Month: July 2024

Sir, my question here is for Q.No.46. Currently, post-harvest losses of food grains in India are estimated to be between 18 per cent to 25 per cent and for fruits and vegetables, the post-harvest losses are even higher at about 45 per cent. Also, the other thing is that because of these post-harvest losses, food inflation has gone up drastically to about 9.4 per cent in India. So, my question to the Minister is: “What steps are being taken by the Ministry to bring down the amount of postharvest losses of food grains and fruits and vegetables?” Thank you, Sir.

Many jute mills in West Bengal have drastically reduced their operational shifts in the past few months due to financial constraints and insufficient orders from the States for packaging of food grains with jute bags. Despite its critical role in the agrarian economy, jute is being sold below the Minimum Support Price, destabilizing farmers’ finances and discouraging further cultivation. The implementation of supportive policies has been ineffective, and the Ministry of Textiles has not shown the required assertiveness in addressing the pressing issues of the jute industry. This ineffectiveness s reflected in the reluctance of State Purchasers to place orders with the Jute Commissioners Office, the regulatory authority, for the implementation of the Jute Packaging Materials Act and the Jute and Textiles Control Order. The combined effects of reduced production, sales below MSP and lack of effective support from Central authorities, Jute Commissioner, JCIL and the Ministry of Textiles have created widespread distress. Therefore, I would urge upon the Government to intervene without further loss of time to bail out the jute industry from this critical situation in public interest. Thank you.

Sir, my submission pertains to the response given by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to my Unstarred Question dated 22nd July 2024 concerning the closure of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. The closure of the foundation comes at a critical juncture intersecting with the overall crackdown on minorities. The Budget allocation trend for the Ministry of Minority Affairs over the past five years is alarming with a reduction from Rs.5,000 crore to Rs.3,000 crore. Despite multiple interventions by opposition MPs, including myself, several schemes such as the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, Naya Savera and Padho Pardesh have been discontinued. Sir, the priorities are clear. This 35-year-old foundation established to honour the legacy of India’s first Education Minister has been a beacon of hope for thousands of minority students. The rationale given by the Ministry for the closure is ‘to avoid extra cost to the exchequer’. This is absurd. The foundation received zero funds in the last two years. The BJP Government between 2014 and 2022 spent Rs.7,000 crore on advertisements. This organisation was spending just one per cent of it. Sir, where does this stop? References to Maulana Azad were deleted from NCERT textbooks; the fellowship in his name was discontinued; and now the foundation in his name has been shut down. This is not about politics or jumlas. This is about the future of thousands of students from disadvantaged sections of the society. This is not “sabka saath, sabka vikas”. This is “kuch logon ka saath, kuch logon ka vikas, baki sab saff.

Sir, I have the privilege to represent two States. I live in Assam and I have found space in this august House because of the people of Bengal. What is common between the two States is that both these States are reeling under severe floods. Assam is one of the most impacted States. When the national average is 10.2 per cent of flood-prone areas, for Assam, it is almost 40 per cent – four times! The floods of the Brahmaputra River, of the Barak River, of the Kushiyara River, of the River Ganga in Bengal are so devastating that thousands of hectares of crop land, lakhs of houses, hospitals, schools, bridges get devastated because of flooding during the monsoon. But the irony is, this is recurring every year and what we generally see is that States like Assam, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Bihar, all these States demand money from the NDRF Funds. But such is the scheme of things that when SDRF Funds and NDRF Fund have to be coordinated, the guidelines are such that a State has discretion of spending the SDRF Fund only up to 10 per cent and 90 per cent is monitored by the Centre. So, how do the Chief Ministers of States spend this money efficaciously? Sir, last but not the least, I am pained to say that when hundred people died in Assam in this flood and when 24 lakh people are impacted, and an eight-year old boy died in Guwahati, hon. Home Minister of India said that Assam has a flood-like situation. Sir, what is a flood-like situation  aap batayein. We have been fighting for decades saying to declare it as a national calamity. When Siliguri to Sikkim, NH10 breaks down, or Silchar to Shillong, NH-6 breaks down, it impacts the entire North-East. I am asking to give sufficient funds to the States. Don’t say north Bengal separate ho jao Barak Valley separate ho jao. We want funds. Solve our problem, Sir, and give us funds to mitigate these floods, prevent these floods and for rehabilitation of Assam and Bengal. Thank you, Sir.