Sugata Bose speaks in LS during Question Hour on Project Mausam

Thank you Madam Speaker. India has played a very major role historically in creating a shared cultural universe across the Indian ocean arena. In fact when our poet Rabindranath embarked on his Indian Ocean voyage, he described his journey as a pilgrimage to retrace India’s entry into the universe. This is a worthy initiative. However, this is not just an academic project, it is very much projecting India’s soft power in the entire Indian Ocean world.

I would like to ask the minister if his ministry faced any obstacles from any other country in pursuing this project and whether the Ministry of Culture is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure that we can successfully implement project Mausam.
Thank you.

Kalyan Banerjee speaks in LS during Question Hour on fire in ordnance depots

As reported on 31 May 2016, 130 tonnes of anti-tanks mine blew up at the army’s ammunition depot at Phulgaon, Maharashtra killing 19 people including two army officers. Central Ammunition Department is located about 90 km from Nagpur, spread over an area of more than 7000 acres and stores a variety of ammunitions and explosives in large number of sets.

The CAD comes directly under the Army Headquarters and is responsible for all India supply of ammunition and explosives after receiving them from Ordnance Factories and other sources. The CAD then supplies the items to various ammunition departments and field ammunition depots for their works. Five villages near the CAD were evacuated immediately after the fire had taken place. It is also reported that the Hon’ble Defence Minister went there and visited the spots also.

Madam, I want to know from the Hon’ble Minister, through you, if any full-fledged inquiry from the highest level of Army for the cause of such fire has been made. If so, then what is the fate of such inquiry and whether reasons have been identified and accountability has been fixed or not.

My question was not about the recommendations. what are the reasons of the fire and whether those responsible have been identified or not.

Madam, the Hon’ble Defence Minister has said that during last CES only one incident has happened. On the basis of the report which is available to me, I can say that this is not the case. Another incident had occurred on 8 December, 2015 and five persons were injured when a fire broke out during a regular exercise in Visakhapatnam. There are so many repetitions earlier also. I can give the dates. On 26 March, 2010 a major fire broke out in the Panagarh Depots in West Bengal, but no causalities were reported. But the depot suffered a huge loss. On 4 December, 2008, in Bhuj, Gujarat, two army men were killed in the blaze at the Bhuj depot after bombs exploded during routine inspection of old and outdated ammunition. On 12 August, 2007, 2 army men and a civilian were killed and 40 others injured in a major fire at Ordnance Depot in South Kashmir. On 29 April 2001, a huge fire broke out in ammunition dump of the army’s cantonment near Pathankot, Gurdaspur District but no casualties were there.

These repetitive fire disasters in the Ordnance Depots show the carelessness of the Government. They have not looked into the matter for more than a decade.

My question is whether repetitive fire disasters at Indian Ordnance Depots are caused because of only laxity of the Central Government, deviation from the standard operative procedures in the installation or is there any act of sabotage.

 

Ratna De Nag’s question in LS on One-stop Centres

Has the Ministry has constituted any committee or panel for the effective monitoring of the implementation of the Pharma Committee recommendations regarding women’s safety?

Prasun Banerjee’s question to the Central Government on popularising football in India

I request the minister to take note of this serious matter. Football is a popular game in India but it is going down. Football ko bachana hoga. Yeh Federation ghar mein baith ke sirf bara bara baat bolta hai. Federation must keep the Minister in loop on their activities. Let us save football. The minister should take full responsibility. I would like to ask what the Federation is doing for the same?

 

Thank you, Madam.

 

Sudip Bandyopadhyay speaks on cyber security during Question Hour in LS

Cyber security is a very sensitive issue. But the rate of conviction is very low. I will go through the paper circulated by the Minister. Let me give you the details of cases charge sheeted, cases convicted and persons arrested.

In 2013, 9,322 cases were registered. But the conviction was zero. In 2014, cases registered and persons arrested were 5643 and conviction was 65 only. In 2015, 8044 persons were arrested, and conviction was only 224.

So, what this data reflects is that in case of cyber crimes, persons have been arrested, they are being prosecuted but somewhere there are some deficiencies because of which they have not been convicted. The government should take the initiative through major steps by which those who are genuinely arrested and prosecuted are also convicted at the earliest possible time. The government should make an all over investigation regarding the whole process.

Sultan Ahmed speaks in LS during Question Hour regarding Startup India programme

In reply to my question, the hon. Minister has stated that for Startup, she is providing funding support through a Fund of Funds with a corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore. In our country, a lot of scams has come up and now, Mallya gate scam is going on. We have seen 2G; we have seen SATYAM; and we have seen mining scam also. In the Budget speech, the hon. Finance Minister has said that Startup will generate employment, bring innovation, and are expected to be the key partners in ‘Make in India’ programme. The shining of ‘Make in India’ programme is also coming down. There is no shine at all.

The hon. Finance Minister in his Budget allocated only Rs. 1,100 crore for Start up and Standup. In your reply, you have stated that you are providing funding and support through the Fund of Funds with a corpus of Rs.10,000 crore. We have seen in the past Beti Bachao Programme. The Government has allotted only Rs.100 crore. But this year, no fund has been allocated at all.

The Government has given only three years moratorium. There will not be any taxation. But this type of business or Startups will take a minimum of five to seven years to stand on their own feet. How would the Government save those investors who would invest in Startup programme? They would lose money from the investors, angel investors, bankers and financial institutions. What is the thinking of the Government in providing protection to them?

Sugata Bose speaks in Lok Sabha during Question Hour on Fiscal Deficit | Full Transcript

Full Transcript

I was very glad to hear when the Finance Minister said in his Budget speech that he is going to give himself three, instead of two, years to reach the fiscal deficit target. He might as well have taken four years; we would not have minded.

The subsidy bill is not the only expenditure that impacts his ability to reach the fiscal deficit target. Even though we all agree that subsidies, specially fertilizer subsidies, must be better targeted. Austerity measures alone will not help either.

We have to understand the finance minister’s predicament. What he is facing is this. Unfortunately, the government’s corporate friends are not a very public-spirited lot. Therefore, they will not adequately invest in infrastructure. So, the government will have to invest in infrastructure.

The finance minister has an excellent Chief Economic Advisor. I hope this is the advice he is getting.

So, I would like to ask the finance minister whether he will give an assurance to this House that he will continue the upward trend in government investment in infrastructure for the next four years, until the end of the term of this government, so that we achieve the need for a solid foundation for the economic development of this country.

Derek O’Brien raises the issue of restructuring TRAI during Question Hour | Transcript

Sir, the slogans apart, the Minister talks about Universal Digital Literacy without any specific timeline. They have been in power for only 6 months now, so we won’t get into timelines. But I have a specific question to ask which goes beyond this.

Today the TRAI regulates the infrastructure. The TRAI, the same authority, regulates the content. The TRAI, the same authority, regulates the I&B, which is the media. So to reflect a more practical situation which is on the ground, will the Government consider at least restructuring or beginning discussions to restructure these into two independent regulatory bodies – one which look after infrastructure i.e. technology and telecom, and the second one which looks after content i.e. the media?

This is my question, Sir. Because, Sir, there is a differentiation between technology and the content.