Tag: Parliament

Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien gives farewell to the Hon Chairman of Rajya Sabha

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Mr Chairman Sir, before I share with my colleagues here some of the things they already know, I thought it would be my duty to may be share a few nuggets which many of us in the House do not know about you.

For example, there is somebody who meets you every morning; his name is Akhil Thakur and he is a very important person in your life. He is your yoga teacher, who meets you every morning. Now we know how you are so fit. And as part of your routine you also walk every evening. So that is yoga and walk, so that is why you are still looking 60, when you are close to 70.

My colleagues here would also be surprised if I told them that you have not had lunch for the last 40 years. Because I know from very reliable sources that for the last 40 years all you have eaten for lunch are TWO sandwiches. This must be a world record that is why you are looking so fit.

Did you know that the Hon Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Vice president of India, was a number 5 batsman and a very agile wicketkeeper who got the college cap? More on cricket… When you were the Ambassador to Iran, you introduced cricket to the Indian Embassy in Iran and they say Iran is indebted to you because you started popularising cricket there.

Yes Sir, and some of us here are lovers of dogs and you are a wonderful dog lover because you have seven dogs at home. You must tell us the secret as to how. After this ten year journey, you are moving but actually you and the new Vice President are just walking across the road because you are going to 31 APJ Abdul Kalam Road and he is coming across to your place. So after all this, it’s only a ‘going across the road’ Sir.

Sir, but on a more serious note, Ram Gopal ji mentioned one of your biggest achievements in the Rajya Sabha: no Bill in the din. Sir, I end my term in a few days from now and there are many things that I have learnt from you. What you have done for this House, which I think is very meaningful, we need to place this on record.

Sir, the first is extending the time of the Rajya Sabha. The House would run from 11 AM to 5 PM. Congratulations Sir, for getting us all to work one extra hour everyday and extending the time from 5 PM to 6 PM. Secondly, the Zero Hour never had a time limit. It is you who set the time limit to three minutes and that is why fifteen of us can get a chance to express ourselves – or try and express ourselves – everyday.

Sir, something very important, also which you introduced, is that members can not duck a question. Earlier, if it came up in Question Hour and you were not present then the Supplementary Questions would never be asked. But you came up with the move that even if the member ducks the question, the answer is still laid on the table of the House and someone else can answer the supplementaries. Sir, this is the smartest of all your moves here, because now there is no way to duck the question.

Sir, and of course, the most meaningful of them all, you gave a name to the morning meetings which we have at the back and you called it the ‘Tea Club’. So it gives it a feeling of informality, it gives it a feeling of camaraderie, so we can share everything there (does not matter if we say something there and then come and do the other thing).

Sir, in conclusion, I cannot but end saying very proudly that you and many of my colleagues from my party and myself, we all come from the same city. Sir, I know how deeply you love Kolkata and your roots are in Kolkata. You went to St Xavier’s College run by the Jesuits and you know their motto – I went to the School but I did not get into the College. It is Nihil Ultra – Nothing Beyond. That is absolutely beautiful, Sir.

From the Latin to Urdu. I have also noticed that whenever you have a function – a book release, or a farewell or a welcome – you always have the right Urdu couplet to match the occasion. Sir, you quoted:

“Justuju hain zindagi, zokay talaab hain zindagi,
Zindagi kaa raaz lekin durey manzil mein hai”.

Sir, this is what you said was the motto of what guided you and I had it translated for myself. That is wonderful, Sir.

Sir, two more things to say before I go. One is, we know you will be living in Delhi. Please come back home, come back to Kolkata for holidays or even longer periods of time.

Sir, at moments like these, there is lot of sadness, melancholy and nostalgia. But in all this, Sir, you have never lost your sense of humour. I remember what you told us in one of your tea meetings and I thought self-deprecating humour is a great trait. We asked you, Sir, how was the 10 years from the time you were 70 to 80. You told us, that this is the best ‘pension package’ that anyone could ever get. So, you are a great pensioner and I am using your humour to tell everyone else that you must be an inspiration to all pensioners in this land.

Sir, thank you very much for inspiring so many of us and especially the newer ones like me and so many who have come here.

Thank you.

 

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy speaks during discussion on the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Sir. Bombay ki Gwalior Tank Maidan mein Congress ka jab aitihasik adhibesan huwa, us mein Nehru Ji resolution move karte huwe unhone bola, and I quote, “We shall fight to the finish”. Aur Gandhi Ji unke valedictory address mein unhone bola, and I quote, “Here is a Mantra, a short one that I give you. You may imprint it on your heart, and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The Mantra is, Do or, Die, karenge ya marenge. British quit India, Angrej Bharat chhoro.”

Congress ko ban kiya gaya. Sare neta aur ek lakh se adhik Congress workers ko sara Hindustan mein pakda gaya. Lekin jaise ki Ram Gopal Ji ne bataya, Jai Prakash Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan, hamare Ram Manohar Lohiya Ji aur Biju Patnayak, Sucheta Kripalini – aise bohot saare neta unhone underground chale gaye.

Leaflets se instruction diya jata tha, yahan tak ki underground se, radio station se bhi instruction diya jata tha Usha Mehta ki netritwa mein, jo ki Bombay se kiya gaya. Aur is tarah sara Hindustan mein andolan fayl gaya.

Main do line padna chahata hoon ek purane leaflet se, jo ki Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee ne us samay issue kiya tha September 20, 1942 ko. Wo bol rahe hain is leaflet mein, “Hindustan ki azadi ki ladai chhir gayi hain. Aaj hum apne ko azaad samajhte hain, Aur British sarkar ko satta ko nehi mante hain. Isliye british sarkar ki kisi bhi kanoon aur hokum ko nehi manna chahiye. Aur us hukumat ke khilaf kya karna chahiye?”

30 bullet point mein unhone bata diya. Main do teen point bolna chahta hoon quote karke yahan se. “Shikshak aur vidyarthi school college chhor do”, “Wakil mokhtar kacheri jana chhor do”, “police paltan wale aur sarkari naukar, sarkari naukri chhor de”, “railway line ukhad diye jaye”, “bade bade pool tod diye jaye”, “taar aur telephone ke taar kat diya jaye” aur “sadak kat diye jaye”. To is tarah sara Hindustan yeh August Kranti Andolan mein uchhal gaye.

Sir, iske baad hum jante hain ki Maharashtra ki Satara mein jo ki Nana Patil, YB Chavan, aur Uttar Pradesh ki Ballya mein Chittu Pandey ki netritwa mein aur Bengal ke Tamluk mein Satish Samanta, Ajoy Mukherjee – in logone nationalist governments form kiya.

Sabse adhik samay teen saal se jyada Satara mein, teen saal chala Bangal mein aur kai mahino chala Ballya mein. Lekin, wahan woh Chittu, unhone jitney Congress karmi ko pakad liya tha sabko reha kar diya. Saare thane, adalat kabza kar liya gaya tha. Yeh yaadgar hai aur yeh yaadgar bane rahegi jab tak Hindustan ka tiranga phaylega Lal Kile par, tab tak yeh yaadgar bane rahegi.

Sir, main bolna chahhta hoon ki isi samaye jab yeh andolan khatam hone wala tha, us samay seema ke us par se Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ki lalkar thi ‘Mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazaadi doonga!’ aur Azad Hind Sena ki woh mahan krantikari log, woh kuch kar diya Dilli ke liye, nara lagaya, ‘Chalo Dilli, kadam, kadam badhaye jaa, tu sher-e Hind aage bar, marne se phir bhi tu na dar, aasman pe uhtha ke sar, josh-e-watan badhaye jaa!” Aur is tarah Hindustan ki azadi ka jo momentum create hua uske baad mein mutiny, naval mutiny ke baad INA trial hua Red Fort mein, yeh saare culminate kiya aur iske wajah se humko azaadi mila.

Yeh saare Hindustan ki janta ki ek aitihasik yogdan tha jis mein das hazar se adhik logon ko goli se uda diya gaya tha; lakhon logon ko jail bhej diya gaya tha aur is tarah Hindustan azad hua. Lekin hamein khed hai ki us samay bhi kuch vishwasghtak the! Mirzafar the, jo yeh andolan mein yogdan nahin kiya! Us samay bhi kuch party the jo 120 panne ka report bhej raha hai us zamane ke Home Secretary Watson ke paas ki main tumhare nirdesh par kaam kar raha hoon aur yeh August Kranti andolan ko barbaad karne ke liye har ek kadam utha raha hai. Bengal mein bhi us samaye jo mantri mandal the, mandal ke deputy chief minister jo ki ek party ka second-in-command thay, unhone Governor ko chitthi likh ke bola, ki yeh yeh humne karyavai kiya hai yeh August Kranti Andolan ko daman karne ke liye!

Aaj bhi humare desh mein aise vishwasghatak hai! Aise Mir Jafar hai, aur isliye humara bhaichara sankat mein pad gaye! Humara ekta sankat mein pad gaye, aur isliye humare netri Mamata Banerjee aaj ki is aitihasik din mein wohi Tamluk pe jaake, Midnapur mein jaake aam sabha sambodhit karengi aur naara uthayengi, BJP Bharat Chhoro (Bengali).

Jis tarah Angrezon ne divide and rule politics apnaya tha, us tarah hi BJP ne bhi divide and rule politics apanaya hai aur humla kar rahe hai humare buniyadi, humare buniyadi, star upar. Toh, aaj is avsar par main sare shahidon ko shraddhanjali deke apna vaktavya khatam karta hoon.

 

 

75 years of Quit India Movement: Trinamool MPs make stirring speeches in both Houses

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Trinamool MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sugata Bose made impressive speeches in both Houses of the Parliament during a special discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement.

In Rajya Sabha

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy began his speech quoting Gandhi Ji’s iconic slogan, “Karenge ya marenge” and Nehru’s clarion call of “We shall fight to the finish” at Congress’s historic session in Bombay on August 8, 1942.

He referred to the contributions of several leaders – Jayprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Sucheta Kripalani among others – to the movement. He also read out portions from a leaflet issued by the Bihar Pradesh Congress in September, 1942.

He fondly remembered the clarion call of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, “Chalo Dilli”. He said this movement will stay alive in our hearts as long as the tricolour flies high atop the ramparts of Red Fort.

He also referred, with a heavy heart, to the Mir Jafars at that time, who colluded with the British to defeat the August Kranti Andolan. He said such Mir Jafars still exist in the country. He said BJP was following the British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’, against which Mamata Banerjee has launched the ‘BJP Bharat Chhoro’ movement at Tamluk, which saw active participation by people in the Quit India Movement.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF HIS SPEECH

WATCH HIS FULL SPEECH BY CLICKING HERE

 

In Lok Sabha

Sugata Bose, in his eloquent and stirring speech, called August 9 a ‘red letter day’ in Indian history. He reminisced how his own father was severely wounded as he led a procession of students on the streets of Calcutta in September, 1942.

He highlighted the role played by Adivasis and peasants. Netaji had wanted to be in India by August, 1942, he said. “Had the armed thrust of the Azad Hind Fauj coincided with the rebellion of the Quit India Movement, then the history of India might have taken an even more glorious turn,” he remarked.

Sugata Bose lamented that there was a “gap between sankalp and siddhi in 1947”. He said, “We got independent India but not united India.” He said that the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement, and the 70th anniversary of independence, call for “soul-searching introspection, rather than chest-thumping celebration”.

“The final five and a half months of Gandhi Ji’s life constituted a message for the predicament we face in India today. Today we see irreligion masquerading as religion,” Sugata Bose said. He reminded the Government of Gandhi Ji’s message to the then Government in mid-November, 1947: “No Muslim in the Indian Union should feel his life unsafe”.

“The 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement, and the 70th anniversary of freedom may be an apt occasion to ponder the relation between the past and the future, the old and the new,” was his message for the Prime Minister.

Sugata Bose also quoted Swami Vivekananda’s vision for India, one of religious harmony and tolerance. He quoted verses penned by Tagore – passages from the song which later was adopted as the National Anthem – to give a strong message against cow vigilantism and communal violence.

He appealed to the Prime Minister to “stop the engines of coercion on its tracks”. We need to be clear about what our sankalp is for 2022, he remarked and demanded “strong action against those who are spreading the poison of hatred and killing in the name of religion”.

We have to make sure we do not have a dominance of one community and one language, Sugata Bose said, adding: “We must counterpose an alternative and a better vision of a new India based on cultural intimacy of all communities of the country.”
“We must celebrate and respect our differences to rise above them. We must avoid all temptations to be chauvinistic and jingoistic,” was his message for his colleagues in the Lok Sabha.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF HIS SPEECH

WATCH HIS FULL SPEECH BY CLICKING HERE

Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien raises a Point of Order about different designs of Rs 500 notes

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

My Point of Order is that Mr Kapil Sibal has raised a serious issue (of different designs of Rs 500 notes). Give us a chance, look at the (currency) notes. The Finance Minister is here. Even if Rule 267 is not allowed, any point can be raised under Rule 258.

For the last three weeks, we are giving Notices to discuss the ill-effects of demonetisation & hasty rollout of GST. Even today it has not been listed. We have given the Notice. As per Rule 29, we have raised this issue before. The Government is not serious about allowing a discussion on the ill-effects of demonetisation and hasty rollout of GST.

Mr Sibal has raised a point of order on post demonetisation and GST. This is a serious issue.

 

State Govt boost for silk production in Bengal

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The Bengal Government is hand-holding the sericulture industry in the State back to good times. A primary impetus towards this came when, under the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Sericulture Department was brought under the fold of the Agriculture Department. This was part of a large-scale realignment of departments that is intended to increase productivity.

Among the measures the State Government is taking is the opening of ‘krishak samaj’ or farmers’ cooperatives in the districts for culturing mulberry worms, which subsequently lead to production of tussar silk.

The Government is setting up model sericulture centres and, through them, providing knowhow, equipment and pest-control chemicals. To encourage more farmers towards this, the compensation for crop insurance with respect to mulberry farming has been increased. Not only that, health insurance has also been introduced for women farmers.

Collective mulberry farming hubs, called ‘community nucleus centres’, have also been set up in some districts.

The State Government has provided employment opportunities to more than 1.05 lakh families in Bengal through these measures. It has conceived a ‘farm-to-fabric’ model for sericulture, and set a target for silk production for financial year 2017-18.

 

 

Source: 365 Din

 

মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর উদ্যোগে রেশম-তসর শিল্পের বাজারের হাল ফিরছে

 

বাংলার বিখ্যাত রেশম ও তসর বস্ত্রের খ্যাতি ফের স্বমহিমায় ফিরতে চলেছে এ রাজ্যে। শুধু রেশম বস্ত্রের খ্যাতি ফেরানোই নয়, রাজ্য সরকারের উদ্দেশ্য রেশম চাষের মাধ্যমে লাভজনক কর্মসংস্থান তৈরি করা। বিশেষত গ্রামীণ মহিলা, আদিবাসী এবং সংখ্যালঘু মানুষজনের অর্থনৈতিক উন্নতি সাধনের চেষ্টা করা হচ্ছে লাভজনক রেশম চাষের মাধ্যমে। বাম আমলের পুরো সময়টাই অবহেলিত ছিল সেরিকালচার দপ্তরটি। মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় ‘সেরিকারচার’ (রেশমগুটি চাষ) দপ্তরটিকে কৃষি দপ্তরের সঙ্গে যুক্ত করার পরই ফের সুনামের শিখরে পৌঁছতে চলেছে বাংলার রেশম ও তসর বস্ত্র।

সরকার রেশম চাষের উন্নতি সাধন থেকে শুরু করে রেশম থেকে পরবর্তী ক্ষেত্রে কোকুন এবং সুতা তৈরির ক্ষেত্রসমুহের ওপরও জোর দেওয়া শুরু করেছে। এক সময় বাংলার রেশমের বস্ত্রের সুখ্যাতি ছিল জগতজোড়া। তবে স্বাধীনতা পরবর্তীকালে ক্রমশই সেই সুখ্যাতিতে ভাটা পড়তে শুরু করে। ফলতই লাভজনক এই চাষ ক্রমশ ফিকে হতে থাকে। কৃষিমন্ত্রী পূর্ণেন্দু বসু সেরিকালচার দপ্তরের দায়িত্ব হাতে নেওয়ার পরই একাধিক পদক্ষেপ গ্রহণ করেন রেশম চাষের সমৃদ্ধির উদ্দেশ্যে।

এ প্রসঙ্গে কৃষি দপ্তরের এক শীর্ষ আধিকারিক বলেন, ‘রাজ্যের জঙ্গলমহল থেকে শুরু করে সমস্ত জেলাতেই রেশম চাষের জন্য একটি স্থায়ী কৃষকসমাজ গড়ে তোলার চেষ্টা করছে সরকার। তুঁত চাষ এবং তসরের ক্ষেত্রে বীজের চাহিদার বিষয়ে স্বনির্ভর হয়ে ওঠার লক্ষ্যে সরকারি ও বেসরকারি উভয় ক্ষেত্রেই উন্নতমানের রেশম

 

 

 

Ahamed Hassan makes a Special Mention on reforms in the education sector

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, the education sector in India faces structural issues. The case of West Bengal may be studied to address these issues.

Between May 2011 and May 2017, 16 universities have been set up, out of which seven are State-aided. Thirty-one Government colleges and 16 Government-aided colleges have also been established.

The State mandated a 17 per cent reservation for OBC students as a result of which almost 60,000 OBC students were given admission at the State’s UG and PG level courses in 2014-15, and almost 1,00,000 in 2015-16.

The State has also established 732 smart classrooms in State-aided universities, Government colleges and Government-aided colleges at a total cost of Rs 22 crore. Every State-funded higher education institution has an e-learning space with free internet facilities for students and teachers during work hours. The budget of the Swami Vivekananda Merit-cum-Means Scholarship Scheme has been enhanced to Rs 200 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 45 crore in 2015-16. During 2016-17, the number of student beneficiaries has been almost 74,000.

Issues concerning teachers and other staff have also been addressed. These include granting leave travel concession to university and college teachers, bringing them under the West Bengal Health Services Scheme, conferring child care leave and paternity leave on male and female university and college teachers respectively, conferring teaching status on librarians, deputy librarians and assistant librarians of Government-aided colleges and graduate laboratory Instructors, etc.

A study of these schemes may be instructive for the Central and State Governments.

 

Ratna De Nag speaks on The National Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you, Deputy Speaker Sir, for giving me the opportunity to speak. The National Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017, aims to set up an Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It also declares the institution as one of national importance.

I appreciate the aim of the Bill as it provides high-quality education and research focussing on the theme of petroleum and hydrocarbons energy. The Government is going to pump in Rs. 655.46 crore to achieve this goal. It is stated that the budgetary support for capital expenditure is expected to spread out till 2022-23. Would the Hon Minister state what the plan of action in place is, particularly when our aim is very challenging and amount to be spent is so high?

Sir, the said institute is expected to be a domain-specific energy institute that will serve as the fountainhead of a nurturing, world-class technical human resources capable of serving as leaders and innovators in the field of petroleum technology and energy. What fieldwork has been put in place as of now or proposed to be put up for taking the issue further?

Sir, the said institute isn’t just extending high-quality education but also conducting advanced research in all aspects related to the conventional hydrocarbons. I appreciate the exalted aim. Will the Hon Minister state how he intends to go about this and what initiatives have already been put in place to achieve this aim of quality education and conducting advanced research in petroleum?

About the constitution of the Board of Governors responsible for the general superintendence, direction and control of the affairs of the institute, will they have a General Council of the institute, inter alia, to review both policies and programmes from time to time and suggest measures for the improvement, development and expansion of the institute.

I would like to know from the Hon Minister what measures have been put in place to make the functioning of the institute transparent and accountable? Will the institute have autonomy to steer clear of the impending issue that we face while navigating towards an institute of excellence and that is important in setting a benchmark for other institutions in other fields like agriculture and science et al?

Coming back to the aims of the Bill, what is the stand on this thing? How prepared are we? What are our challenges in the field of petroleum energy? Have we analysed them? Where are we placed vis-a-vis other countries in terms of technology and state-of-the-art innovations in the field of petroleum energy? There is a need to have a relook and a fresh look at the whole gamut of issues and concerns involving providing education and research when our institutions find hardly any place of excellence in hundred out of two hundred best institutions of the world.

There is an urgent need to bring in foreign faculty, who are experts and who know what is happening and what new developments and innovations are taking place in the realm of petroleum energy sector. I hope the Hon Minister endorses this view that there is a lot of room for improvement; and what you would do to strive towards making the National Institute of Petroleum Energy as Centre for Excellence in the real sense of the term and not make it as an achievement of the government of the day (that it has gifted an institute to the state and forget patronising and monetary aid).

Sir, I am representing Bengal. Would the Hon Minister consider setting up an Institute of National Importance to cater to the emerging and challenging needs in the domain of petroleum energy in Bengal?

Lastly I request the Hon Minister to withdraw the decision taken by the Ministry to stop the subsidy for LPG.

Thank you very much.

Saugata Roy speaks on The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, I rise to support the The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017. Before I speak on the Bill, I have two questions for the Minister. One is why the Government increased the price of subsidised LPG by Rs 4 per cylinder and why it will be done every month? This is an anti-people decision. Sudip Bandyopadhyay has spoken earlier on this issue. I also say that, this anti people decision should be withdrawn.

My second question. This Bill was cleared in the Cabinet on April 12, 2017 and this Bill has now come to Lok Sabha. Why did the Minister go and lay the foundation stone of the campus even before it was cleared by the Cabinet? He should not have done that. Laying a foundation stone before even the Bill has been passed by the Cabinet should not have been done by him.

So, having said this, I say that this institute is very essential. It is being set up in Vizag which already had a petroleum refinery. It is close to the Krishna-Godavari Basin where oil has been found. It is also close to Kankinara where HPCL is setting up a new petrochemical complex. So, it is ideally situated. Government of Andhra Pradesh has given 200 acres of land at Sabbavaram, where the Minister went to lay the foundation stone.

IIT Kharagpur has a course on petroleum and teach a subject called Exploration Geophysics. They are mentoring the institute and already four professors are working there and more professors will be appointed after consultation with the IIT professors. The student intake is 50 for petroleum engineering and 50 for chemical engineering. Already 96 students are studying in the institute and the courses are very important.

This Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy is being set up as a follow-up of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, where it was promised that Andhra will have a new Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy and in fulfillment of that objective this has been done.

Now, Sir, I want to say that it is very essential not only to develop petroleum sector but also to develop alternative sources of fuel. India is already deficient; we are importing 70 per cent of our petroleum products. That is why research on non-conventional hydrocarbons as well as new sources like liquefied natural gas, biofuels and renewables should be conducted in India; we need to reduce our dependence on imported fuel which is causing a huge outflow in foreign exchange.

Now as far as the institute is concerned, which is being structured like the IITs, the minister has to bring another Bill so that it can be declared as an Institute of National Importance because that has to be included in Entry 64 of the Schedule 7 under Union List. I request the minister to examine if a separate Bill needs to be introduced for this purpose.

The first ordinance of the institutes will be set up by the Central Government. The first statute and ordinance will be made by the Central Government and thereafter the power will go to the board. Central Government also provide for the General Council of the institute and also provide for the Board of Governors.

In this connection I want to invite the minister’s attention to the Indian Institute Of Management Bill which was passed in this House recently. There the government has withdrawn from the IIMs altogether. They said all decisions will be taken by the Board of Governors and the president will not be a visitor on the IIMs. I want the Minister to follow this path; free this new institute from the apron strings of the Government. Let all these things be decided by the Governing Council of the institute itself.

Sir, as I said that it is of great importance to find more petroleum sources. I request the Minister, since he is here, that it is said that the Bay of Bengal basin is floating on oil. Oil [exportation] had started in the Sunderbans area of Bengal. But that was given up. I think Schlumberger or some American company was doing it. Now it has been given up. I would urge him, so that [exportation] for petroleum can take place in the Bay of Bengal basin.

Sir, the Cabinet has approved Rs 65.46 crore as capital expenditure and given Rs 400 crore as endowment fund. As the Bill states clearly that this will be slowly reduced. In coming days, slowly the central government grant would be reduced and expenditure or shortfall will be made from the endowment fund for which only Rs 400 crore has been allocated. The idea is that ultimately the institute will be raising some of the finances for its own sources and I hope that the Minister would do the needful in this matter so that the institute is not short (of funds).

About Rs 1000 crore is being given for the development of the institute, and so, as I said, it is good that the Government of India is investing so much money in energy research. By 2020-23 capital expenditure would come down to Rs 4.16 crore. The initial capital expenditure is for constructing the buildings, the laboratories etc. So, slowly it will taper down. Then the institute will run from its own income and its endowment fund.

There is already an Indian Institute of Petroleum at Dehradun where ONGC is headquartered. This new institute will provide courses for undergraduate studies. I request the Minister to also initiate the postgraduate courses immediately, and also the courses which are already being offered at IIT Kharagpur. Start doctoral research also.

This is a good step. It fulfills the aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh. It is in keeping of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and it meets the challenge of India’s energy needs in the future.

With these words, I support this Bill.

 

 

Manish Gupta asks a Question about sanctioned work-charged posts in Railways

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Sir, the issue of work-charged staff in the Railways is very old and will continue for many years. We have this issue in other departments of the Government too; work-charged staff is a serious issue.

Now, I would like to ask the Minister, through you Mr Chairman, whether the Railways is deploying any other policy to control this malaise. Is something like benchmarking of manpower productivity ratio being continuously done because it is a useful tool to control the dynamics of work-charged staff?

 

 

Mamata Bala Thakur asks a Question on Swadhar Greh Scheme

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How many educational benefits have children been given and what is the policy that has been adopted to make children more educated to help save them from child labour? How many congeries have been organised?

The national women’s helpline number, 18181, does not work/function properly. The Various States have their own helpline numbers, most of which do not function properly as well. It is due to this, that rural women are facing a lot of trouble and confusion.

My question is that whether this Government has taken any practical, concerted efforts via helplines to assist women and what are the various schemes available and for how long will one helpline number be applicable?

Thank you.