Author: aitc

Sir, you are most welcome back. Hope you are in good health and spirit! Somehow, nowadays, the price of the general medicines needed for the pregnant women, general medicines needed for the newborn children, which is very much related for Janani Shishu Suraksha, the life saving drugs for the mother and child, for the cancer patients, for the high blood pressure diabetes patients also are increasing day by day. Crores of common, downtrodden people, mothers and children are suffering always for this reason. Through you, Sir, I want to know what measure is being taken by the Union Government to address these people’s issues so that the price of medicines may be reduced.

Sir, firstly, I would like to commend the hon. Minister for greatly reducing our maternal and infant mortality rates. I would, definitely, like to congratulate the Ministry for that. Sir, in the answer that is given, it is true that the Government does provide hot meals under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram. The thing is that these are provided in the main, general health centers and the ones which are accessible. But the problem is in the peripheral health centers. In a number of States, allowance is given for, maybe, milk and biscuits, and that has been the tradition. But it is not possible to provide them the hot meals. So, in that particular area, I want to ask the hon. Minister whether there is any plan by the Ministry to provide allowance or maybe extend it in places where hot meals cannot be provided to women. Sir, unfortunately, my question was not answered because I said there are peripheral health centers where it is not possible for the Government to provide hot meals. What do we do in areas like those? But, nevertheless, the other issue that people are facing is again in peripheral areas. A lot of times, there is a shortage of ambulances and they cannot reach. So, they have to take referral transport. Or, in a lot of peripheral health areas, advanced ultrasound facilities are not available. So, these are the areas where out of pocket expenses do happen. I mean, the Government does not reimburse, but women do end up paying from their pockets. So, I am talking specifically about these remote areas, be it in terms of diet or be it terms of ultrasound. Is the Government considering providing reimbursement in areas where the Government is not able to, for logistical reasons, provide those services? Thank you.

Sir, it is great to have you back. The hon. Minister has already given an elaborate answer but my question, if he can kindly reply, is this. Is the Ministry considering expanding telemedicine services and mobile cancer screening units to improve early detection and treatment accessibility in rural areas? If yes, please provide the details.

Sir, Shri T.N. Seshan was the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India and he redefined the way in which the Election Commissioner of India functions. Mr. Seshan was a fiercely independent Election Commissioner. His famous quote, ‘I eat politicians for breakfast,’ showed that he worked without fear or favour and upheld the independence and dignity of the Election Commission. Sir, I will state a few reasons as to why it is extremely important that our country honour Shri T.N. Seshan with the Bharat Ratna. First reason is: Shri T.N. Seshan’s independence gave a strong image to the ECI, which is the constitutional body. Sir, today, Election Commissioners are appointed directly by the Government with a majority vote of P.M. Shri Modi and hon. Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah on the selection panel. Neither the Chief Justice of India, which is the judiciary, nor the Leader of the Opposition, which is the legislature, have any say in the appointments. The ECI has now become a Government-appointed body. Shri T.N. Seshan would not approve of this. Second reason is, Shri T.N. Seshan strictly enforced the Model Code of Conduct and made it a powerful tool for free and fair elections. Sir, the third reason and this is the most important reason. Sir, Shri T.N. Seshan — this is important for everyone to know, in the Government especially, Shri T.N. Seshan created the EPI Cards. The voter ID Cards were envisaged by Shri T.N. Seshan. He envisaged them as being a unique electoral ID for every Indian. The unique voter ID envisaged by Shri T.N. Seshan is no longer unique. Under Shri T.N. Seshan, the EC was independent and we need to give him Bharat Ratna to remind … And, Sir,…

Sir, I would like to say something. Sir, I am on Rule 29 with a request to you. Sir, during the period you were unwell – we are happy to see you back – there was a broad consensus, even at the BAC, that a Short Duration Discussion would be taken up and one of the subjects, as my colleague had said, was the EPIC duplication of Voters Cards I will say that; let me finish speaking. It is on the duplication of EPIC Cards and the Election Commission. Sir, it is not anyone’s intention to disrupt this House. There was no disruption even when the hon. Minister was replying to the Working of the Ministry of Railways. So, we want the House to run. Members have very important issues to raise during the Zero Hour. So, your kind consideration is needed for Short Duration Discussion on this issue. Thank you.

Sir, I have a point of order, under calmer circumstances, just to set on record as to what was going wrong. Please allow me. The rules are very clear. Please, humbly look at Rules 258 and 259. The basic point here is today, all of us know we are discussing the Ministry of Railways. What happened today is that the Minister, at the end of his speech used the expression ‘Railway Budget’. We were not discussing the Railway Budget. That practice stopped in 2016. What happened today has to be removed from the records. This is the point we were trying to make. There were other points also. It is Rule 259. Please allow me to say this. It relates to Rule 258 also. It is the right of a Member, any Member, irrespective of the Party, this side or that side, and, it is the guaranteed right of a Member to raise a point of order. These are the two very serious issues which happened today. It needs to be corrected in the records, otherwise, it gives a bad impression. Thank you, Sir.

Sir, I have a point of order. Sir, there are two very important issues. Please answer. Sir, we listened to the hon. Minister for one hour. My point of order is under Rule We listened to the Minister for one hour. One minute. This was not a discussion on the Railway Budget. There are two points. Please listen to me. We have listened to him for one hour. This was not a discussion… Sir, it is under Rule. This was not a discussion on the Railway Budget. I am giving you the rule. Rule 239 is there. It has A, B and C. I have got two points to make on it. One minute. For one hour, we listened to the Minister. This is not done. Sir, I beseech you for one minute. Sir, please understand the rule.

Sir, today the debate is a very novel experience for me for the reason that we are debating the Appropriation Bills regarding the Union Budget and, at the same time, we are debating the General Budget of the State of Manipur. How to get my head around the figure? But in the last 10 minutes, I am feeling slightly more confident about this speech because if a Member of the Council of Ministers can mistake a debate on a ‘Ministry’ with ‘Budget’, then, I am sure that this House will give me some leeway. Hon. Finance Minister is amongst us; I am happy to see that. As regards to Union Budget, an additional spending of about Rs.6,78,508.10 crores for 2025-2026 with 52 Grants and 3 Appropriations passed in the Lok Sabha, have come to the Rajya Sabha and have to be returned from here. The backdrop is grim and I would not like to repeat all the points that various Members of the Opposition have already stated in the discussion on the General Budget. I am sure that the entire nation knows what the state of affairs is when it comes to household savings, food inflation, income inequality, share of manufacturing, unemployment, etc., and the value of the rupee. This Government has kept us all very busy in slogans. There is one particular slogan about which, I think, every Member will speak and the hon. Member, who spoke just before me, also spoke about it. It is coined by none other than the BJP; it is aggressively used by none other than the hon. Prime Minister and the Ministers of the Government of India. It is ‘double engine’. What does the word ‘double engine’ means in a campaign in a State Legislature? I do not know. But I can give a plethora of examples, and this is my view that ‘double engine’ comes as an intimidation to the people of the State. If you want the desired rate of progress in your State, then please do vote for the BJP because the BJP is in the Centre. That is how the term ‘double engine’ has been coined. You may say that this is a bald allegation; it is not relevant to a debate on Supplementary Grants but I will try my best to justify myself. In the case of Bengal, we hear all the Ministers constantly targetting Bengal. You have heard our hon. Members of Parliament representing Bengal repeatedly saying that Rs.1.7 lakh crores under various Heads from the Centre are pending for the State of Bengal — Rs.7,000 crore of NREGS depriving 59 lakh workers and Rs.8,000 crore of Awas Yojana. I am very relieved that it is the Standing Committee, none less than the Standing Committee, which, at page 63, para 3, strongly recommended the release of NREGS funds to Bengal. It is strongly recommended. While expressing its disappointment for no increment in the Budget for NREGS, they have called NREGS a social security that actually helps in giving 100 days of employment to people who wish to work, but do not have employment. I want to tell the hon. Minister that you talk about irregularities, but the NREG, which is an Act and not some ordinary scheme, in Section 27, does put some duty upon the Government of India. What is that? It states that if there is an irregularity, you can investigate, you can institute an inquiry, you can send a team, look at it, but it is incumbent on the Government of India to institute proper remedial measures for proper implementation within a reasonable period of time. Since the last Assembly election, this is pending. There is a case pending in the High Court, but the Government of India is refusing to solve this problem. This is not an attack on the hon. Chief Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee; this is a direct attack on the people of Bengal, and I once again appeal that on humanitarian grounds, please release this fund. Today, my colleague, Shri Ritabrata Banerjee, has already stated. It is not just about Bengal today. I fee compelled to speak for Tamil Nadu and Kerala also, where their Railway Budgets have been consistently cut, and the figures are in my hand, but it has already been stated. This is another example of saying, This is an insult to our Constitution and our electorates who have repeatedly shown that they vote one way in the Panchayat; they vote another way in the Assembly; and, they chose to vote another way in the Lok Sabha. Every Chief Minister must accept it and every Central Government must accept it. From what? From cess. The Finance Commission has repeatedly said, please do away with the practice of increasing cess and surcharges for the simple reason that it adversely impacts the divisible pool of taxes. It is a less transparent way and the States do not get an allocation from it. But, till today, the Government of India is blind to those recommendations. So, your double engine, where you have BJP Chief Ministers, I speak to them and appeal to their conscience that you may think that you are one of the drivers in the State, but actually, you are not driving that second engine. Now, I come to Manipur. What has this double engine sarkar given to the people of Manipur? Manipur is burning, and I appeal to the hon. Finance Minister of India that today — what we expected for our neighbouring State, which is called ‘jewel of India’ — you will not give us a run-of-the-mill Budget. We do not want a run-of-the-mill Budget. It was a golden opportunity for the Prime Minister Modi to vindicate himself and I had introduced that idea in the Parliament saying, “Give them a package.” Today, I will not say that there are no allocations for Manipur. That would be lying. It is documented. Today, what are they saying? They are saying that we will give you Rs.500 crores in the Contingency Fund. Contingency Fund is for unforeseen circumstances or situations which the Assembly has not approved. And, I request the Minister to reconsider this. Internet shutdowns in Manipur alone have been for 212 days; 5,088 hours out of the total of 7,812 hours nationwide. What is the estimated loss? I am not saying this. Independent NGOs and reports are saying that the total loss to India is 585.4 million dollars, and 60 per cent of the Internet disconnect was in Manipur. So, let us make an estimate on what the loss is. The Government has said that it will give you PM-SHRI funds of about Rs.750 crores. I thank you for giving that.

Sir, the Minister tried to paint a rosy picture in the Parliament. He boasted that he had given thousands of crores of rupees to the States which are run by the nonBJP parties. Now, let me come to the percentage of the Railway expenditure State-wise. I will mention about three States, which are run by the non-BJP parties. In the pre-Modi era, if we look at the percentage of Railway expenditure ten years back for the State of Kerala, it was 1.43 per cent. Now, it has come down to 1.17 per cent. In Tamil Nadu, in pre-Modi regime, ten years ago, it was 3.38 per cent. It has come down now to 2.59 per cent. Now, I come to West Bengal. In the State of West Bengal ten years back, the percentage of Railway expenditure used to be 16.85, that means, almost 17 per cent. It has come down to 5.46 per cent. I repeat, from 16.85 per cent, it has come down to 5.46 per cent. The only reason is political vendetta. You cannot combat Mamata Banerjee. You cannot combat Abhishek Banerjee. So, you go on depriving the people of Bengal. The people of Bengal are being deprived. Now, I will mention as to what the priority of Government is. We are not against the bullet train. But, I want to know from the hon. Minister as to why the Railways have prioritized the bullet train over a dedicated freight corridor. While the bullet train costs Rupees 200 crore per kilometre, the dedicated freight corridor costs only Rupees 25 crore per kilometre and serves the common man by transporting vegetables, rice and other essential commodities. Now, I come to my next point. I want to know from the hon. Minister as to why the work in the third phase of the important Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, from Sonnagar in Bihar to Dhankuni in West Bengal, is yet to commence. Sir, it is yet to commence and it has been more than 12 years in spite of substantial land acquisition having been completed and the Government land also settled with the Railways. We are unable to understand as to why this is happening. Sir, the Government has stopped many schemes. Izzat pass has been stopped; Garib Rath has been stopped. Sir, you know, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, as Minister of Railways, had come up with a scheme for accredited journalists whereby journalists were issued photo identification-cum-credit cards by the Railways to get reservation and also a 50 per cent concession during their train travel. This was a very important scheme. And later, even the spouses of the journalists were given this facility for twice a year. During the Covid period, these facilities were taken away. The concession to the senior citizens has also been taken away. I will urge upon the Government that this scheme, which had been started by Ms. Mamata Banerjee, and from which the journalists in our country were immensely benefited, must be started again. The journalists and their families must get this concession. Sir, Railways, which is essentially a public transport, was meant to unite this country. Even during the British period, freedom fighters, revolutionaries have used the railways very effectively to unify the struggles of the common people against the British colonial yoke. But today, the Government has used it to create a gap between those who can afford speed and comfort and the others who cannot even find a seat. So, there is a big difference and this difference is amply clear. Railways is a public transport, and our leader, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, has been a very successful Railway Minister. When I speak the word ‘public’, it means, ‘People United for a Better Living In the Country’. This has been our slogan. Interestingly, enough protection of the public transport like Railways needs to be ensured, and, Ms. Mamata Banerjee has shown how the interests of the common people or the common public can be safeguarded. There are enough evidences of common people, this ‘public’, ‘People United for a Better Living In the Country’, protecting this public transport. Railway as a public transport must be protected. Let that be the priority of the Government. Thank you, Sir

Mr. Chairman, Sir, we are very happy to have you back in the House again. Sir, this question pertains very specifically under the PMEGP, the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, the Applications Received versus Rejection. This is on the PMEGP Dashboard, that is where the numbers are from. In 2021-22, only 27 per cent applications were approved; in 2022-23, 31 per cent approved; in 2023-24, 32 per cent approved and in 2024-25, only 30 per cent. Basically, there is almost a 70 per cent rejection rate for applications that are received under the Scheme. My question to the hon. Minister, very specifically, is this. Why is there such a high rejection rate of applications which is almost 70 per cent? What steps is the Government going to take to improve the approval rate of applications under PMEGP? Thank you.