Tag: Special Mention

Dr Santanu Sen makes a Special Mention on the increase of seats in medical colleges

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Sir for giving me this opportunity. As you know, in the last session of Parliament, a Bill was passed in which it was said that 10 percent of the seats will be reserved in every college of all the sections for economically weaker sections. Accordingly, the Government of India appointed the Medical Council of India Board of Governors, issued a circular to all the state medical colleges to increase 20 percent medical seats.

Later on, they put forward certain conditions which were not there in the original decision. The conditions, which were as follows, mentioned that there should be reservation for SC/ST and OBCs, medical colleges should provide for 15 percent seats for all India quota and fees as per issued by the statement.

As per June 21 circular, there were 44 medical colleges in which seats were supposed to be increased from 150 to 200 but surprisingly out of 44, in 10 medical colleges it was made 150 to 175, in 15 medical colleges it was made 150 to 180 and in 19 medical colleges it was made … <interruptions>

 

Derek O’Brien makes a Point of Order on Special Mentions being rejected

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, My Point of Order is regarding Rule 180 (B). Special Mentions. Everybody must get a chance, specially our colleagues in the last row.

My point is, the MPs are representing a State. When they give a Special Mention, they want to bring out something important, which may be related to the State and the Centre. But many of these Special Mentions are being rejected at the level of the under-secretary.

This concerns everyone in the House. Special Mentions are being rejected under Rule 180 (B) (2). This is a serious issue.

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.

 

Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien makes a Special Mention on the need to follow Bengal model to empower women across the country

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

On 8th March we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women. However, India still has a long way to go in ensuring that women are placed in an equal footing with men. From education to skill development, from increasing employment opportunities to ensuring safety of women, these are just some of the aspects that need to be looked into.

West Bengal has taken massive steps in working towards emancipating women. The Kanyashree scheme was introduced to arrest the drop-out rate in schools and prevent early marriage among girl students. More than 30 lakh girls have been enrolled under the scheme, which has garnered recognition worldwide, including from UNICEF. Bicycles are given to school children in rural areas through the Sabuj Sathi Scheme, and thousands of girls have benefitted so far.

More than 27,000 self-help groups have been formed over the last five years, which have over 16 lakh women members. Through the Swabalamban Scheme, training is given on a wide range of livelihood activities, e.g., zari craft, handloom weaving, beautician courses, etc

As per the latest NCRB report, Kolkata is the safest city in India in terms of crimes against women. The Kolkata Police offers martial arts training to schoolgirls, under Project Sukanya, to make them self-reliant when it comes to defending themselves.

Thus, the Central Government must take cognizance of the success story of West Bengal and use it as a model for the entire nation.

 

Trinamool MPs raise matters of public importance during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha

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Trinamool MPs – Derek O’Brien, Vivek Gupta, Nadimul Haque – today raised several matters of public importance during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha.

While Derek O’Brien spoke on securing interests of Indian IT firms creating value globally, Vivek Gupta demanded an investigation into the case of missing JNU student Najeeb. Nadimul Haque’s Zero Hour mention on honouring the glory of former sportspersons received support across the aisle.

“We need to protect the Indian IT companies. They play a positive role across the world. The software engineers are a jewel in the crown of Indian and international workforce,” Derek said.

Click here to read the full transcript of his speech.

Vivek Gupta said that the issue of missing student Najeeb is a clear case of political vendetta and wondered if Najeeb will become yet another statistic of missing person.

Click here to read the full transcript of his speech.

Nadimul Haque, in his speech, cited several examples of  several international medalists medallists who have become now drivers, stone quarry worker etc.

Click here to read the full transcript of his speech.

Vivek Gupta also made a special mention on the issue of federalism. “Centre has not given any moratorium to Bengal for debt relief but has helped foreign countries. Centre has done nothing for the shortage of IAS/IPS officers in the State,” he said.

He added, “Centre, of late, has been taking several decision arbitrarily without consulting the States. Centre has decided to remit money to MGNREGA directly. This is a direct attack on States’ fiscal independence.”

Click here to read the full transcript of his speech.

 

দেশের নানা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয় রাজ্যসভায় উত্থাপিত করলেন তৃণমূল সাংসদরা 

আজ রাজ্যসভায় জিরো আওয়ার চলাকালীন তৃণমূল সাংসদ ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন, বিবেক গুপ্তা ও নাদিমুল হক বেশ কিছু গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বিষয়ে সরকারের দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করেন।
এইচ ১বি ভিসা ইস্যুতে ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন তথ্যপ্রযুক্তি কর্মীদের স্বার্থ সুরক্ষিত করার দাবী করেন। জেএনএউ এর ছাত্র নাজিবের নিরুদ্দেশ হওয়ার ব্যাপারে তদন্তের দাবি জানান বিবেক গুপ্তা। নাদিমুল হক প্রাক্তন খেলোয়াড়দের অর্থনৈতিক অবস্থার উন্নতির প্রসঙ্গ তোলেন যা কক্ষে উপস্থিত সকলেই সমর্থন করেন।
বিবেক গুপ্তা বলেন, নাজিবের নিরুদ্দেশ হওয়া একটি রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসার ঘটনা। তিনি সরকারের কাছে আবেদন করেন নাজিব যেন শুধুই নিরুদ্দেশের পরিসংখ্যান হয়ে থেকে না যায়।
নাদিমুল হক তাঁর বক্তব্যে  আন্তর্জাতিক পুরস্কারপ্রাপ্ত অনেক খেলোয়াড়দের প্রসঙ্গ তোলেন যারা এখন জীবিকা নির্বাহের জন্য পাথরের খাদানে কিংবা ড্রাইভারের কাজ করছেন।
বিবেক গুপ্তা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রীয় পরিকাঠামোর ব্যাপারে একটি ‘স্পেশ্যাল মেনশন’ পেশ করেন। তিনি বলেন, কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার বাংলার ঋণ মুকুবের ক্ষেত্রে কিছু না করলেও অন্যান্য অনেক দেশকে আর্থিক সাহায্য করছে। রাজ্যে আইএএস ও আইপিএস আধিকারিকদের ঘাটতি নিয়েও কিছু করেনি কেন্দ্র। তিনি বলেন, এই সরকার রাজ্যের সঙ্গে কোনও আলোচনা না করে অনেক সিদ্ধান্ত নিচ্ছে।

Dola Sen makes a Special Mention on the rising incidents of violence against particular communities by vigilante groups

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Over the last one month, our nation has been a mute witness to brutal acts of horror on a particular section of people by vigilante groups in the name of cow protection. Innocent lives have been lost and families scarred while democracy has been bulldozed.

The Centre is a mute spectator as a few vigilante groups are dictating what people can eat or wear. This is gross interference with personal choices. As the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress has said, if I consume goat meat, there is no problem, but if someone else has cow meat, it is a problem. We may like wearing dhotis but someone else may prefer lungis. Who are you to decide what people will wear and eat?

Some groups have started going from house to house in rural Bengal and asking people how many cows they own. Who has given them the right to do so? Why should it be of any concern to anyone how many cows, goats or hens a person has?

Moreover, education is being politicised in several parts of the country. Textbooks have now become serious instruments for the proliferation of communal tensions in north India. Researches on violence in north India show that the new history textbooks play a major role in the construction of communal violence in many micro-regions in north Indian states.

The government needs to take stock of the situation before it goes out of hand and rein in these vigilante groups. The Centre needs to reinforce the faith people have in our Constitution and act as per the vision of the founding fathers of our great democracy.

 

 

 

Special Mention by Ahamed Hassan Imran: Reduced Central funding of schemes is against the spirit of cooperative federalism

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The Central Government often talks of cooperative federalism, however, the actions of the Centre over the past two years, have not reflected this and States continue to receive step-motherly treatment from the Union Government.

On the one hand, the Government of India increased the devolution to the States from 32% to 42%, as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. On the other hand, there have been large cuts in budgetary allocations to key Ministries and reductions in the funding of Centrally Sponsored Schemes. This has affected the development initiatives of the States.

The Centre has withdrawn its financial support from 39 major schemes like the National e-Governance Action Plan, police modernisation and the Backward Regions Grant Fund. The Government has also scaled back its share in 58 key welfare schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, National Food Security Mission, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, among others.

Sir, With the abolition of the Planning Commission, States have lost an important platform to voice their concerns and raise matters of public importance. Now, only select issues are raised at sub-groups of the Niti Aayog at the behest of the Centre. Often, the Centre takes unilateral decisions, choosing to ignore the recommendations of the Niti Aayog, as was evident in the restructuring of funding pattern for universal sanitation programme on December 1, 2015.

Sir, The Government must explain how State Governments are to carry on with these welfare programmes, and ensure development in the States without adequate funds. Increased devolution of tax funds will not help if they are countered by additional funding cuts across the board.

Thank you, Sir.

Special Mention by Dola Sen on the need to replicate successful models in combating Left Wing Extremism

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Left Wing Extremism is the most potent threat the country faces today and in order to deal with it the country requires the Centre and State Governments to cooperate and share responsibility.

In our State of West Bengal, three districts are considered Maoist infested areas, namely, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia, situated in the dense forest area that is called Jangalmahal,

Over the past 5 years, a number of welfare projects, measures and schemes like Kanyashree, Sabuj Sathi and Khadya Sathi were initiated and successfully implemented in these parts. This showcased that combat forces alone cannot solve the Naxal problem; development projects play an important role in winning the hearts of the poorest and the most affected people of that area. Bengal government’s approach has been adopted as a national model for tackling Left Wing Extremism.

Compared to 466 incidents in Chhattisgarh and 310 in Jharkhand in 2015, Bengal witnessed zero incidents and casualties in the last four and a half years, according to the figures of the Ministry of Home Affairs. To continue bringing Naxals back to the mainstream and keeping up the momentum of development in Jangalmahal as also other affected parts of the country, the Government must increase the allocation of funds required under the Integrated Action Plan for LWE districts.

Thank you.

Special Mention by SS Ray regarding harassment of senior journalist in Delhi

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Demand for setting up inquiry into blatant misuse of ‘protection’ power by police causing harassment to senior journalist in Delhi

Sir, in the name of protection, police has been found harassing a senior journalist of an Urdu daily. This is not the first time. Many incidents of harassment of media-persons by police officials have come to light.

The blatant misuse of power by police officials, as seen in the case of Mr Haque and many others, speaks loudly on the threat to the freedom of the Press to function in the country.

The following series of events need to be examined in the light of the incident: It was 1.00 a.m. in the night in the month of December. Mr. Haque, aged 81, who is the Chief Editor of an Urdu daily, is paid a visit by the Police Department without a written authority letter. The SHO at Shakarpur, Delhi, calls him and summons him to the Police Station ostensibly for his protection. On reaching the Police Station, he is treated disrespectfully. The incident, in plain first hearing, does not have any room for misinterpretation.

For a country, which boasts of its diversity and respect for views, opinions and a free Press, acts of harassment like these are a matter of shame and disrespect. I believe that this House will condemn the high-handed actions of the officer and seek the Government to not only make an inquiry but also keep a strict vigilance on any such incidents reported.

 

Trinamool dominates Rajya Sabha, raises key issues

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All India Trinamool Congress was once again seen playing the role of a responsible Opposition in Rajya Sabha today. Trinamool dominated the proceedings of the House during the first one hour as party MPs raised three key issues of public importance.

Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien said, “My colleagues Dola Sen and Nadimul Haque spoke in Rajya Sabha today on three key issues – funds to States, Swaach Bharat cess & education. We believe in deliberate, debate and legislate.”

Dola Sen spoke about the burden Centre’s Swachh Bharat cess is causing on the poor people. “Services that the government is actively championing for the rural poor including mobile and financial services just became more expensive and difficult for them to access,” she said.

Click here for the full transcript of her speech

She also slammed the Centre as she made a Special Mention on the reduced funding for several central schemes. “The Government must explain how State Governments are to carry on critical welfare programmes, and ensure development in the states without adequate funds,” she demanded to know.

Click here for the full transcript of her speech

Nadimul Haque raised an important matter concerning the education sector. He made a Special Mention about the shortage of faculty in Indian universities. “his inadequacy of our faculty appointments and selection systems is gravely affecting the quality of education that students of higher education are receiving,” he said.

Click here for the full transcript of his speech

Meanwhile, in Lok Sabha, leader of the party, Sudip Bandyopadhyay urged the Centre to include Belur-Dakkhineshwar in the list of sites for religious tourism. “Belur is Swami Vivekananda’s dream; Ramakrishna Paramhansa Dev’s name is associated with Dakkhineshwar,” he said.

Sudip Banerjee added that in 2013-2014 & 2014-15 the Centre had not allotted a single rupee for the state of West Bengal. He requested the Centre not to neglect West Bengal and promote spiritual tourism sites in the State.

Click here for the full transcript of his speech

Post lunch, Sudip Bandyopadhyay spoke in Lok Sabha about the prevailing drought situation in the country. He urged the Centre to come up with a positive action plan and requested the government not to neglect the eastern zone of the country

Click here for the full transcript of his speech

In a discussion on the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2014, Vivek Gupta spoke in RS on the demerits in the Bill brought by the government. He listed how several definitions of corruption do not find place in the Bill. Gupta echoed the view of party Chairperson Mamata Banerjee by calling for electoral reforms.

Click here for the full transcript of his speech

During another discussion on the India-Nepal relations in Rajya Sabha, Nadimul Haque made a passionate case for normalising the ties of the countries. He said that Madhesis were like our brothers and India has a duty towards them. He hoped Government of Nepal would reciprocate the warmth shown by Government of India during Nepal earthquake.

Click here for the full transcript of his speech