bandyopadyay                 Derek O’Brien
Leader, AITC                                Leader, AITC
Lok Sabha                                    Rajya Sabha

 

Bengali Translation of above Statement 

 

দিশাহীন বাজেট: তৃণমূলের প্রতিক্রিয়া

যখন ভালো কিছু হয়, তৃণমূল কংগ্রেসের দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি সবসময় ইতিবাচক হয় ও তারা গঠনমূলক সমালোচনায় সামিল হয়। মানুষ বিরোধী কোন কাজ হলে তৃণমূল তার সমালোচনা করতে বাধ্য হয়।

বাজেট গঠনমূলক নয়, সৃজনশীল নয়। দিশাহীন বাজেট। শিল্প, কৃষি, গরিব, মধ্যবিত্ত— কারও জন্য কোনও আশার কথা নেই এই বাজেটে। অনেক বড় বড় কথা আছে, কিন্তু, কোনও প্রকৃত সমাধান সূত্র নেই।

বেশ কিছু সুনির্দিষ্ট উদাহরণ দেওয়া যাকঃ

অর্থমন্ত্রীর দেওয়া ১০০ দিনের কাজের তথ্য হিসেবে বলেছেন যে গত বছর ৩৪০০০ কোটি টাকা বরাদ্দ ছিল এবং এবছর বরাদ্দ বেড়ে দারিয়েছে ৩৮০০০ কোটি টাকায়। কিন্তু ২০০৯-২০১০ এর তথ্য অনুযায়ী সেই বছর বরাদ্দ ছিল ৩৯০০০ কোটি টাকা। তার মানে ২০১৬-র বরাদ্দ ২০০৯-২০১০-র বরাদ্দ থেকে কম।

আমরা স্বচ্ছতায় বিশ্বাস করি। FDI নিয়ে পুরো তথ্য কেন অর্থমন্ত্রী তার বাজেট বক্তৃতায় বললেন না? অ্যানেক্সচারের ভেতরে দেখা যাবে, অনেক কিছুই ১০০% FDI এর আওতায় চলে এসেছে। সরকার বাজেটে কেন স্বচ্ছতা দেখাতে পারছে না?

শিল্প কিভাবে উপকৃত হবে? কর্মসংস্থান কি করে হবে? তার কোনও দিশা নেই বাজেটে। কোথায় সমাধান সূত্র? কৃষি কিভাবে উপকৃত হবে? লক্ষ লক্ষ বেকার যুবক কর্মসংস্থানের জন্য ব্যকুল হয়ে আছে।  অথচ কর্মসংস্থানের কোনও রূপরেখা নেই।

সামাজিক প্রকল্পের ওপর জোর দিয়েছেন অর্থমন্ত্রী। কিন্তু বাস্তবে প্রায় ৪০টি সামাজিক প্রকল্প বন্ধ করে দেওয়া হয়েছে এবং তার বোঝা পড়েছে রাজ্যগুলির ওপর। তার একটি উদাহরণ হল প্রধান মন্ত্রী গ্রাম সড়ক যোজনা। আগে কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার ১০০% ব্যয় বহন করত যা কমিয়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে ৬০ শতাংশয়। আগে পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের খরচা হত ৩০০০ কোটি টাকা যা বেড়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে ১২০০০ কোটি টাকায়। এটি কি যুক্তরাষ্ট্রীয় পরিকাঠামোর উদাহরণ?

স্বাস্থ্য প্রকল্প গুলি নিয়ে বাজেটে বেশ কিছু কথা বলা হয়েছে। একটু কাছ থেকে দেখলে দেখা যাবে যে পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকার এই ধরণের অনেক প্রকল্পই কার্যকর করেছে। যেমন – স্বল্প মূল্যের ওষুধ, গরীবদের জন্য স্বল্প পয়সায় চিকিৎসা। ডায়ালিসিস মেশিন সস্তার কথা বলা হয়েছে? কিন্তু চিকিৎসার খরচ কমানো হল না কেন? অশুধের দাম কমানোর কথা হল না কেন?

ইতিমধ্যেই যেখানে বাংলায় ১০০শতাংশ বিদ্যুৎ সরবরাহ সম্পন্ন হয়েছে সেখানে কেন্দ্র ২০১৮ সালের মধ্যে এই কাজ সম্পন্ন করবে।

এস সি/ এস টি দের জন্য কেন মাত্র ৫০০ কোটি টাকা বরাদ্দ?

LPG গ্যাসের ক্ষেত্রে ২০ হাজার কোটি টাকা ৫ কোটি বি পি এল পরিবারের জন্য বরাদ্দ করা হয়েছে। এটা অনেকটা বারিয়ে বলা হয়েছে।

পশ্চিমবাংলার প্রায় ৮০ হাজার কৃষকের আয় গত ২ বছরে দ্বিগুন বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে। সরকারের এই বেঞ্চমার্ক অনুসরণ করা উচিত।

মধ্যবিত্তর জন্য কোনও বড়সড় কোন কর সংস্কারের পদক্ষেপ নেই এই বাজেটে।

 

অনেক বড় বড় কথা। নেই কোনও প্রকৃত সমাধান সূত্র।

 

Issued on behalf of All India Trinamool Congress

Sudip Bandyopadyay                 Derek O’Brien
Leader, AITC                                Leader, AITC
Lok Sabha                                    Rajya Sabha

Tapas Mandal speaks during discussion on The Warehousing Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2015 | Transcript

Full transcript:

The premier warehousing agency in India, established in 1957 providing logistical support to the agricultural sector, is one of the biggest public warehouse operators in this country offering logistics service to a diverse group of clients. CWC is operating in 464 warehouses across the country with a storage capacity of 10.8 million tonnes; providing warehousing service for a wide range of products ranging from agricultural produce to sophisticated industrial products. Few amendments were introduced in the House for passing. The Corporation is a Schedule A, Mini Ratna Category 1 Public Sector Undertaking with effect from 23 September, 2009.

Based on that, the guarantee would be withdrawn as the Central Government disassociates from its responsibility from being a guarantor.

I am unable to understand why the Government is keeping away from the profit making body? What is the intention behind it? It is a fact that Mini Ratna awardee public enterprises do not get financial support or government guarantees as per the provisions.

I think by passing this Amendment the beneficiaries may feel insecure. It is an unwise decision where the Government is running with debts.

The Corporation is constantly making profits and paying dividends to its shareholders. CWC paid dividend at the rate of 41% of the equity for the year 2012-13.

According to the statement of the objects and reasons of the Bill, the Government has also not given any guarantee besides the payment of minimum guarantee dividend as required under some provisions of the Act.

The storage capacity utilization was 86% in 2013-14. I think that needs to be probed in due course of time.  Sufficient warehousing facilities need to be extended for agricultural produce. Around 20% to 30% of the total food grain harvested is wasted due to inadequate facilities. Only 29% of the space accounts for agro warehousing.  India needs to recalibrate its strategy to mitigate the challenge of high food grain wastage due to lack of scientifically sound storage facilities in this country and high inflation due to lack infrastructures like cold storage and refrigerated transport as it leads to the wastage of food and vegetables.

The Central Railside Warehouse Company under this CWC decided to construct railside warehouse worth Rs 15 Crore in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam and Karnataka. There was a same proposal for Malda in West Bengal during the last financial year, which has been refused by the Railways.

I request the Government to rethink it as this project is vital for the merit and its vital geographical advantage for the whole country. I conclude with this expectation that the Government will look into it seriously.

Thank you.

Pratima Mandal raises issue of honey collectors in Sunderbans | Transcript

Full transcript:

Sir, Sunderbans is the world’s largest continuous mangrove forest. It is known for its Royal Bengal Tiger and is also famous for its honey collected from, a large cluster of bee-hives. The honey collectors, locally known as moulis, are mostly living at Gosaba, Hingalganj and Basanti block of Sunderbans.

They collect honey from the dense forest, by risking their life. Since, it involves good expense and, as they are economically unsound, they take money from money lenders, who are locally known as mahajans. The money lenders take high rate of interest and also a good share of honey or collectors are forced to sell the honey at a fixed low rate. It is very painful.

If the Government takes some safety measures and allots funds, then they can save their lives and reduce their hardship.

Ratna De Nag Speaks in LS on The Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 | Transcript

Hon’ble Speaker, before I get into the details of the Bill, I would like to state here that the Bill was initiated because the Government promulgated the Citizenship Ordinance on 6 January 2015, which was aimed at the fulfilling the assurance made my Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister, in New York to the Indian diaspora when he announced grant of lifetime visa to the persons of Indian origin and the Prime Minister was to inaugurate Prabhasi Bharatiya Divas in Gujarat on 9 January, 2015.

The proposed amendment is warranted, has luckily come to the forefront. The specific amendment is expected to replace in Sec 5 of the Citizenship Bill, instead of words ‘has been residing in India for one year’ with ‘is ordinarily resident in India for 12 months’. Likewise overseas citizen of India is substituted with overseas citizen of Indian card-holder.

Removing the word origin from persons of Indian origin card-holder to replacing with overseas citizens of Indian card-holder is timely, as it attempts to remove something which is not at all required. The objective of the Bill is good and the Amendment Bill brought before this August House, as it removes the aberration of the Citizenship Act of 1995.

I welcome the merging of two cards – person of Indian origin and overseas citizen of Indian card-holder. But I would like to put my objection to the way in which it was brought in the House through an Ordinance. I object to the Ordinance.

Thank you, Sir.