Author: aitc

Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose’s speech on The Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2025 and The Finance Bill, 2025

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Thank you, Mr. Deputy Chairman Sir, for having given me the opportunity. I rise to speak on the Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2025 and the Finance Bill, 2025. This was the slogan in 2014. Ten years later where is achche din? Where is achche din today, Sir? Achche din is nothing but a jumla. Achche din is a  sapna. Achche din is a  on the people of India. Sir, I would like to tell you the reality checks on achche din…The economy faces a crisis of consumption. Private consumption is simply not reviving. Indians are not spending, revealing a huge lack of confidence in this Government’s policies. The Indus Valley Report 2025 says as many as a billion people in India lack the money to spend on any discretionary goods and services. About 300 million ‘emerging’ or ‘aspirant’ consumers are ‘reluctant spenders.’ The consuming class is not getting wider, it is getting deeper, meaning those who are already rich have more money but the wealthy population is not growing in numbers. The poor are losing purchasing power. There is nothing in this Budget that is actually going to put more money in the hands of those who desperately need it. Private investment has slumped. The International Monetary Fund in its recent Report has flagged sluggish private investment in India. Investment growth by private corporates has decelerated from 21 per cent in 2022-23 to 13 per cent in 2023-24. Yet on the back of this low confidence of consumers coupled with massive unemployment, the Government has made huge cuts in capital expenditure, health, education, rural development, social welfare and even on Mid Day Meal Scheme. Achche din! No, Sir; Asliyat or reality check! Where is the roadmap in this Budget to build private investment and spur confidence? Is the hike in income tax rebate up to Rs. 12 lakhs per year supposed to do this? This will only add private consumption of only 0.3 per cent and will hardly move the needle on growth? In any case, the euphoria on this is already fading. Achche Din; No! Asliyat or reality check! Only one group is enjoying Achche Din, that is, the rich. The middle 50 per cent of India’s tax-paying population, earning between Rs. 5 lakhs to Rs. 1 crore, have seen no real income growth for the last decade. According to the World Inequality Database, the share of middle class incomes to national income has fallen to the level of 1820, the year 1820, pre-British era. The top 10 per cent hold 57.7 per cent of national income. There is a boom in luxury goods. But tomato is at 80 rupees per kg, garlic is over 200 rupees per kg, fresh coriander is over 100 rupees per kg. Those at the bottom are facing income-stagnation and high inflation. Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto says, ‘Motorcycle sales have never been as weak as they have been for the last five quarters.’ Sir, the middle-class has to pay back debts for past consumptions. Indians are being pushed into indebtedness and ILO Report shows that the average hourly earnings of an Indian worker are the fifth lowest in the world. Even skilled workers with advanced degrees are paid the world’s seventh lowest wage. Sir, here is a shocking fact. A decade ago, the largest share of urban non-food expense was on ‘Education.’ Today, the largest share of urban expense is ‘Transport.’ Just ‘transport’ is eating up household budgets to go from one place to another. Achche Din! No. Asliyat or reality check! Even the rich don’t seem happy. . Between 2017 and 2022, 35,000 high net worth individuals gave up Indian citizenship. . Why are they giving up Indian citizenship? Sir, last year, the Finance Minister unveiled a PM Internship Scheme, offering one crore internships to youth in top 500 companies for five years. Where is that Scheme? What happened to that Scheme? In her Budget speech this year, the Finance Minister did not even mention the word ‘unemployment’ once. She did not mention the word ‘inflation’ once. India needs to create 11.5 crore jobs by 2030. The PLS Survey shows that 10.2 per cent unemployment rate is there for the youth. In the age-group 18 to 25, a humongous 42 per cent — 42 per cent — between 18 to 25 are unemployed, and the Finance Minister did not even mention ‘unemployment.’ Sir, according to the rating agency, ICRA, gold loans, that is, loans against gold, are set to reach Rs. 15 lakh crore by 2027. Gold, the last psychological resort of every Indian family, is being mortgaged to meet daily consumption expenses. Sir, they are saying ‘beti bachaho, beti padhao’. But the budget allocation to Schemes for the safety of women has decreased. Nirbhaya funds remain underutilized. The 18 per cent GST on medical and life insurance continues. Why has this not been rolled back? How can the poor who need medical insurance be motivated to take out insurance if there is a hefty tax burden? Impact is double on senior citizens because health premium is up by 10 per cent from last year. So it is a double blow. Cooperative federalism lies in tatters. Rs. 1.7 lakh crore is due to the State of West Bengal under various Heads. … MGNREGA dues amount to Rs. 7,000 crore, depriving 59 lakh workers. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana dues amount to Rs. 8,000 crore, depriving 12 lakh beneficiaries. Sir, this is not the National Democratic Alliance Government. This is the National Discrimination Alliance Government; NDA — National Discrimination Alliance. … They are allocating less on ‘Education’ and ‘Health.’ ‘Health’ allocation is well below 2 per cent; and ‘Education’ allocation is approximately 2.5 per cent, well below the recommended 6 per cent of the Kothari Commission. Sir, as the former Finance Minister said, a tsunami is coming on April 2nd. A new round of reciprocal tariffs is about to be announced by the Donald Trump Administration and could prove devastating for India’s export earnings. According to a report, 87 per cent of total exports could be hit worth as much as 66 billion dollars. Industries employing lakhs of Indians as employees will suddenly lose market share in the US. Sir, the hon. Finance Minister has left, but I would like to remind her of a quote from a film. Sir, I would like to quote that line, “ख्वाब हो तुम या कोई हकीकत, कौन हो तुम बतलाओ।” Are you just a dream or you are any kind of a reality? Are you a dream or reality? Ten years after this Government came to power, ‘achche din’ because of this Government’s policies, has been revealed as nothing but a spin doctor’s dream. ‘Achche din’ is a * ‘achche din’ is a jumla, ‘achche din’ is a * The reality is, the hakikat is, there is no ‘achche din’. Sir, I would like to say one more thing. Sometimes, we Members of Parliament make mistakes. Some mistakes creep into what we say, but there is one man who never makes mistakes – the hon. Prime Minister! Talking about the failed policy of demonetisation, the Prime Minister said, if this policy is wrong, please give me any kind of punishment you want. What is more revealing of this failed policy of demonetisation than the piles of cash allegedly found and burnt in the home of a former jurist? Allegedly, piles of cash were found and burnt in the home of a jurist. Sir, is the Prime Minister ready to face the punishment of the people? . Is the Prime Minister ready to face the punishment, because these piles of cash are a stark example that the policy of demonetization has resoundingly failed? This Government is a failed government. This Government is a jumla government. This Government is a  government and it is because of this that every slogan of this Government is revealed as  and as a  on the people of India. Thank you, Sir.

Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik’s Zero Hour mention on the demand for adequate minimum support price (MSP) for farmers across the country

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उपसभापति महोदय, मैं आज इस सदन का ध्यान किसानों के लिए उचित न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य(MSP) की अत्यंत
आवश्यकता की ओर आकर्षित करना चाहता हूँ। कृषि हमारे देश की रीड़ की हड्डी है, लेकिन हमारे किसान अभी भी अस्थिर बाजार मूल्य, बढ़ती उत्पादन लागत एवं आर्थिक संकट से जूझ रहे हैं। 2006 में डॉ. एम. एस. स्वामीनाथन की अध्यक्षता में उपसभापति महोदय, मैं आज इस सदन का ध्यान किसानों के लिए उचित न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य(MSP) की अत्यंत आवश्यकता की ओर आकर्षित करना चाहता हूँ। कृषि हमारे देश की रीड़ की हड्डी है, लेकिन हमारे किसान अभी भी अस्थिर बाजार मूल्य, बढ़ती उत्पादन लागत एवं आर्थिक संकट से जूझ रहे हैं। 2006 में डॉ. एम. एस. स्वामीनाथन की अध्यक्षता में महोदय, 2022 में राज्य सभा में एक प्रश्न के जवाब में केंद्र सरकार ने कहा था कि वह इस सिफारिश का पालन करेगी एवं एमएसपी को उत्पादन की कुल लागत के डेढ़ गुना पर निर्धारित करेगी। हाल ही में आर्थिक मामलों की मंत्रिमंडलीय समिति ने 2024-25 सीजन के लिए 14 खरीफ फसलों का एमएसपी मंजूर किया। हालाँकि सरकार दावा करती है कि वह एमएसपी को उत्पादन लागत के 1.5 गुणा पर निर्धारित करती है, लेकिन वास्तव में यह गणना ‘A2+FL’ पर आधारित होती है, न कि ‘C2’ पर। महोदय, 13 फरवरी, 2024 को पंजाब एवं हरियाणा में किसानों ने एमएसपी की कानूनी गारंटी के लिए आंदोलन किया, जिसमें दुर्भाग्यवश 22 किसान, जिनमें दो महिलाएं भी शामिल हैं, की मृत्यु हो गई एवं 160 से अधिक किसान घायल हुए।…जिन्हें दिल्ली में प्रवेश करने से रोकने के लिए आंसू गैस और पैलेट गन से निशाना बनाया गया।..   उपसभापति महोदय, एनसीआरबी के अनुसार भारत में हर दिन 30 किसान आत्महत्या करते हैं एवं 2022 में इन आत्महत्याओं में से लगभग 10 प्रतिशत महिलाएं थीं। उपसभापति महोदय, किसानों को जलवायु परिवर्तन और असंगत सरकारी व्यापार नीतियों के कारण लगातार बढ़ती मूल्य अस्थिरता का सामना करना पड़ता है। इसलिए मैं सरकार से आग्रह करता हूँ कि तत्काल सभी फसलों के एमएसपी को उत्पादन की भारित औसत लागत का 50 प्रतिशत बढ़ाया जाए एवं एमएसपी की कानूनी गारंटी को सुनिश्चित किया जाए।

Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray’s Zero Hour mention on the demand for completing the fencing of the India-Bangladesh border

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Sir, the total length of India-Bangladesh border is 4,096.7 kilometres, out of which 865 kilometres is yet to be fenced and it includes 174 kilometres of nonfeasible gaps. West Bengal, among all other States in India, has the longest land border with Bangladesh, which is 2,217 kilometres. One of the major challenges reportedly being faced in completing the feasible stretches of fencing projects relates to unwarranted objections and problems created by the Border Guard Bangladesh. One such recent problem created by the Border Guard Bangladesh at Sukdevpur in Malda District of West Bengal was foiled by the local people with the help of the police and the Border Security Force. In the district of Cooch Behar, miscreants from the other side of the border, at times, infiltrate into our villages and loot the valuables and foodgrains of the villagers. This is an alarming situation in the border of Cooch Behar. With the emerging situation in Bangaldesh, the Government is required to be more vigilant and adequate measures should be initiated on war footing to complete the fencing of feasible stretches of Indo-Bangladesh border. Lastly, the Coast Guard and other authorities should also be more alert in the Sunderbans Delta in the interest of our national security. Enhanced surveillance is needed along the maritime border of Bengal to ensure that no illegal activities go unnoticed.

MP Derek O’Brien, AITC Parliamentary Party Leader in Rajya Sabha, intervenes to remind the House that the House rules need to apply to both the Treasury bench MPs and the Opposition, with respect to the Chair’s observation that under Rule 110, the scope of discussion on a motion for passing a Bill should be confined to arguments either for or against the Bill and not go into its details

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Sir, I am glad you have referred to this Rule from the Chair. With full respect, Sir, my request to you is the timing of this observation is yours to choose from. It is happening more from this side because you chose to read this, which is your prerogative, after somebody from this side finished his speech. This is my earnest request, my humble request. Sir, I request you. One minute, Sir. Let me finish.

Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale’s speech on The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

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Sir, because this Bill pertains to the banking laws, I want to start by talking about the flagship banking scheme of this Government. A few years ago, the Government came up with this idea of providing Jan Dhan Bank Accounts to everybody. The Government’s data claims that they opened a total of 54 crore Jan Dhan Accounts. It is fantastic. The idea is great. What the Government does not conveniently say is that out of these 54 crore Jan Dhan Accounts, 11 crore accounts are dormant, which means that they are not being used. These accounts are completely dormant. And, how much money do these dormant Jan Dhan Accounts have? These accounts have about Rs.14,000 crore. It is Rs.14,000 crore of poor people’s money because that is what the Jan Dhan Accounts were created for, and this money is lying unused in these accounts. People are not able to access their own money. This number, Rs.14,000 crore, is a very important number I want your ruling on something, Sir. The speaker before me was talking about the yojanas of the Modi Government. It is my only question. Before I completed my sentence, you stopped me. My time may be paused. I am speaking on the subject. Let us talk about banking in detail, that is, the deposits and the loans. Today, bank deposits have gone down and the bank loans have gone up. The number of deposits in the banks have grown at 11 per cent. On the other hand, the amount of oans taken by Indians has grown by a shocking 18 per cent. When asked a question in the Parliament in February last year, the Government told that the total amount of unsecured outstanding loans in India was Rs.62 lakh crore. Unsecured loans means credit card and personal loans. So, the amount owed by average Indians on only credit cards and personal loans is Rs.62 lakh crore, that is, 25 per cent of India’s GDP. People are forced to take loans because of economic distress. Let us come to gold. In the first nine months of this fiscal year, the number of gold loans went up by 68 per cent. Distress in the economy is forcing people to pledge their gold and take loans on that. Sure, the value of gold is going up and it has benefited people by getting a higher amount on that. I remember during the Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister Modi had said that the opposition would take away your mangalsutra. Today, under the Narendra Modi Government, women are having to pledge their mangalsutra to take loans to pay their monthly expenses. Who has taken away the mangalsutra of women? It is not the opposition; it is under this Finance Minister that the Modi Government has done that. There is a report by Perfios-PwC, which was published in February. These are the statistics of people in the urban areas. I am not talking about poor people. Thirty-three per cent of the monthly salary goes towards paying EMIs on loans. People spend the highest amount on their obligatory loan expenses, which is 39 per cent of their total spending, followed by 32 per cent for basic necessities. Sir, 70 per cent of income EMI I am talking about the urban areas. Imagine what the condition in rural areas is! People with an income of above one lakh are paying approximately 46 per cent of their after-tax salary only on servicing the existing debts. There is a loan crisis. The Government itself had admitted that consumption is down in our economy. Therefore, people are not taking loans to buy new products or to consume something new. They are taking loans to service their existing loans. The other side of this problem is that Indian banks are being crushed under the burden of Non-Performing Assets. In just last five years, Indian banks have a staggering 10 lakh crores as Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). How does this Government solve the NPA crisis? NPAs are not created by ordinary people, it is created by a bunch of 10-15 people who defraud the system and then leave the country. Banks have now been told to write off NPAs. What is a write-off, Sir? A write-off is a beautiful accounting technique where these NPAs are taken off the balance sheets of banks. It does not mean that they are repaid. It just means that they are taken off to make the balance sheet look healthy. So, NPA K7D, write-off … but this money is still not being recovered. So, as I said earlier, deposits are going down and loans are going up. When we look closely, we find an interesting trend that the corporates are borrowing less. Corporates are, in fact, sitting on a lot of money since 2019 after corporate tax rate was slashed. They are not investing this money in the market, that is a different thing, but corporates are not borrowing. Sir, it is average people, MSMEs, who are required to borrow money every month. The loan burden of average Indians, farmers, small businesses is going up. That is the reason that our GDP growth has come crashing down to mere 5.4 per cent, which is the lowest in six quarters. Last year, our Government was celebrating the big growth in the stock market. Fantastic! Before the Exit polls were conducted, Prime Minister Modi and the hon. Home Minister Amit Shah, came on TV and said, buy stocks, the market is going to shoot up. Great! People borrowed money, people used their savings and put all that money into the stock market. Now, what has happened? The  people said, पीएम मोदी जी नेकहा है, तो उोंनेकु छ सोच कर ही कहा होगा। PM Modi said, stock market will rocket; Amit Shah ji said, stock market will rocket. In the last three months, after the US elections, stock market has crashed. Who has lost the money? The average people have lost the money, Sir. Because loans are easily available; people went and took loans. Because PM Modi ;L Kह8, they put that money in the stock market. Savings of average Indians have been wiped off because the hon. Prime Minister decided to be a stock market expert on live television. Sir, why are people not depositing their savings in bank accounts? Today morning, there was a report in the Mint, which said, that with an expected rate cut, banks are now going to cut their deposit rates. Now, when people are not consuming, the Government wants to stimulate  consumption through. So, cutting the interest rates is a strategy. Bank’s deposit rate will go down. With the food inflation, which is about 10 per cent, what is happening to deposits in banks? If the rate of interest that I am getting on my deposit is less than the rate of inflation, it means that if I am keeping money in the bank, I am actually losing money. That is why, people are not keeping money in banks; they are putting it in places like the stock market, where they feel there will be appreciations, but these are also very risky areas, and, naturally, as the bubble has burst, people have ended up losing their money. So, what is the Government doing to make deposits attractive? It is forcing banks to market deposits. Saying that your ratio is really bad, your credit deposit ratio is bad, the Government is forcing banks to do marketing. Banks are marketing these deposits aggressively to people. But what is happening is that there is a major liquidity crisis in the country. Banks can only offer money when there is liquidity in the system. Today, banks are being encouraged to bring in deposits. Deposits are liabilities for banks while loans are assets. These deposits are coming in with attractive interest rates on it. When there is no liquidity in the market, this is affecting the profit margins of banks. Let us say, if the price of gold, which they are holding right now on behalf of people,  comes crashing down tomorrow, then, with respect to the gold loans for which gold is used as collateral, banks will not be going to have the margin that is required to service that money. Sir, in the last five years, our Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have made revenue of Rs. 8,500 crores through a very unique mechanism. What is that mechanism, Sir? Penalties on not maintaining minimum balance! You are a poor person but if you have no money in your  account and you do not maintain a minimum balance, bank is going to charge you a penalty. Sir, an amount of Rs. 8,500 crores has been earned by banks by taking money from poor people, who do not have money to even keep a minimum balance in their accounts. This happens with the poor. The other harassment is done to the middle class. Every three months, do your KYC, do a re-KYC, do a re-re-KYC. Sir, when PAN cards are linked to bank accounts, Aadhaar is linked to bank accounts, what is the need for this constant KYC? But they make people keep doing that.  People have to do the KYC because otherwise, the bank accounts are frozen. And, once these accounts get frozen, it becomes a major nightmare as people have to go to the branches, while people do not have the time to do that. But every time, ‘do your KYC or we will freeze your account’. No questions asked. When the data is there with the Government, the Government is very good at using data for other things. Before elections, we get a WhatsApp message about Viksit Bharat during the Code of Conduct. So, they have the data to send WhatsApp messages during elections; they don’t have the data to find out where a person is staying using the AadhaAr and PAN. Why do I need to keep doing KYC every two months? Sir, all I wish to say in conclusion is that piecemeal legislation like this Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill is useless until we address the structural problems faced by our banks. These problems will continue to exist unless we implement drastic economic reforms. Sir, the Finance Minister thinks that the gaping wounds in our economy can be fixed with a band-aid. The first step towards any problem is to first accept it. When you accept is, when you start making amendments and changing. This Government, for eleven years, is not willing to accept that there is a problem. We very clearly saw this in a visionless Union Budget where there was absolutely no sort of reform done. Sir, the Modi Government has dangerously started believing its own jumlas. It started this propaganda to mislead the people, but now in a shocking turn of events, the Modi Government itself is actually believing ‘sab changa si’. They have deluded themselves into thinking that everything is fantastic under our Government, everything is great, and things have never been better before. Sir, our economy and our banking system cannot be fixed until the Government removes its blindfolds. I strongly urge the hon. Finance Minister to come back to this House with some real, actual banking reforms instead of bringing pointless Bills like the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, which does absolutely nothing to fix our banking system. Thank you, Sir.

Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen’s Zero Hour mention on the need to reconsider the advisory of reducing cooking oil in mid-day meals under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN)

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Thank you, Chairman, Sir, for giving me opportunity to speak on my Zero Hour submission on need to urgently reconsider our advisory to reduce cooking oil in Mid-Day Meal Scheme. The Union Government has issued an advisory recommending a 10 per cent reduction in cooking oil uses in Mid-Day Meal Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) Scheme, aiming to combat childhood obesity. While addressing obesity is important, Sir, this directive may not consider the diverse nutritional needs of children across the country. Many students relying on Mid-Day Meal come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds where malnutrition, rather than obesity, is prevalent. Healthy fats from cooking oils are essential for growth and cognitive development. A blanket reduction could inadvertently deprive these children of necessary nutrients. Moreover, concerns have been raised about the potential impact on meal quality. Reducing oil content might lead to the use of lower quality ingredients or dilution methods using water, compromising both taste and nutritional value. Stakeholders have criticized the advisory as unscientific, calling for a comprehensive nutritional assessment before implementing such measures. Additionally, the advisory lacks empirical data supporting the correlation between current oil uses in mid-day meal and rising obesity rates among school children. Without such evidence, policy changes may be misguided and potentially harmful. Given these concerns, it is imperative that the Government reevaluates the advisory. A thorough evidence-based study should be conducted to assess the nutritional implications of reducing cooking oil in Mid-Day Meals. Policies should be tailored to address regional health changes, ensuring that interventions are aligned to the realities on the ground and not averse to them. NR, ह@ NBzKi हE per student/per child funding aB ÜnPGP zPFहyÉ I urge upon the Union Government that it may be taken up on a serious note and the advisory may be revoked, so that the children from downtrodden families, who are large in numbers and comprise majority of our population, may get their rights as per law. Thank you, Sir.

Lok Sabha MP Sougata Ray’s speech on The “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University, 2025

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: Madam, I rise to speak on the Tribhuvan Sahakari University Bill, 2025, which has been brought by … Shri Amit Shah. … यह अच्छीबात हैजक अजमत िाह जीहोम जमजनस्टर होतेहुए भी उन्होंने यूजनवजसिटी केबारेमेंध्यान जदया। बीजेपी सेपहलेजो माननीय सदस्य बोल रहेथे, उनका भािण मझुेअच्छा लगा। जत्रभवुन दास पटेल जी नेगजुरात मेंकॉऑपरजेटव मूवमेंट की प्रजतष्ठा की थी। माननीय सदस्य नेउनकेबारेमेंअच्छा बोला। यह सही काम हुआ जक जत्रभवुन सहकारी यूजनवजसिटी जबल आयाहै। जत्रभवुन दास जी को जवाहर लाल केसमय भारत सरकार नेपदमश्री जदया था। उनको मैग्सैसेप्राइज भी जमला था। मझुेआियिहुआ जक बीजेपी के सदस्य नेउनकेबारेमेंबोला। उन्होंने जत्रभवुन दास जी की बात जरूर बोलाी, लेजकन असल मेंजजन्होंनेअमूल मेंटेजक्नकल काम जकया, उनके नाम का उल्लेख नहीं जकया। उनका नाम वगीज कुररयन था। It was Kurien who gave shape to Amul. He was a dairy technologist, educated abroad. He joined up with this co-operative to give strength. Madam, I do not know if you like films. The best film on co-operative was made by Shri Shyam Benegal, who passed away recently. Its name was Manthan. And it was starred by Shri Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil, who is not with us anymore. If you saw the movement,how slowly milk farmers were persuaded to join the co-operative, and how the co-operative became a big success, you would have realized that Shri Tribhuvandas Ji was a Congressmanandnot a BJP man. He did things in his own way, but it was the addition of a dairy technologist who changed Amul totally. Today, Amul is dominating in the Indian market. Amul is for milk. Amul is also for ice cream. Amul makes all the products related to the dairy industry, from ghee to butter to dahi to paneer, everything. It is the success story of this country. अजमत िाह जी यह जबल लायेहैं। यह अच्छी बात है, लेजकन मझुेयह डर हैजक इस जबल को लानेके बाद अमूल की जो स्वतंत्रता और ऑटोनॉमी है, वह कोऑपरजेटव मूवमेंट का लाइफ प्लान है, वह उसेलेलेगी। The BJP Government does not believe in autonomy, it believes in centralization of power. सेन्रलाइजेिन के नाम परइसकीस्वतंत्रता और ऑटोनॉमी नहीं जानी चाजहए। My friend Bhartruhari Mahtab ji is saying that is a university not an institute. But it is entirely based on the Institute of Rural Management Anand. Dr. Kurien along with Ananda Dairy set up an Institute of Rural Management. Till date, that is the only institute imparting training to managers working for cooperatives and such organisations. Now that is being wholesale converted into a university. It is becoming a university, but there is nothing new. The structure is already there. The Institute of Rural Management Anand is the only institute producing technical people for managing the rural problems, including unemployment. यह जो जबल प्रस्ततु हुआ है, इसमेंआप देखेंगेजक स्टैंडडि यूजनवजसिटी मेंजो कुछ होता है, वह सबइसमेंहै। The objects of the University have been defined. The appointment of Chancellor has been defined. How the Vice-Chancellor will be appointed is defined. There is appointment of a Director. I do not know why they need a Vice-Chancellor and a Director at the same time. But they are doing it. It will create two centres of power and thus lead to conflicts in future. The appointment of Dean will again create another centre of power because the Dean will look after all academic matters. Then, there is appointment of Controller of Examinations, Librarian, etc. यह तो हर यूजनवजसिटी मेंहोता है। Where is this very special? …आप कुछ बोल रहेहैं, बोजलए न।… Madam, I am not yielding. Nishikant ji is in favour of creating disruption for the Opposition. … Normally the Ruling Party should let the Opposition speak. But Nishikant ji has been tasked with the duty of disrupting Opposition’s speeches. यह नहीं करना चाजहए।… मैडम, यहां अलग-अलग काउंजसल्स बनी हैं। There is Capacity Building Council; there is Assessment and Improvement Council; there is Research and Development Council, and then there is a Board for Affiliation. This is because the extra in this Bill is that you have an Institute of Rural Management in Anand. That will act as the vertex. From this vertex, we will spin out further institutes which will promote cooperative education and cooperative management. This is a good idea because in Maharashtra, there is an example of successful cooperatives, that of the sugar cooperatives, which are powerful in itself. But we need to put more managerial input in the Maharashtra sugar mills. Also in Uttar Pradesh, there are a large number of sugar mills. We should see that in Uttar Pradesh, this is managed by cooperatives. The cooperatives should run with the help of trained managers, trained at one of the Amul degrees. Madam, I know that you are shaking your head, which means that according to you my time is over. But I crave your indulgence to have a little more time. All I want to say is this. Mr. Amit Shah is known as the … कसी कोहटानाहै, जकसी को लानाहै, वही करतेहैं। केवल एक बात बोलकर खत्म करूं गा। The main thing of a university is autonomy. It should have academic autonomy. It should have administrative autonomy. It should have managerial autonomy. The Central Government should not interfere in the affairs of the universities. If they promise that they will not do so, I will support the Bill. Thank you, Madam.

Lok Sabha MP Dr Sharmila Sarkar’s Zero Hour mention on the need for the government to posthumously award the revolutionary Rashbehari Bose, considering his great contribution to the Indian independence movement

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Madam, I would to draw your kind attention to an important matter. As you may be aware, Rash Bihari Bose was a distinguished Indian revolutionary and a key figure in the Indian Independence Movement. He was the mastermind behind the Delhi Conspiracy of 1912, which aimed to assassinate the Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge. While he was in Japan, he founded the Indian Independence League to drive the British out of India. Unfortunately, many Indians remain unaware that the Indian National Army (INA), later led by Subhash Chandra Bose and named ;Azad Hind Fauj’, was established on the foundation laid by Rash Bihari Bose. In recognition of his contributions, the Japanese Government honoured him in 1943 with the ‘Second Order of Merit of the Rising Sun’, the highest title granted to a foreigner. Madam, I take immense pride in informing this House that Rash Bihari Bose was born on May 25, 1886, in the village of Subaldaha in Bardhaman district, which falls within my Parliamentary Constituency. The people of Purba Bardhaman earnestly request the Government of India to preserve his ancestral land, declare it a heritage site, and develop it into a significant tourist attraction. Considering his great contribution to India’s independence, he deserves to be honoured with any prestigious posthumous award. I sincerely hope this request will betaken seriously.

Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee’s speech on The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024

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Sir, I rise today to speak on behalf of my Party, the All India Trinamool Congress. My first submission is that this Bill should have undergone pre-legislative consultation and thorough committee scrutiny as it directly impacts the life, the livelihood and security of 1.4 billion of our countrymen. In the 15th Lok Sabha, 2009-2014, seven out of ten Bills were sent to the committees for scrutiny. In the 17th Lok Sabha, 2019-2024, only two out of the ten Bills were sent for scrutiny. Now, in this Lok Sabha, only one out of ten Bills is sent for scrutiny. In the 17th Lok Sabha, nine out of ten Bills introduced in Parliament were marked by zero or incomplete consultations. In the 17th Lok Sabha, a total of 221 Bills were passed, more than one-third were hurried through with less than a sixty minute discussion. I am speaking, Sir. Let me speak. Sir, the larger concern here is of legislative… … The Union and Concurrent Lists under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution do not include entries related to disaster management. … While introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha last year, the hon. Minister of Home Affairs stated that the Bill is derived from Entry 23 of the Concurrent List. Entry 23 pertains to social security, pertains to social insurance, pertains to employment and unemployment. Disaster management does not fall under the ambit of this entry. Where does the Government derive the authority to enact this legislation? Secondly, nearly two decades have passed since the enactment of the Disaster Management Act, yet this Bill fails to incorporate lessons learnt from its implementation. Let me give you two examples to prove my point. Number one, the Disaster Management Act establishes several authorities at Union, State and district levels. The Amendment Bill seeks to provide statutory status to pre-existing organizations such as the National Crisis Management Committee and a high level committee. Additionally, multiple corporations would come under the jurisdiction of the Urban Disaster Management Authority (UDMA) instead of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). Sir, now, a major concern of the Disaster Management Act has been the excessive centralization, especially on matter of funds. Severity of the disaster is not a criterion for prompt disbursal of funds. The Bill also fails to mention this. Our past experience has shown that you cannot strengthen authorities without necessary financial devolution. States are constantly left at the mercy of the Union Government. Let me explain. After Cyclone Bulbul in 2019-20, the Bengal Government requested close to Rs. 7,500 crores from the NDRF. We received only 13 per cent of the requested funds. Sir, I repeat. We demanded Rs. 7,500 crores. … … Only 13 per cent of the requested funds were received. Then, came Cyclone Amphan. Sir, 354 people died, 24,000 livestock lost, and over 5.6 lakh houses were damaged. We only got 6 per cent of the funds we demanded. For Cyclone Yaas, where 18 of our 23 districts were severely affected, and I repeat, Sir, in Cyclone Yaas, 18 of our 23 districts were severely affected, not a single rupee was disbursed by the NDRF. In the hon. Finance Minister’s Budget Speech last year, assistance measures were announced for Sikkim, Bihar, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. We are genuinely happy for those States. But, why is West Bengal left out again and again? The northern part of Bengal, including Jalpaiguri, Alipurduars, Darjeeling and Kalimpong face some of the worst floods every year. Transboundary waters from Bhutan are flooding the areas. Now, what is happening in the Northern part? According to the CAG Report, West Bengal suffered average annual damages worth almost Rs. 8,800 crores between 2013 and 2017. This was much higher than the All India average of the last 60 years – I repeat, Sir, much higher than the All India average of the last 60 years. Yet, the Union Government withheld funds and ignored the people of West Bengal. Let me say this on record, this trend of withholding funds to non-NDA States is a violation of our constitutional principles. You cannot combat Ms. Mamata Banerjee politically. You cannot combat Shri Abhishek Banerjee politically. You go on depriving the people of our State. … You are punishing our State. You are punishing the other States where you cannot win politically. You are choking the people simply because they did not vote for you. … On top of that, not a single rupee has been sanctioned for the Ghatal Master Plan, putting the lives of 17 lakh of our people in Paschim and Pubra Medinipur districts at serious risk. Despite the Union Government turning its back on the people of West Bengal, the State Government under the leadership of Ms. Mamata Banerjee has already completed 19 kilometer resuscitation of river bank, using its own resources. Now, Sir, I will come to some very important points. Since 2009, the Bengal Government has received only 7 per cent of the requested funds for disaster relief. I repeat, Sir, we have received only 7 per cent of the requested funds for disaster relief. The expenditure for Central Sector Schemes includes funds for Relief and Rehabilitation, Freedom Fighters’ Pensions and Disaster Management. The decrease has been to the tune of 40 per cent from the last year. In 2022, 25 lakh people were displaced due to climateinduced disasters. The aid that was provided for Cyclone Yaas, I have mentioned, was a big zero. This is a calculated decision to penalize the States run by non-BJP parties. The Disaster Management Bill, which you are bringing to Parliament, is also anti-federal. Our party wants this Bill to be examined by a parliamentary committee. Do not rush it like the Farm Laws. This is a request from us. In West Bengal, floods were triggered by the release of water from various reservoirs of the Damodar Valley Corporation without prior intimation to our State Government. These floods which were happening due to the release of water of DVC are completely man-made floods. These are man-made floods where our people are submerged in water. Now, these are man-made floods, and why did the Union Government not engage in dredging and desilting? The West Bengal State Government and our Disaster Management Department have enough infrastructure to manage rainfall. The Damodar Valley Corporation was set up as the first multi-purpose river valley project of independent India. During the floods in 2024 last year, I personally had the experience to be in a number of districts in Malda. Our M.P., Shrimati Mausam Noor hails from Malda. I have been to the other parts where devastating floods have been there. In 2024, we have the worst floods caused by the Damodar Valley Corporation’s release of water since 2009. Around five million people across thousand square kilometres were affected. This happened just before our biggest festival of Durga Puja. Even during Durga Puja, there were areas in Malda which were completely submerged under water. Why were you trying to drown the people of Bengal? We want to ask through you, Sir, as to why they were trying to drown the people of Bengal. Why did the Union Government unilaterally release such huge volumes of water without consulting the State Government concerned? This is not cooperative federalism. It is clear that when disaster strikes, creating multiple authorities will only make coordination harder. This will delay response efforts and ultimately put people at risk. What is baffling is that these provisions go against the very purpose of the Bill. That is why we are telling on behalf of our party, All India Trinamool Congress that Bill must be sent to the Committee on Home Affairs for a thorough scrutiny. Our hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee wrote letters to the hon. Prime Minister in the month of September. On 20th and 22nd September, 2024, the hon. Chief Minister of Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee wrote two letters to hon. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on the flood situation in the State pointing out that all critical decisions to release water were made unilaterally by the representatives of the Central Water Commission (CWC) without arriving at a consensus. This was the second letter that our Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in a span of two days. It was regarding the release of water from the reservoirs controlled by the Damodar Valley Corporation for inundation of large areas in south Bengal. Sir, through you, I would like to know from the Government under what conditions all critical decisions are made unilaterally by the representatives of the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India without arriving at a consensus. Sometimes, water releases take place even without any notice to the State Government, and the request and views of the State Government of West Bengal are completely ignored. At times, the peak releases from the reservoirs of DVC lasting for a prolonged period of nine hours are conducted with only three and a half hours’ notice. I repeat, you are releasing water for nine hours and only three and a half hours notice we are getting, which proves insufficient for effective disaster management. Now, I want to mention here that the Bengal Delta, which is a densely-populated region vulnerable to natural disasters, faces escalating climate calamities including tidal inundation, rising sea level and increased cyclonic activity, potentially displacing millions by 2050. This is the latest report that is arriving throughout the globe. Historically, the Bengal Delta also known as the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, has been a region prone to natural calamities particularly, cyclones, severe thunderstorms and floods due to its low-lying flood prone nature and a typical location in the Bay of Bengal. The Bengal Delta is a vast, low-lying area where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal, making it a highly vulnerable region to natural disasters. The delta’s river systems, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Padma and Meghna, all are prone to flooding. They are flowing into the Bay of Bengal. Especially, during the monsoon season, they are prone to flooding, leading to significant disruption and damage. Sir, I will mention and I will go to the pages of history as to why this Bengal delta is the most vulnerable one. It was the then GovernorGeneral of Bengal, Charles Canning, who desired to form a port in his own name. He was living, but he desired to have a city, a port in his own name. He named that city as ‘Canning’ on the Matla River. His name was Charles Canning and the port was named as ‘Port Canning’. Now, he did not listen to anybody. He said, “Port Canning will become an alternative to Singapore. His name will be there and his name will always be there.” Sir, what happened? There was a person, an Englishman, who had served in the Caribbean for a long time. His name was James Spidington. James Spidington had served in the Caribbean as an English Merchant Navy officer. He was staying in Calcutta. He wrote a series of letters to the Governor-General, Charles Canning. He cautioned Charles Canning that the delta river system, including Ganges, had a history of devastating natural disasters, such as the Hooghly River Cyclone of 1737, considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. He advised, “Don’t create this city, don’t create this port in your own name.” However, Charles Canning did not listen to his warning. And, in 1867, a disastrous cyclone ravaged the port city of Canning, leaving it a bleached skeleton. We must learn from history and heed the advice of those who understand. No, no, I am on the subject, Sir. Let me finish, Sir. I will speak on the subject, Sir. I will now come back to my first point. Let me remind the Union Government that when the Disaster Management Bill was introduced in this House in 2005, it was referred to the Committee on Home Affairs. The Committee took the time to gather comments from State and Union Territories, visited disaster affected areas and studied existing disaster laws across States. Now, we have an Amendment Bill coming after nearly two decades. And, in the backdrop of multiple civil disasters, this Bill fails to address the challenges we have. Sir, I crave your indulgence. I will take half-a-minute. This Bill does not reflect the challenges we have faced and the lessons we have learned over the last decades. Legislations are meant to serve the people and this House must not let the people of this country down. On behalf of my party, the All India Trinamool Congress, I demand that this Bill be sent to the Committee on Home Affairs for a detailed and thorough scrutiny. Thank you, Sir.

Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee’s Zero Hour mention on the need to consult the Bengal government before releasing water from the Teesta and on the clauses for the renewal of the Teesta water-sharing treaty with Bangladesh

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Sir, the Teesta River is a 414 km long river rising in the Eastern Himalayas, flowing through Sikkim and West Bengal and subsequently entering into Bangladesh to flow into the Bay of Bengal. The Teesta is the second largest river in our State and traverses through our districts of Kalimgpong, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar before entering Bangladesh. The health of the Teesta River is suffering due to construction of a series of hydro-power projects in Sikkim, deforestation at the upper catchment area, and climate change. The hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, had conveyed her strong reservation that no discussion regarding sharing of water and Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the West Bengal Government. The people of West Bengal would be the worst sufferers due to the impact of Agreements on water sharing between India and Bangladesh. The Government of India is in the process of renewing the IndoBangladesh Farakka Treaty, 1996, which is to expire in 2026. It has huge implications for the people of our State as far as their livelihoods are concerned and the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage is creating navigability problems for the Kolkata port. Sir, it is highly necessary to bring to the notice of the Union Government that river morphology has changed in the eastern part of India and Bangladesh over many years which has deprived West Bengal and negatively impacted the water availability in the State. Lakhs of our people have been displaced from their habitations, rendering them homeless and leading to loss of livelihood. The reduced silt load in the Hooghly River has impeded the nourishment of our Sundarbans Delta also. Now, our hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, has written to the hon. Prime Minister thrice, highlighting that the Farakka Barrage has caused flooding and erosion in the State of West Bengal in a very big way. Water flow in the Teesta River has gone down over the years and it is estimated that if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in the northern part of our State will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water. Teesta water is also for meeting drinking water requirements of the residents in the northern part of Bengal. It is, therefore, not feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh. An Indo-Bhutan River Commission is also an urgent need of the hour, as flash floods from trans-boundary rivers in Bhutan are having devastating impacts on the northern districts of West Bengal. Sir, through you, I would urge upon and request the Union Government that the Government of West Bengal needs to be consulted regarding release of Teesta water to Bangladesh and also about the renewable clauses of the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty. These renewable clauses are very important. Thank you.