Aparupa Poddar speaks on the problems faced by jute farmers

Posted on March 22, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Madam for allowing me to speak during Zero Hour. Jute is one of the main commercial crops of our country; jute fibre is an industrial product and used to prepare biodegradable bags, eco-friendly cheap bags.

Jute growers in the country are facing a lot of problems and they are not getting proper price for their products. Jute cultivation is turning out to be a non profitable venture for the farmers due to increase in price of jute seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and other inputs.

Due to high investment involved in the cultivation, jute farmers have to go for loans. Being a cash-crop, insurance facilities are not also available for the jute farmers. Jute cultivation is a practice in my constituency Arambagh; it is a flood prone area and during floods, the jute farmers face a great loss in productivity.

Therefore it is the responsibility of the Central Government to

fix a remunerative price for jute,

provide for free and compulsory insurance for the jute crops,

organise workshop programmes to train jute farmers with new technology, and,

constitute a jute growers welfare fund to meet the various needs of the jute farmers.

Thank you, Madam.

Kalyan Banerjee asks a Supplementary Question on speedy disposal of cases

Posted on March 22, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Madam, through you I want to remind the Hon. Law Minister that I supported your (National Judicial Appointments) Bill and five times you gave me thanks in your speech. But the point is that we have the power of legislate but the final interpreter of the Constitution is Supreme Court of India and we have to accept it.

Now Supreme Court has declared the Bill as ultra-vires I am not at all saying that the Hon. Prime Minister or Hon. Chief Minister or Hon. Law Minister should not have anything to say about that. But today this is the country’s problem, this have to be resolved.

You have appointed 126 persons. I agree with that. But at the same time you tell me how many retirements have happened during this year? It is more than 150 or 180. In our High Court there is 50% vacancy. Therefore, I want to ask the Hon. Law Minister what is the recourse you have now taken to resolve the problem and to fill up the all vacancies of the High Courts?

Bengal Govt to introduce royal Bengal tigers in Buxa and Jaldapara

Posted on March 22, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Buxa and Jaldapara in North Bengal are gearing up to welcome the big cat. In the initial phase, six royal Bengal tigers would be released – three each in Buxa Tiger Reserve and Jaldapara National Park. Later, sic more would be released.

The programme for releasing the felines was recently finalised at a meeting of the Bengal Government, represented by the Forest Minister, with the local people at the Rajabhatkhawa Nature Interpretation Centre in Buxa Tiger Reserve. The Minister said that the locals had no issues with the introduction of tigers. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Since a large population of people resides in the area of Buxa, it was necessary to consult them. The State Government, though, will remove the people from the area only after making adequate provisions for their rehabilitation.

The tigers would be brought in from Assam. Helicopters would be used to transport them so that they remain in good physical shape. Of the six to be released in the first phase, four would be females and two would be males.

বক্সা ও জলদাপাড়া রিজার্ভ ফরেস্টে আসছে নতুন অতিথি

উত্তরবঙ্গের বক্সা ও জলদাপাড়ায় রিজার্ভ ফরেস্টে আনা হচ্ছে রয়্যাল বেঙ্গল টাইগার। বক্সা টাইগার রিজার্ভ ও জলদাপাড়া অভয়ারন্যে মোট ১২টি বাঘ ছাড়া হবে ।প্রথম পর্যায়ে ছয়টি বাঘ ছাড়া হবে – তার মধ্যে তিনটি বক্সাতে আর তিনটি জলদাপাড়াতে। পরবর্তী পর্যায়ে আনা হবে আরো ছয়টি বাঘ। প্রথম ছয়টি বাঘের মধ্যে চারটি মহিলা ও দুটি পুরুষ বাঘ।

সম্প্রতি বক্সা ব্যাঘ্র প্রকল্পে রাজাভাতখাওয়ার ইন্টারপিটিশান সেন্টারে বাঘ ছাড়া নিয়ে গ্রামবাসীদের সাথে বৈঠক করেছে রাজ্য সরকার। বৈঠকে উপস্থিত ছিলেন বন মন্ত্রী বিনয় কৃষ্ণ বর্মন । বৈঠক শেষে মন্ত্রী জানান, এলাকাবাসী এই সিদ্ধান্তের সঙ্গে সহমত। বাঘ আনার ব্যাপারের সব রকমের ছাড়পত্র এসে গেছে। ন্যাশনাল টাইগার কনজারভেশন অথরিটির সদস্যও উপস্থিত ছিলেন এই বৈঠকে।

বাঘ গুলোকে হোলিকপ্টারে করে নিয়ে আসা হবে আসাম থেকে। এভাবে আনলে আনলে বাঘের কোন শারীরিক সমস্যা হবে না।

Debabrata Bandyopadhyay speaks on The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014

Posted on March 21, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, it is nice to see a Bill drafted by a Minister of the previous Government is being owned and presented by the next Government for the approval of the House. It only indicates that the Indian democracy has achieved that level of maturity to carry forward any good and pro-people measure notwithstanding the fact that when it was initially brought to the House, the present Government was in the Opposition.

The UN General Assembly has already passed a resolution to adopt such a measure for the benefit of the people of the world; India is a signatory to the declaration. Therefore, it is only proper and correct that the Government should bring this Bill. It is not merely the fulfillment of an international commitment but is also meant to urgently deal with the problems of 2.3 million Indians suffering from the dangerous disease. India has the third highest number of people affected by this deadly disease, and also accounts for four out of every 10 people afflicted in the Asia-Pacific region.

The biggest problem is that more than 50 per cent of the afflicted people are not aware of their ailment. What is more alarming is that treatment coverage is only 36 per cent. People who do not have access to the therapy account for as high as 64 per cent of the afflicted. The provision against discrimination in the Bill is highly commendable. In this context ot is pertinent to point out that the West Bengal Government in 2015 announced a scheme called Muktir Aalo for rehabilitation of sex workers, which included an offer of rice at Rs 2 per kg and provisions for skill and vocational training.

There are certain unsavoury points which I would like to mention. The Bill says that the Government will provide treatment “as far as possible”, a clause that health activists have been protesting very strongly against. Clause 14 (1) of the Bill includes this provision of “as far as possible” regarding the obligation of the State to provide treatment facilities. Thus, instead of providing the seeking of treatment for HIV as the right of a patient, Clause 14 (1) gives the Government an escape route to avoid any responsibility to treat the patient. This clause makes the Bill toothless. This also goes against the 24-year-old commitment of the Government of India.

There is a sociological aspect of the disease too. In the popular mind, this disease is borne out of immoral activities. This social stigma creates further problems for the afflicted. In fact, in earlier years, people afflicted by STD would not even own up to their problem to physicians. Their problem was the fear of being socially ostracised.

Despite some limitations, this Bill provides a step forward in the right direction. After it is passed and becomes operational, perhaps some more deficiencies may come to light, when a thorough revision may be necessary on the basis of the hard evidence. For the present, this is a welcome step. I reiterate my support. Thank you, Sir.

Sunil Mandal asks a Supplementary Question on misleading advertisements

Posted on March 21, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you, Madam. The first question on celebrity endorsements, print and electronic media was good. We have had detailed discussions with Minister Ram Vilas Paswan ji on the issue. The print media does not bear much of the brunt for celebrity endorsements of products.

Despite having laws, many companies get away with it because of a few corrupt officials. There are many safety and warning measures like ISI mark, hallmark on gold, BSI mark but it has been seen that few dishonest businessmen get the necessary certificates in exchange of money.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Standing Committee on Food and Consumer Affairs, I want to ask the Minister for Food and Public Distribution, does the government take any measures to stop adulteration by dishonest businessmen? Is the government planning any action for the misuse of ISI mark, hallmark on gold, BSI mark? Does the government have any concrete plans; if not, what are they doing?

Vivek Gupta makes a Zero Hour Mention on the welfare of drivers of app-based cabs

Posted on March 20, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Upsabhapati Mahoday, main sarvapratham aap ko dhanyavaad dena chahta hoon ki aap ne mujhe aaj mauka diya is vishay ko uthane ke liye. Sir, yeh vishay khali taxi drivers ka vishay nahin hain, yeh technology ka bhi vishay hain. Technology insaan ke liye banti hain, insaan technology ke liye nahin banta hain.

Sir, recently main Kolkata mein apne ghar se airport ja raha tha taxi mein – Uber ke gadi mein. Woh driver kaafi dukhi tha – raaste mein baat karte karte unhone bataya ki Uber ne apne rate kam kar diye hain aur Ola ne bhi apne rate kam kar diye hain. Dono mein bahut competition hua. Us chakkar mein Uber ne kya karna shuru kiya – inko pehle mobile ka paisa milta tha, woh bandh kar diya, commission badha diya jo Uber inse charge karti hain, in par Uber ne apna tarika joh use karti hain, woh badal diya.

Sir, Uber, Ola commercial companies hain, joh marzi kar sakti hain. Magar kya hum log aankh neech ke dekhte rahenge? Kya Sarkar is par koi niyantran nahin karna chahegi, regulation nahin karna chahegi? Sir, mazein ki baat yeh hain, jo taxi drivers Uber aur Ola ke andar kaam karte hain, inke paas jaane ke liye koi daftar nahin kyun ki Uber aur Ola ka India mein daftar hi nahin hain. Aur Government ki kis vibhag ke paas jaye shikayat karne ke liye, Government bhi nahin aati hain saamne is vishay par. Toh yeh jo drivers hain Uber aur Ola ke, inke paas koi sunwayi nahin hain, koi Court unko entertain nahin kar raha, aur Government unko koi support nahin kar rahi hain.

Yeh sab problems thodi thodi dikh rahin hain aaj. Aap sabhiko shayad yaad hoga, thodi din pehle Dilli, Bangalore aur sab jagah mein Uber aur Ola ke drivers strikes pe chale gaye the, is liye taxi ki bahut shortage ho gayi thi. Sir, hamare jaise kayi log hain joh aaj bhi taxi ka vyavhar karte hain airport jaane ke liye, station jaane aane ke liye. Sir, is situation par agar jaldi niyantran nahin paya gaya toh yeh bahut bada situation ho jayega.

Kyun ki yeh driver log gaadi kharidi pichle ek do saal mein Uber ke saath ya Ola ke saath paanch saal ka agreement karne ke baad. Ek ek driver ka 40,000 rupiya kharcha aa jata hain mahine mein, EMI, petrol, diesel ka kharcha mila kar. Aaj jo haalat aa gayi hain, agar woh bees ghante bhi kaam karega, toh bhi who chaalis hazar nahin kama sakta. Sir, unkjo udhaar lene ke liye apne jeevan gyapan kar raha hain aur, Sir, bahut laldh woh jab udhaar na chukka sakega toh woh suicide karne pahunch jayega. Uske baad hum log jagenge.

Is se behtar hain aaj humlog jaage aur is par kuch na kuch karavayi karein. Sir, in logon ke upar airport mein parking charge bhi laga di hain Sarkar ne, 150 rupiya kar ke, jitni baar yeh log airport jaate hain. Sir, inka commission jo badhaya giya hain, Sarkar ke knowledge hain ki nahin mujhe pata hain. Sarkar kya karna chahti mujhe nahin pata. Mein aap ke zariye Mantri saab ko request karna chahta hoon ki is pe kuch spashtikaran de aur in logon ke job mein jo takleefein hain usko nijaat de.

Arpita Ghosh asks a Supplementary Question on attacks on Indians in USA

Posted on March 20, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank You Madam. The Minister has spoken in great detail. However, we have seen that after the new President took office in USA, the Indians are under attacked regularly. We have given statements on the issue.

Our Prime Minister has visited US several times in the last 3 years. He also welcomed the new President after he took office. However, our friends who are based there are concerned. What is the government doing about this?

They keep saying ‘we are taking up the things with US government’ but I want to know what specific steps are being taken by the Govt of India to ensure the safety of Indians in the USA.

Saugata Roy asks a Supplementary Question on closed oil wells

Posted on March 20, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Mantri Ji ne jo aankrein diye hain us mein Assam or Gujarat mein sab se zyada wells sabhi non flowing hain. Dono rajyo mein hazar ke barabar wells nahin function kar raha hain. Assam ke wells bahut purana hain. Digboi mein British zamane mein well hua tha. Lekin Gujarat ka well utna purana nehi hain. Ankelshwar mein oil unko mila tha.

Mantri Ji ne bola hain ke kis kaaran ke liye yeh kam nahin kar raha hain lekin yeh toh ek natural resource ka wastage ho raha hain. Mantri Ji ne kya is per janch kiye hain ki kyun Assam aur Gujarat mein itne wells kaam nahin kar rahe hain? Koi geo-physical study hua hain? Aur yeh wells revive karne ke liye koi foreign tecnology ka istemal karenge kya Mantri Ji?

Now, SMS alerts on elephant presence in Bengal

Posted on March 20, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Forest officials in West Bengal’s Bankura district have started issuing SMS alerts about the movement of elephants to prevent man-animal conflicts.

A person can get the information by making a ‘missed call’ to 9015181881. The alerts will inform people on how many elephants are present in a certain area.

The move came after CM Mamata Banerjee instructed forest officials to prevent man-aniomal conflicts in Bankura-West Midnapore belt.

The present government has hiked the compensation amount to the families of elephant attack victims to Rs 2.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh. In case of an elephant destroys the crops of farmers, they would be given Rs 1 lakh.

To stop the conflict between man and animals, the Forest department is also setting up two enclosures for elephants. One would be set up at Mayurjharna, the bordering areas of Bankura and Purulia and the other in Alipurduar, each covering an area of 8 hectares. Though the enclosures will be set up in an artificial way, they will be rich in natural abounds while the elephants will graze freely. All the arrangements including food will be available for the elephants at the enclosures.

The Forest department also introduced four modern vehicles, equipped with modern gadgets to protect villagers from attacks by wild elephants. The vehicles are named as Airavata. Four such vehicles are being used to drive away the elephants if they enter into the locality.

The vehicles are fitted with generator and a high power LED light in the front and the back, which can revolve around its axis by 360 degree. The vehicles will not only help the forest officials to spot the wild elephants, but also help to drive them into forest.

এসএমএস-এর মাধ্যমে জানা যাবে হাতিদের গতিবিধি

মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়ের নির্দেশে রাজ্য বন দপ্তর আরও উদ্যোগী হলেন মানুষ-পশু সংঘাত এড়াতে। বাঁকুড়া জেলায় এখন এসএমএস-এর মাধ্যমে জনগণকে জানিয়ে হওয়া হবে হাতিদের গতিবিধি।

কোনও বাঁকুড়াবাসী এই পরিষেবা পেতে চাইলে শুধু ৯০১৫১৮১৮৮১ নম্বরে একটি মিসড কল করলেই হবে। তারপর থেকেই এসএমএস-এর মাধ্যমে তিনি জানতে পারবেন কোন অঞ্চলে কত হাতি আছে।

গত বছর হাতিদের আক্রমণে আনুমানিক ৭ কোটি টাকার ক্ষয়ক্ষতি হয়েছে। এই সরকার ইতিমধ্যেই হাতির আক্রমনে ক্ষতিগ্রস্তদের ক্ষতিপূরণের পরিমান ১ লাখ থেকে বাড়িয়ে ২.৫ লাখ টাকা করেছে। ফসলের ক্ষতির জন্য পাওয়া যাবে ১ লাখ টাকা ক্ষতিপূরণ।

বাঁকুড়া ও পুরুলিয়া জেলার সীমান্তবর্তী ময়ুরঝর্ণায় ও আলিপুয়ারদুয়ারে হাতিদের জন্য ‘এনক্লোজার’ তৈরী করা হচ্ছে। ওখানে হাতিদের জন্য পর্যাপ্ত খাবারের বন্দোবস্ত করা হবে।

মানুষ-পশু সঙ্ঘাত এড়াতে বন দপ্তর অত্যাধুনিক গ্যাজেট সম্বলিত ৪টি গাড়িও নিয়ে এসেছে। এই গাড়িগুলির নাম ‘ঐরাবত’। এই গাড়িগুলিতে থাকছে জেনারেটর চালিত শক্তিশালী এলইডি আলো। এই গাড়িগুলি শুধুমাত্র যে হাতিদের অবস্থান বুঝতে সাহায্য করবে তাই নয়, বরং হাতিদের তাড়িয়ে বনে ফেরাতেও সাহায্য করবে।

Bike Taxis get a thumbs up in Newtown

Posted on March 18, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

As many as seventy-five people took a ride on the Bike Taxis around Newtown on Friday and more than 600 people had surfed the K Bike Taxi app.

Suvendu Adhikari, state Transport Minister had inaugurated Bike Taxis known as ‘K Bike Taxi’ at a function on Thursday. If successful, this will be deployed in the entire city and the districts soon.

A passenger will have to pay Rs 20 for the first 2 km and to cover subsequent distance the person will have to pay Rs 5 per kilometre.

Some women drivers are also being trained and soon they will be deployed to drive K Bike Taxis.

নিউটাউনে প্রথম দিনেই জনপ্রিয় ‘বাইক ট্যাক্সি’

নিউটাউনে বাইক ট্যাক্সি পরিষেবা চালু হওয়ার পর প্রথম দিনেই এই পরিষেবা গ্রহণ করেছেন ৭৫ জন যাত্রী এবং মোবাইল অ্যাপ ব্যবহার করেছেন ৬০০রও বেশি মানুষ।

বৃহস্পতিবার পরিবহণমন্ত্রী শুভেন্দু অধিকারী এই পরিষেবার সূচনা করেন। এই পরিষেবা নিউটাউনে সফল হলে কলকাতা ও সারা রাজ্যেও চালু করার পরিকল্পনা আছে।

বাইক ট্যাক্সিতে চড়তে প্রথম ২ কিলোমিটার যাত্রার জন্য দিতে হবে মাত্র কুড়ি টাকা। এর পর প্রতি কিঃমিঃ ভাড়া ৫ টাকা।

ভবিষ্যতে মহিলা ড্রাইভারদের প্রশিক্ষণ দেওয়ারও পরিকল্পনা রয়েছে পরিবহণ দপ্তরের।