Sushmita Dev’s Supplementary Question on KVs for children of PSU emps in Andhra shut due to PSUs being sold off

मैंआं� �देश के बारेमेंही पूछूंगी। मैंमं�ी जी सेयह पूछना चाहती हूं िक apart from Government Departments and State Departments, one important sector is the PSUs, which also have Kendriya Vidyalayas for the wards of their employees. But, many PSUs are being sold out and the education of those children is hanging in balance. असम मेंऐसेबहुत सेके सेज़ हैं, उनमेंसेएक कछार पेपर िमल का है। क्या आं� �देश मेंऐसी प�ब्लक सेक्टर अंडरटेिंकग्स हैं, िजनको
आपनेबेच िदया हैऔर के न्�ीय िव�ालय बंद होनेके कारण बच्चों की एजुके शन सफर कर रही है?

Abir Ranjan Biswas’s Supplementary Question on plans for trauma centres betw Islampur Hosp & Malda Medical College Hospital

Sir, as per the reply given by the hon. Minister, there is a trauma centre at Islampur Sub Division Hospital in Uttar
Dinajpur along the National Highway-34 and the next closest is Murshidabad Medical College. The distance between these is quite a few hundred kilometers. I would like to tell that District Malda is in between and also Dakshin Dinajpur. I would like to know whether the Government plans to have any trauma centre there

Dola Sen’s Zero Hour mention on the need for the government to save the jute industry

Thank you Chairman, Sir, for allowing me to speak on my subject of Zero Hour, that is, ‘Demand for saving ailing
jute industry of our country’ by the Central Government. महोदय, मȅदेश और बंगाल की टर्ेिडशनल जू ट इंडÎटर्ी के बारेमȂकुछ बहुत महत्वपूणर् बातȂसदन के समक्ष रखना चाहती हूं। रॉ जू ट एक नेचुरल फाइबर हैऔर biodegradable है, eco-friendly हैतथा environment-friendly भी है। इसमȂ jute bag के अलावा, carpet सेलेकर Geotextile तक diversification का भी scope है। Geotextile के इÎतेमाल सेहम राÎतेसेलेकर river banks की भी longevity बढ़ा सकतेहȅऔर साथ ही jute material के export से
हमȂ foreign currency की revenue earning भी हो सकती है। सर, भारतवषर्एक कृिष Ģधान देश हैऔर जू ट एक agro-based industry भी है। Agro-based industry होनेके कारण हमारेभारतवषर्मȂयह jute industry selfsufficient भी हैऔर labour intensive भी है। बंगाल मȂ 10 करोड़ मȂसे 2.5 करोड़ population इस industry मȂ involved है, िफर भी jute industry बहुत crisis मȂहै। यह बहुत िदनȗ से crisis मȂहै। सȂटर्ल गवनर्मȂट ने 1987 मȂ Jute Packaging Materials Act मȂइसेजो mandatory िकया था, वह अभी dilute होनेजा रहा है। जब सारी चीज़ȗ की कीमत बढ़ रही है, तो 2016 से 7 साल तक जू ट बैग का price, जो Tariff Commission नेतय िकया था, उसेिफर ठीक िकया गया, लेिकन िफर भी इसेउस रेट पर नहीं, बिÊक कम रेट पर JCI से FCI के िलए िलया जा रहा है, खरीदा जा रहा है। Raw jute price को भी Rs. 7,200/- से Rs. 6,500/- तक कम करना है, तािक jute industry
raw jute खरीद कर अपनी जू ट िमल चला सके। सर, jute growers को भी Minimum Support Price िमलना चािहए, लेिकन यह सब न होनेके कारण अभी 15 जू ट िमÊस बन्द हȅ, िजसके चलते 60,000 जू ट वकर्सर्बेरोज़गार हȅ। इसका असर जू ट के फामर्सर्के
ऊपर, जू ट गर्ोअसर्के ऊपर भी पड़ेगा। Hessian Jute Bag के 4.81 लाख bales कम हो गये, इसके चलतेइस season मȂ loss भी हुआ, 1,500 करोड़ रुपयेका घाटा हुआ। इस Ģकार, mandatory Jute Packaging Materials Act को foodgrains की packaging के िलए dilute िकया जा रहा हैऔर sugar की packaging मȂभी 100 per cent से 20 per cent dilute िकया गया, यह ठीक नहीं है। इस साल बजट मȂभी इस पर कुछ नहीं बोला गया। इसिलए सर, मȅसȂटर्ल गवनर्मȂट सेअज़र्करना चाहती हूँिक वह इस ओर ध्यान दे, तािक जू
ट इंडÎटर्ी, जू ट फामर्सर्और जू ट वकर्सर्बच जायȂ। थȅक यू, चेयरमैन सर।

Shanta Chhetri’s Zero Hour mention on lack of action on Himalayan States Regional Council’s report

Thank you, Sir, for allowing me to speak. I would like to draw the kind attention of this august House that the Himalayan States Regional Council for Sustainable Development in Indian Himalayan Region was constituted by the NITI Aayog. The Council deliberated on the implementation of five Reports released by the NITI Aayog on (i) Inventory and Revival of Springs in the Himalayas for Water Security; (ii) Sustainable Tourism in the Indian Himalayan Region; (iii) Shifting Cultivation towards Transformation Approach; (iv) Strengthening Skill and Entrepreneur Landscape in the Indian Himalayan Region; and (v) Data for Informed Decision Making. In this regard, I would like to urge the august House to seek detailed explanation from the Planning Minister as to why nothing has culminated into ground reality so far and why there has been no benefit or development for Darjeeling Himalayan region so far. Thank you.

Pratima Mondal’s speech on Constitution (SCs and STs) Orders (Amendment) Bill

Sir, I am honoured to participate in the discussion on the Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2022. It is nearly 75 years that our country has got its freedom its freedom and almost 70 years that our Constitution came into being. But it is a matter of regret that even after so many years, the policy
on reservation has had little impact on the lives of the Scheduled Casteand the Scheduled Tribe people. These socially deprived people live a precarious life, unable to still fulfil their bare necessities of life. The age-old caste system is the main cause of this social inequality in our country. It has largely contributed in keeping a large portion of the country’s population backward. Caste and creedbased divisions continue to dominate in housing, marriage, employment, and general social interactions in our country. We should therefore make all efforts in every form to fight back so that we all live in a society that encourages only liberty, equality, and fraternity, irrespective of caste. Although our Constitution has provisions for reservation for these socially deprived people, they have benefited from reservationonly in a limited manner. But we need to put in efforts to make these people become a part of the mainstream society. Our attempt should be to help the weak grow strong, not to let the weak become weaker and give them a level-playing field with all members of the society. Hence to echo what Dr. Ambedkarsaidour efforts must be aimed to help ‘break the chains once and forever’. The Bill seeks to remove Bhogta community from the list of Scheduled Castes and include it in the Scheduled Tribes list along with other communities also, as mentioned by the previous speaker. Inclusion of more castes and making laws are not enough. More funds are required to be allocated. Most importantly, implementation is to be looked after. A social activist, an Adivasi rights activist from Jharkhand, Father Stan Swamy had been imprisoned for seven months as an undertrial in the Bhima Koregaon, Elgar Parishadcase. Charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,1967, he died in custody. His death came four years after he had moved a public interest litigation in the Jharkhand High Court praying for the release of thousands of undertrial prisoners in Jharkhand. Numerous other innocent Adivasis have lost their lives by being mistaken as Maoists. The hon. Minister must look into the matter of the undertrials and their current situation.
Hon. Chairperson, Sir, the tribals have witnessed continued encroachment upon their resources both at individual and community level. Shockingly, outsiders have been able to literally purchase the land of the Adivasis, and in some cases, it is happening without the permission of the Government. This needs to be stopped immediately and the lands that were taken away from them should be handed over to the original landholders. Finally, I would like to mention here that under the leadership of our hon. Chief Minister, the Government of West Bengal has largely been successful in abolishing Maoist activities by implementing several developmental projects. I would like to mention a few developmental projects. Women from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities are receiving Rs. 1000 per month under the ‘Lakshmi Bhandar’ scheme. It is a symbol of women empowerment. People above the age of 60 years are also receiving Rs. 1000 under ‘Jai Johar’ scheme, which is meant for Scheduled Tribes, and ‘Taposili
Bandhu’ scheme, which is meant for Scheduled Castes. Finally, on behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress, I support this Bill.

Saugata Roy’s speech in Lok Sabha during the discussion under Rule 193 on the situation in Ukraine

Sir, before the beginning of the Second World War, the great poet, Tagore wrote, “it is wrong to lose faith in humanity. It is a sin.” Today, when half of Ukraine is run over by Russian forces, when Mariupol is being bombarded, when Kiev is in ruins, and Kharkiv is in ruins; 4,000 people have died; and four million people have been evacuated, we still have faith in humanity that the situation is going to improve. This is one of the biggest
foreign policy challenges we have faced in the last 50 years ever since the Bangladesh crisis passed away. It is a challenge because of the geostrategic and geopolitical reasons. I am not going into the details of how much Russia is justified. They had some fear because NATO was trying to take Ukraine into their fold. They may have some fears. On the other hand, mostly all the countries in Europe, they have totally grouped behind America. The lead is being given by the US President himself. At this stage, let us consider our options. We had one problem to start with – 20,000 Indians were stranded in Ukraine. Our big job was to bring our Indian students back; we brought back
13,300 Indians by 63 flights. We accomplished that by 8th March. We need not have self-praised ourselves. Four Ministers are present here, and three spoke. It was the duty of the Government and they did a good job. That problem is over. But the war continues. We are caught in a situation between Scylla and Charybdis. On the one hand, one Daleep Singh came, he said that if China does further aggression on Indian soil, Russia will not help. We have abstained in the United Nations repeatedly; we have abstained in the Security Council; we have abstained in the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. Mr. Jaishankar who is ideally suited for the role is walking on a tight rope. He is walking on a knife’s edge. On the one hand, he must understand that Russia has committed aggression but, on the other hand, as Shashi Tharoor said we have many IOUs, Russia gave six vetoes in our favour at different times of crisis. We have hopes of getting petroleum from Russia. We have the S-400 Missile systems which we hope to get from Russia. But at the same time, we face the economic crisis. Russia is already out of the SWIFT system of international transactions.If America gives us further pressure, what are we going to do? Mr.
Jaishankar is the ideal man for the job. He speaks less. He speaks to the point of being taciturn. He has not spoken much which is a good thing. The hon. Ministers are chest-thumping that they went and brought back all those children. Mr. Jaishankar has been restrained for which he deserves praise. But I was just thinking, what would have happened if Pandit Nehru were the Prime Minister today? Foreign affairs can be dealt with by experienced
diplomats like Mr. Jaishankar or Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri. Foreign policy can be dealt with by statesmen. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a statesman who gave a direction to our foreign policy. You remember his role during the Korean War, how he brought an end to the Korean war. You remember his role during Suez crisis. We have not seen
anything. Our hon. Prime Minister has been known to be a big traveller who is travelling to countries like Texas and thumping Trump’s back and calling himself the ‘Vishwa Guru’. … (Interruptions) I was just reading. This is a famous diplomacy. On 1st March, he spoke to the President of the European Union and to the President of Poland. On 7th
March, he spoke to Mr. Putin and to Mr. Zelensky. On 9th March, he spoke to his counterparts in Hungary and Holland. What has been lacking during this whole crisis is a proactive role by the Indian Government and by the Indian Prime Minister. We wanted to see a Nehru or Krishna Menon in action. There was no such action and Mr. Jaishankar has been busy. … (Interruptions)

Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s speech in Lok Sabha during the discussion under Rule 193 on the situation in Ukraine

Hon. Chairman, Sir, the subject of today’s discussion is to share our views with the Government of India
and we, the Trinamool Congress, normally intend to extend support to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Government’s decision when it is related with matters of external affairs. We study about the situation. But we are concerned now, at this stage also, about those students who have come back from Ukraine, especially medical students. What would be their future? I would like to inform Jaishankarji that I met the Prime Minister last week. We had a long talk for more than 20 minutes. I was carrying a letter of Kumari Mamta Banerjee, our Chief Minister. In that letter, she has put forward some proposals as to how these medical students can be accommodated here in our country. She wanted to absorb them in our own State. She had given some ideas. But during our talk, the Prime Minister intimated to me straightway that the Government of India has decided to send these students back to Hungary, mainly to Budapest. I asked the Prime Minister: why are you not asking the Russian Federation to take them back and provide them seats in their medical institutions? He told me – though it was a one-onone conversation, but I want to put on record here so that the Minister of External Affairs can make some assessment – ‘I will not talk to Russia regarding those students. But though the cost of education in Hungary is a little more expensive, still my Government is taking some decision and I hope that this problem will be sorted out easily’. So, I want to know where thesituation actually stands now and what would be the fate of these students.
Sir, this Russia-Ukraine War is a continuation of the conflict since 2014. I had the opportunity to visit Minsk, Capital of Belarus, in a delegation along with Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Shrimati Sumitra Mahajan. Our delegation visited
Belarus and Ukraine and that picture floats in my front of my eyes. I also had an opportunity to visit Eastern Europe when many countries were within the control of the Soviet Union. I went there during my young age when I was with the Youth Congress. During that time, I had been to Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and East Berlin. Ultimately, all these sectors were broken up. There was the Gorbachev issue as also the Glasnost issue. These all are all old issues and I do not want to discuss them here. But what I want to mention here is that two agreements were signed in Minsk, Belarus between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. One was signed and broken in 2014. What was there in that agreement? It included exchange of prisoners and delivery of humanitarian aid without heavy weapons. But this agreement quickly broke down in 2014. Again, another agreement was signed in 2018 where France and Germany mediated. But now, from the very beginning, I could not find any big country taking
any initiative. This time, no Force had taken any initiative to hold peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. I am not speaking about our own country. I am saying no one initiated any talks. Ukraine is a Member of NATO. NATO is full of European countries and USA and Canada. But none of these countries took any initiative to stop the war.
There were tragic deaths. The attack on Ukraine by Russia is a disastrous step. The way the war broke out, it was extremely disastrous in nature. It is painful and shocking. There is no doubt, it is heart-breaking. Sir, let me read out a small statement saying how many civilians have died in Ukraine in this war. Nearly, 3,000 civilians have been killed or injured in this war. My report is as of 28th March, 2022. In between, these few days, I do not have much of the latest information. More than 10 million persons have been displaced since Russia invaded Ukraine. Ninety-nine children have been killed and 126 injured. The cost of direct damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, has reached almost an estimated figure of 63 billion dollars. This is as per the analysis done by the Kyiv School of Economics. It is their own assessment. This information is also as of 28th March, 2022. The latest analysis, as of March 24, 2022, shows that at least 4,431 residential buildings, 92 factories and warehouses, 378 institutions of secondary and higher education, 138 healthcare institutions, 12 airports, seven thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants have been damaged. So, all totalling comes up to 63 billion dollars Compared to the previous estimates published on 17th March, the net growth was announced to be 3.5 billion dollars according to KSE. Sir, what I want to mention here is that we became concerned when the war started. We expected that it would be stopped. But it did not. Naturally, a huge number of Indians were living there with huge amount of tensions. India’s responsibility was aimed at evacuating the Indian citizens from Ukraine, and it did so. It was a good step. I appreciate it. We heard the statement of India’s Permanent Representative at the UN Security Council and it was actually a non-committal statement. That was neither in favour of this side nor that side. “The escalation of
tension along the Russia-Ukraine border is a matter of deep concern and the developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region”, the India’s permanent representative to the UN, T. S. Tirumurti, said at the UNSC meeting. Sir, the work should be completed and if, on our part, any peaceful step is possible to be taken up, we should try to initiate it because since our early ages, we have seen Indo-Soviet treaty. In different issues whether they are in United Nations or anywhere else, Russia supported us on them. We can initiate dialogues and give leadership to the whole world by saying: “India is fully concerned with the war. This war has pained us. The way, people have lost their lives, it is disastrous, painful and inhumane.” I want to know whether India is in a position to initiate and make it a complete peace-talk. Our next speaker, Sougata Roy, is here. He will also speak on this issue.
So, Sir, I repeat our stand that any stand taken by the Government of India so far as external affairs are concerned, we stand by the Government wholeheartedly

Jawhar Sircar’s speech on The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022

Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. We have heard a lot of talk about rising above politics. But, for the last half-an-hour, all I heard was a level of politics that would rather suit the Delhi Legislative Assembly–I respect it–more than this House. Be that as it may, we have risen to–because we are duty bound to–stand up for federalism that holds this country together, in spite of whatever some temporary occupants of power may think they have. This country has essentially survived on the spirit of heterogeneity. Don’t go in for homogeneity; don’t go in for trampling; don’t go in for one-way-decisions. The very decision that you have taken or about to take or asking us to
endorse is the one that speaks of control. The former speaker, Mr. Singhvi, has already mentioned about these things. In 2011, after several discussions, three bodies were trifurcated out of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. You know that and I know that. The hon. Home Minister, who has included the topic of not speaking on politics only, mentions that they have a revenue deficit. Fair enough. If one has a revenue deficit of two, the other has a revenue deficit of three and the third has a revenue deficit of four. If you add them together, you get minus two, minus three, minus four, minus nine! Where to get the positive from? Administration has been my occupation. So, I would know that just making reunification of three desperate bodies that were split for an administrative reason doesn’t confer
ipso facto any virtue of revenue stability. That is my first point. The second, I would say, is a question of compactness of administration. Do I take this as a hint that you would not go in for splitting of unwieldy States, that you would not go in for splitting of unwieldy administration that you are back to control through large unwieldy and unmanageable bodies? You can provide the answer. Talking of size, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation are larger in size. But, we have been managing and we are managing. So, don’t bring in size there. The sum and substance of what I have understood is that you desire to postpone the elections. That is all. Because once you go in for a step like this, it will go in for delimitation and that delimitation will take you eighteen months. Therefore, effectively you are bringing a municipal issue into a national issue because, exactly two years from today, you will be facing a national consensus and a national referendum. So, I would submit that we do not break down every institution that we have just for retention of power. When we talked about it, I mentioned about one institution, the Director of Local Bodies. The present Act has a Director of Local Bodies as some sort of an over-watch. In the Amendment, you are wiping out the post of Director of Local Bodies without explanation. Even on revenue, you have not provided an explanation, but just a one-liner saying that ‘revenue is deficit’. I would submit, Sir, even if you have to tamper with institutions, please go in for an explanation as to why you did away with it. Maybe you have some valid reason, but you need to be more elaborate, more transparent. There is a talk that 272 seats would be compacted into 250. Clause 5(5) mentions that the Central Government will decide the number of seats to be decided by the Government of India. The overwhelming presence of a Government,
that the Central Government in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, is unbearably omnipresent. It is there everywhere. It does not speak the spirit of local body, its autonomy, its spontaneity, its vibrancy of local decision making, not thrusting down from the top. This is what hurts us and my party sincerely believes in it. Having spoken on the number of seats, as I said, it is not 250. Let us come out openly and say, tomorrow if the Central Government decides to make it 370, it can make it. You are keeping that empowering provision. Sir, we are in 2022 when there has been so much talk of the scourge, the curse of scavenging, scavenging and waste disposal. There has been one word on scavenging. That’s all. Scavenging and waste disposal should have been occupied because the spirit of this Act would be copied in other parts of India and you should have provided a model even if you had political compulsions going for it. There is nothing about scavenging, nothing about the curse of scavenging. You have
provided for e-Governance. E-Governance, Sir will be happening anyway, whether you provide for it or not. When you merge all these bodies, what happens is, you bring in different cadres. They are humans; they are families. When you bring them together, all this seniority and juniority and other things get in. Morale gets affected; motivations get affected. When you are amalgamating banks, you don’t know, it will take you ten years for the issues to be sorted out. An hon. Member mentioned about Rs. 12,000 crores. My account says that there is a Rs. 11,800 crore running deficit. That is what is required, a bail-out package, for whoever runs the Government. It doesn’t matter. It is for the citizens of Delhi in spite of all the faults that it has. The total liability is Rs. 11,800 crores. When will the package come? Is it tied to this deal? That is what we would like to know. I repeat, we got up primarily because the Delhi Assembly was not consulted. My party sincerely believes in consulting with every elected body at every level. We may take their opinion or not, but we need to consult them. I would like to give you just a few examples, because they strengthen what we have said. Even in Covid, we had prepared an Act. I was also part of the preparation once
upon a time. The NDMA Act was brought in as if it was a weapon that could be utilised for the totalisation of power. That is not the correct attitude. The initial faltering that we made, the mistakes that we made as a nation arises
from the mentality of control, control-freak as somebody put it. Even in Covid, there was no consultation at all, when the lockdown was imposed. At every level, at every step, shows an arrogance, if I may put it, shows an uncaring attitude for the sensitivities of others, for regions, for States as if just a pack of people sitting in Delhi, including bureaucrats, would determine the fate of every mohalla of Delhi. No, Sir, this will not do. When the BSF rules were extended to all States, no consultation was made. This is another thing. Draconian laws and regulations are sought to be expanded at the expense and by contraction of space available for individual, society, local Government and
the State Government. That is my submission. Sir, even the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are regularly used as weapons to summon, humiliate and hegemonize over others. It is happening all the time. Even in Delhi, I would submit, …  Sir, I will take half a minute and wrap it up. The submission that I have, as an outsider to this politics of Delhi, is that this is only a ploy to postpone elections and that is dependent upon the prospect of their victory. So, don’t treat the National Capital as just a trump card in your politics. I oppose the Bill, Sir. Thank you.