Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien makes a Point of Order regarding discussion on ill-effects of GST and demonetisation

Posted on August 2, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, I want to make a Point of Order under Rule 29 and Rule 33.

We are aware that the Business Advisory Committee can only allot time and nothing more than that, which is fair enough. But it was informally agreed at the Business Advisory Committee that there would a Short Duration Discussion on the ill-effects rollout of GST and demonetisation. It has not still being listed this week.

Can the Minister give us the assurance on the floor of this House that this Short Duration Discussion will be taken up next week? This is an important issue, so we just want to know. There are lot of things happened post GST rollout.

Md Nadimul Haque makes a Special Mention on the impact of demonetisation and of flood on tomato prices

Posted on August 1, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Tomato is a household staple without which no meal is usually complete. Especially, during the month of shravan, many Indian communities throughout the country avoid onion and garlic and rely mostly on tomato. Despite a good monsoon season, tomato prices have escalated to Rs 60-80 per kg in retail markets across the country.

The major concern for this rise is attributed to ‘note bandi’, that is, demonetisation. Demonetisation came on top of a bumper autumn/kharif crop. Earlier in November, when demonetisation was rolled out, tomato prices were as low as Rs 2 or 4 per kg. Since the farmers were unable to recover money by summer, they terminated the crop, the impact of which is being felt now. Farmers, therefore, were inclined to plant less tomato in summer 2017. As a result, the early part of summer saw very low prices, which were followed by an unusual spike.

Consumers are feeling the brunt of demonetisation now, even after a good monsoon. Because of the flood-prone areas of West Bengal (Purulia) and the Jhalawar and Jaipur-Chomu belt in Rajasthan, many other crops have also been destroyed. Demonetisation, along with heavy flooding, has resulted in the rise of tomato prices which needs to be seen to immediately by the Central Government. The inconvenience and the long-run costs to the economy need to be raised as both food output and consumption are affected.

Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien speaks on The Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017

Posted on August 1, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, we support this Bill. In one sentence, what is this Bill? It is giving a long time for teachers to be trained. 2015 is taken retrospectively; so four years to that takes it up to 2019. I would have been happier standing here today if the Minister had brought this Bill in 2015 and allowed for four years; it would have given a better chance.

Sir, we do not indulge in politics with education when it comes to Bengal. So I’m going to make observations not only on this Bill, but beyond, because we have a chance today to speak on Right to Education.

So the first thing is, I hope we don’t have to come here in 2019 to again bring an amendment to this Bill to ask for another two years. The second option could be to obviously give that option to the State Governments. Sir, the Bill is not the issue or the Right to Education Act is not the issue. I think the ideation and implementation is where we have all failed collectively as parliamentarians, as parents, as teachers, as educationists. We have all failed. We have had a Bill; now let’s focus where we haven’t implemented the Bill well.

Sir, there is a survey which has been done. A class five student is actually the level of a class two student. Three out of five students in the third standard, Sir, cannot do a basic subtraction. Four out of five students, Sir, cannot do division. So these are the collective failures.

Sir, in Bengal, we have been very proactive with this. We have appointed 80,000 teachers in the last six years; 50,000 in the primary and about 28,000 in the secondary. Things are going well there, Sir. But, I wish to flag the first point about the time which you have given, which is two years.

I have three more basic points to make regarding the Right to Education. Sir, history is a great teacher. All my friends here, what were their views? 1976 is an important year, Sir. After the Emergency of 1975. Till 1976, education was a State subject. It was only in 1976, you come to your own conclusions, that it was put into the Concurrent List .

I hope that this Government, when they view education is viewing it as originally State List, now flipped into the Concurrent List. So the State sometimes needs to have the independence to take a call on RTE.

Let me give you one example: detention policy. My state policy is very clear, we have written to the Minister. We do not believe in automatic promotion. No detention is not the answer. We do not mean to deprive anybody. But our honest suggestion is that if the boys or girls are getting detained, we have to have special classes. We have to give them special inputs and then bring them up to the level. So our point on this is very clear.

Sir, I would like to thank the HRD Minister for clarifying one thing again. That caused a lot of concern – sometimes the media also has to be little more responsible. He did clarify later and I know he did. But I want to put it on record here, “NCERT books will be compulsorily in the CBSE curriculum”. Now that is again impeding on the rights of the States. But the Minister did clarify and I have no issues with that, Sir.

Sir, these exam boards, be it the NEET, where the CBSE made a complete mess – or now at least till 2 days ago I was hearing the ICSE board were trying to give examinations for class 5 students and class 8 students. Sir, this again goes against the principles of this Act because Section 30 of this Act clearly states “You cannot have children from classes 5 to 8…” So, this is where the States have a role to play.

Sir, the private schools are the favourite bashing boys or girls of all of us. As Vinay ji said correctly, the minority schools, quite correctly and rightly, have been kept away. Sir, we call them minority schools but actually they are the majority schools. They may be run by a minority community, say the Christian schools, but most of the boys and girls that go there, including so many of us in this House, have received a majority education.

Sir, I want to dwell a little on the private schools. Not to make a point for the private schools but this is what I firmly believe and passionately believe that to make this work we have to make it work together. I have got some suggestions and I don’t have the answers to all of them but maybe the minister can meet the stakeholders and look for these suggestions.

What happens in a school where there are 400 students in Class 1? 100 have to be as per RTE and 300 regular. Now, if 100 students are not taken, what will you do? These seats remain vacant and you cannot ask the schools to fill them up with regular students. I say we need to talk to schools because private schools have to take this up as a responsibility.

Sir, the private schools as per the Act, can take neighborhood students. The private schools have to look at this as a corporate social responsibility; they have to go out and look for students. Just putting up a notice in schools is not enough.
Sir, there are local officers today, and I say this with responsibility who are giving certificates, having children admitted into the schools and then taking flush money from them. Sir, this is not acceptable.

The fourth point, Sir, is regarding school uniforms. I know the Act says they don’t require uniform but once they don’t have uniforms they stand out. I don’t expect them to pay for the uniforms. I appeal to the private schools to please pay for those uniforms, make them look like the rest of you.

Sir, the last point is the most serious point. There are serious social, psychological issues of getting boys and girls from different economic backgrounds to sit together in a school. I do not have the answer but I think we need to discuss this, debate this and not bring any political points because at the end of it all, for the rights to education to be successful we need to do STEPP .

I know the Central Government love using different acronyms so I have one for them today as I end. We need to do STEPP.

S- the schools have a role to play,
T- the teachers have a role to play,
E – the educationist have a role to play,
PP – the parliament and the parents have a role to play.

I would appeal to the minister, if we can get these five stakeholders on board we can change the life of children in India. Thank you.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay speaks on The Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2017-18

Posted on August 1, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hon Deputy Speaker Sir, the discussion is not on General Budget; it is limited within the supplementary proposals and so the scope of discussion on this Budget is not enough. But there are some key issues which I feel must be discussed and I expect a response from Hon Jaitley ji also.

In the Supplementary Demands for Grants, Government is asking for an additional financial support of Rs 11,166 crore for 2017-18. Along with that they are also asking for Demands for Excess Grants for the year 2014-2015. Both the issues have been taken up together. Out of this Rs 11,166 crore, the Hon Minister has categorically clarified which areas he is going to utilise this amount for expenditure.

Rs 7,000 crore would go to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, for providing additional Grants in Aid (general) for payment of differential royalty to the State Governments, for GST. Rs 386 crore would be spent for activities related to the Goods and Services Taxes, GST; Around Rs 250 crore would be used for publicity of GST and Rs 99.3 crore for digitisation for payment of advanced user charges of GST Network. Again an amount of Rs 37.09 crore would be spent for accounting of GST. So, it is easily understandable because GST has been newly introduced, the Government is asking GST-oriented supplementary demand.

I want to say a few things about these points. Two major issues had been announced by the Government – demonetisation and GST. In the last Winter Session, Sir, I proactively took part in debates and discussions on demonetisation in the Parliament; everyday we raised this issue. We being a regional political party we had our separate views, we never opposed the idea of demonetisation or even GST.

Demonetisation was an issue we extended our full support to but with some riders. We advocated a go-slow approach. We advised the Government not to ban both Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes together but go about it slowly.

Parliament session was held from November 16, 2016, to December 16, 2016, and after that I could not take part in the General Budget discussion because in the meantime I was arrested in the first week of January and sent away to jail custody. For long time I was in jail and was looking for an opportunity to speak on Arun Jaitley Ji’s Budget. I take this opportunity to speak on the Supplementary Demand for Grants to ask the Government what are the good effects of demonetisation.

After demonetisation was implemented, what good signals has the nation received in the economic arena? What is the effect of the dramatic pronouncement of GST in the Central Hall of Parliament at midnight? It was not responded by all political parties. It was a decision taken by the Government.

What I feel, Sir, is that demonetisation has not risen to the level of expectation which Government intended. Small and medium businesses are not happy with GST; even in the textile industry. In my Parliamentary Constituency of Kolkata Uttar, there is the Chamber of Trade and Textile Industry; they are frantically trying to pursue me to communicate to Hon FM that their matter be taken care of sympathy and the decision to impose 5 per cent GST on textile be withdrawn.

I want to put on record here that this Supplementary Demands for Grants, which the Minister is asking for, will be passed and this will be taken up as per constitutional norms. Then the Appropriation Bill will come; it will also be passed. Then the Government will start its operation.

Here, I want to dwell on the issue of cooperative federalism. Sir, after independence we have seen that the eastern region – Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam – were the worst victims of regional imbalances of economy. These States have been neglected in economic development. Maharashtra grew, Gujarat grew, but not the States in the eastern region. We suffer a lot. We have become the victims of regional imbalances and we should be provided with special economic packages and funds.

In our State, in particular, one party ruled for a long time. For 34 years. And the State actually become economically bankrupt. The present Government had to carry a huge debt burden. From the very beginning our State Government made an appeal and it was once decided Bengal, Kerala and Punjab will be given special packages. But nothing has been implemented. We are repeatedly asking for that.

Bengal Government is highlighting a few of its good projects. One of these projects is the Kanyashree scheme.Two days back Maneka Ji was here. She said in the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme that the Government of India had launched, Kolkata was performing the worst. We do not accept this project because it has a budget of only Rs 100 crore the Kanyashree scheme has a budget of Rs 1000 crore; this project has been acknowledged by the United Nations. Mamata Banerjee has received an award for the Kanyashree project just two months back in Netherlands. I would like to request the Government of India to accept proposals from different State Governments for the welfare and benefit of the common people.

Sir, now I would like to speak regarding the excess grants for 2014-2015 – safety funds for the railways. I would like to request Mr Arun Jaitley that our Railway Standing Committee has submitted a very good report on the safety and security of railways; so please go through it and the excess money which was spent in 2014-2015, has already been granted. You can accept it in that way.

Sir, I hope these two issues will be taken care of – demonetisation and GST. I want to hear from the Government about the good effects of demonetisation after its implementation.

GST has been implemented. We do not oppose the idea of GST; Dr Amit Mitra was the Chairman of the Empowered Committee of Finance Ministers for GST. He has very positively put across the ideas and suggestions of Bengal Government for the guidance of the Centre. He also spoke about the agony of the States; we are the worst sufferers.

The federal structure of the country must be respected in its proper spirit. Just like Modi Ji is an elected Prime Minister – and we have accepted that – a Chief Minister of a State is also elected with the support of the people. So why should the Centre and the State always fight each other and be in a warring mood? Why should I be afraid that if I criticise the Government, I may be taken into task? These assurance have to be categorically given from the Government.

Parliament is the temple of democracy; it is the forum where different political parties must coexist with their own idea, own faith, own belief. If objective criticism is done, I think that is to be taken with faith, love and with all humility and pride. I hope that the Finance Minister will certainly look after the problems of the different States, which are suffering a lot in different ways.

There is nothing to oppose in the Supplementary Demands for Grants that the Finance Minister has placed. We extend our support.

Thank you.

Saugata Roy speaks on the recent attempts by ruling party at Centre to destabilise Opposition

Posted on August 1, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Sir, I shall be brief. The ruling party at the Centre had earlier acquired majority in Goa and Manipur through dubious means. The Central Government is using the power of the Government and money power to destabilise the Opposition parties and Opposition Governments.

In Bihar, the Deputy Chief Minister was raided by the CBI which led to the Chief Minister’s resignation and formation of the Government with the central ruling party as its partner.

In Gujarat, six Congress MLAs resigned from the party on the eve of Rajya Sabha elections from the state. There are complaints of money power being used. The Election Commission has asked the Chief Secretary of Gujarat to probe the matter.

In UP, two SP and one BSP MLC resigned from the Legislative Council to pave the way for the Chief Minister’s election. The misuse of power and money by the ruling party bodes badly for democracy and needs to be registered by all right thinking democratic people.

In Bengal they have been unsuccessful and six members of the Opposition (non-BJP parties: TMC and Congress) have been elected to Rajya Sabha.

Thank you sir.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay makes an intervention about the removal of subsidy on LPG cylinders

Posted on August 1, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Madam, the prices of subsidised cooking gas cylinders will be increased by Rs 4 every month and all subsidies will be eliminated by March, 2018.

Madam, since May, 2017, oil companies have raised gas rates twice, the highest being Rs 32 per cylinder, which is the highest in the last six years. Already the impact of GST has caused a price hike.

It is to be noted that there are 18.11 crore people consuming subsidised LPGs and out of which 2.5 crore are poor women who are given free gas connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. With the gradual abolition of subsidy, what will be their fate? The ever-increasing prices of essentials are causing difficulties to the common people of the country.

We protest against this initiative of the Government which is anti-people, and therefore, should be immediately withdrawn. We are making this appeal before the House.

Saugata Roy speaks during Short Duration Discussion on lynching and other atrocities in mob violence

Posted on July 31, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, I rise to speak on the (point) 193 discussion in the name of Khargeji and myself. Let me state at the outset that I shall not be dealing with mob violence in general but I shall deal with mob violence related to bovine issue, that is cow-related mob violence.

Sir, main yeh debate ko, us aur them, BJP and opposition, yeh debate nahi banana chahta hoon, nahi main yeh debate ko Hindu vs Muslim debate banana chahta hoon. Mera yaad hai, Nazrul Islam ka ek kavita jahan unhone bola, “Hindu na ora Muslim, oi jiggashe kon jon, kandari bolo dubiche manush santan mormar”.(Bengali) Kaun poochta hai woh Hindu ya Muslim hai? Woh naiyya bolo ki doob raha hai insaan jo humare maa ki bete hain. Main navik/naiyya, toh main yeh kehna chahta hoon ki yeh jo violence ho raha hai, iske barein mein log keh sakte hai kitna hua, kitne log mare, kaun mare, yeh sawaal uthana nahi hai. I am reminded of a poem by John Dunn quoted in Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. It says, “Every man’s death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore ask me not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”. Har insaan marta hai toh main chota hota hoon, aur aaj isi spirit mein yeh charcha hona chahiye, main yeh samajhta hoon. Lekin, lekin, jab hum charcha mein bhaag le rahein hai, kuch tattha, kuch facts aapke samne lana chahta hoon.
(Interjection: Bangal ke bare mein boliye…)
Bangal ke barein mein bhi bolenge, Dilli ke barein mein bhi bolenge, kaise aap log har gaye the dilli mein, Kejriwal ke paas.

Sir, one database, one magazine prepared a database from 2010 to 2017, how many bovine issue related incidents there were. They calculated that from 2010-2017, there were 63 incidents. Sir, I don’t want to bring Hindu and Muslims, but 97 per cent of these incidents between 2010 and 2017 came after Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, 97 percent of these incidents. Sir, of the 28 people who were killed in this bovine issue related incident, 86 per cent were Muslims. Now I want to ask the members of the ruling party, woh har dum kehte hain, unke Sabhapati kehte hain hum birodhi mukt Bharat karenge, Congress mukt Bharat karenge… Main puchna chahata hu kya aap log Muslim mukt Bharat karne chahate hain? Toh aap kya chahate hain, aap batao. Main pooch raha hoon. Sir, main poochna chahata hoon yeh Muslim ko rahene ki adhikar kya nahin hai? There are death of 28 people in this related incidents, out of them 24 were Muslims. Now, as I told you earlier, I don’t want to relate to general mob violence. Kabhi traffic accident hota hain, wohan bhi mob violence hota hai. It takes place. Sir, 24 were Muslims. Now I want to ask and 52 per cent of these attacks were in BJP related States. 2010-17, 97 per cent attacks were after BJP came to power and 52 per cent attacks were in BJP-ruled States. Main kise ka naam nahi le raha hoon. I want to say that this cow related killings are all targeted killings. Professor Saugato Bose reminded me in the morning the USA, after the civil war, there was an organization called Ku Klux Klan. They used to make targeted killings of black people, of coloured people. Yeha jo ho raha hai targeted Muslim killing hota hai, bolta hai ki tum bhago, desh chod ke jao. Aur kaun kar raha hain yeh? Yeh kar raha hai, this is also from the statistics.

Sir, again I’m giving the statistics. In 23 attacks, the mobs are groups of people who belong to Hindu groups, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and local Gau Raksha Samiti. Yeh log kaun hai. Yeh log ruling party ka bandar hai, jo Bharat mein ladai chala raha hai. Ruling party ke bandar hai yeh log. Yehi log saara desh mein yeh kar raha … bandar hai. Achha mein bandar nahin boloonga. Bandar ko bandar nahin boloonga. Mein promise kar diya. Mein nahin boloonga. Mein hanuman ko hanuman nahin boloonga. Yeh bajrangbalee hai. Sir, yeh ruling party ke bajrangbalee hai.

Sir, the Honourable Minister (S.S. Ahluwalia) intervened. I only want to inform you that a missing diary has been lodged in Darjeeling police station against their missing MP. He is not to be seen in the Darjeeling Hills. So, let him not speak. Let him go to Darjeeling from where he is elected.

Sir, Mr Kharge has given in detail all the various incidents. He has mentioned 24th June, when a 15 year old poor boy, Junaid Khan, was murdered on a train in Ballabgarh, Haryana. He has mentioned the incident which took place on 1st April, 2017, when a man called Pehlu Khan, was murdered on the National Highway in Alwar district in Rajasthan. He has mentioned the incident in September 2015, when a man, Akhlaq, was beaten to death in UP’s Dadri village. Sir, somebody was mentioning about Bengal. Sir, I want to mention that very few cases of bovine related violence happened in Eastern States, including Bengal and Odisha.

Sir, things have happened there. Now, why this is not being controlled, you may wonder. It is not being controlled because the BJP top leaders were very shy of condemning these incidents. Sir, you would know that it took Haryana Chief Minister three days to condemn the killing of Junaid in Ballabgarh. It took the central leadership of BJP Ravi Shankar Prasad four days. Sir I did not relate what all Hukumdev Narayan Yadavji said because he is a confused man, a mixture of Ram Manohar Lohia and Deendayal Upadhyay. What will I talk about him. It took about six days for the Jharkhand CM to own up lapses for innocent young men being beaten to death. In his own state, 10 men are beaten to death. It took him six days to condemn that. It took Rajasthan Chief Minister one month to condemn the Alwal lynching, and the Prime Minister himself has so far only made two statements condemning Gau Rakshak. One in 2016 and recently on June 29, he made a statement in Sabarmati Ashram, where he condemned (violence in the name of) Gau Rakshak. It’s a good thing, but why did it take him so long? And you know, nobody trusts him when he condemns this, because on the same day when he condemned the killings in Sabarmati, the same day in Jharkhand, Alimuddin alias Asgar Ansari was beaten to death in Jharkhand’s Ramgar, suspected of carrying beef.

So the ruling party has always erred in not condemning this enough. And now the ruling party president is involved in saying so many lynchings have taken place during the UPA time. The question is not that of who’s time it is carried out, the question is whether the Governments are performing their duties, Sir, you know in UP, 10 such incidents have taken place. Six incidents in Gujarat and Rajasthan, all BJP ruled states. Sir, I have some concrete suggestions. Under CrPC and IPC, lynching is not defined. Under 223A of CrPC, you can say in mob killings people should be judged differently. I demand that a separate law, Sir, I suggest that just as after the Nirbhaya incident, just as a fresh law modifying the IPC was brought in this Parliament, I demand that a Manab Suraksha Kanoon for preventing lynching should be brought by the Government. Because lynchings are primitive, lynchings are feudal, just to think that a man is crying for mercy and he is beaten mercilessly by some people who are either accusing of smuggling cows or accusing of being child lifters. This cannot go on. Sir, the country is ashamed. Today people from all over the country have come out in demonstration in the big cities with the Not In My Name protest. Today, 114 Generals of the Army, they have issued a statement condemning this lynching. Sir, the country is changing. I do not know who will be in power tomorrow? But people in whose time human beings are beaten to death will not be pardoned in the annals of history.

With that Sir, I end my speech.

Md Nadimul Haque speaks on The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017 & The National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017

Posted on July 31, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, I am grateful for the opportunity to address this House on this important matter. The welfare of backward classes is a very important issue to our party, Trinamool Congress. The Government in West Bengal has been working tirelessly in this regard. We have constituted 16 development/cultural boards under the Department of Backward Classes Welfare and Department of Tribal Development in order to focus on the welfare and development of the respective communities. Seventeen per cent reservation for OBCs has been granted by the West Bengal State Higher Education Institution (Reservation in Education) Act, 2013. I am pleased to inform this House, through you, Sir that this has been done without reducing the existing general category seats. The Government has also introduced 17 per cent reservation for OBCs in State Government jobs. A special recruitment drive has been initiated to fill up vacant posts in the reserved categories of various departments with an objective to maintain the overall percentage of reservation in services and posts. Almost 10,000 vacancies in 16 departments have been identified and a recruitment process has started to fill up about 3,500 vacancies in the first phase.

Sir, the Trinamool Congress is committed to working for the welfare of backward classes and we welcome the creation of a National Commission for Backward Classes with constitutional status. However, we wish to raise a few important points of contention that we have with this amendment.

Firstly, I request you to peruse Clause 4 of the Constitutional Amendment Bill. It seeks to insert Article 342 (A) into the Constitution. Article 342 (A) (1) reads: ‘The President may, with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the socially and educationally backward classes’.

We wish to raise strong objection to this provision. We feel that this provision erodes the federal structure of our polity and gives the Centre power that should fall within the domain of the State Governments. My colleague, Mr Sukhendu Sekhar Roy had submitted a dissent note in the Select Committee that was considering this Bill. He made a reference to the Supreme Court’s nine-judge bench judgment in Indira Sawhney vs Union of India. The judgment identified the importance of commissions for backward classes at both the national as well as the State level. It was pointed out in the same note that through this Bill, the Centre is seeking to create a national commission that has sweeping powers and centralised authority which includes advising on the socio-economic development of backward classes and evaluating the progress of their development under the Union or any State.

Further, the Bill mentions that the President may identify backward classes for any State, in consultation with the Governor. We submit that this phrase is not sufficient. The combined reading of Article 342 (A) and 366 (26) (C) makes it clear that after the 123rd Amendment only the Union Government would have the power to determine whether a caste is educationally and socially backward or not.

There is no language in the Bill to ensure that this consultation shall be effective or that the President is bound to take into account the opinion of the Governor. We submit that the proposed amendment to the Constitution undermines the role of State Governments and State Commissions for Backward Classes.

Additionally, the Bill mandates that every State Government shall consult a National Commission on all major policy matters that affect socially and educationally backward classes. We perceive this provision as an unnecessary intrusion on the functioning of State Governments. A mandatory consultation with the National Commission will have the effect of slowing down the pace of important policy decisions to be taken by State Governments such as the ones I highlighted in the beginning of my speech. This is a fetter on the States and, in my humble opinion, has no place in our Constitution.

I would be amiss in my duty if I do not point out that this Bill is only one example in a trend of erosion of the federal structure of this country. This Government has simply refused to respect the role of the States in its functioning. The drastic move of demonetisation was taken without taking the State Governments into confidence. Many rules have been made in colourable exercise of legislative power and now the power of the States to identify backward classes is sought to be taken away. Clearly, under this Government, there is a complete breakdown of the federal structure. It was the desire of the makers of our Constitution that India follow the principle of cooperative federalism. This is embodied in the very first Article of our Constitution, which says ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States’. The Central and State Governments were considered partners in the project that this wonderfully diverse country is. We fear that this trend of centralisation under the present Government shall do great harm to this great idea embedded in our Constitution.

Sir, I submit that this Constitutional Amendment Bill will deprive the States from making provisions for the socially and educationally backward classes under Article 15 (4) of the Constitution. The Bill undermines the role of the States and the State Commissions for Backward Classes. It will create hindrances to the development of communities who may be inadequately represented in the States.

Trinamool Congress is a strong proponent of inclusive development. We believe that not even one person should be left behind in the development agenda of this country. We fear, however, that empowering a national body with the task of looking after the backward classes for the States shall have this very undesirable effect.

I wish to explore the rationale behind leaving this particular power with the States. It is the State Governments that have a closer and a more day-to-day interaction with the people of this country. It is the State Government that is responsible for the implementation of welfare schemes and supervising basic services such as schools and hospitals. They are also in a better position to understand the nature of structural barriers that may inhibit the development of certain classes of people. As such, it would be more effective to leave this power to the States. A National Commission is wholly unequipped to identify classes that are in need of special protection by the States. Such a body will be unable to appreciate the particular requirements of small communities in different parts of the country.

My colleague here has pointed out that this would be a five-member body. I wish to say that at least one member should be a woman and at least one member should a member of a minority community.

I conclude by reiterating that we are all for giving the National Commission for Backward Classes constitutional status. However, this must not come at the cost of introducing anti-federal elements in our Constitution.

Sir, I thank you very much.

Bengal Chief Minister to set out for North Bengal tour today

Posted on July 31, 2017 | by aitc | Leave a Comment

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be commencing a tour of North Bengal on Monday, during which she will be holding the administrative review meeting of Uttar Dinajpur district.

The administrative meetings scheduled for the current year for all the districts will be completed with the one in Uttar Dinajpur. The last administrative review meeting that she held was at Digha for Purba Medinipur earlier in July. Prior to that, the Chief Minister has completed visiting all the other districts along with the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General of Police and senior officers from all the departments. She had taken stock of the progress of ongoing projects in each of the districts and given necessary directions for further development of each one of them.

The Chief Minister also addressed public meetings during her visits to the districts, at which she has distributed various articles and papers among beneficiaries of different schemes. She will be reaching Siliguri on Monday evening and will be holding the administrative review meeting at Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur on Tuesday.

আজ উত্তরবঙ্গ সফরে যাচ্ছেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী

আজ উত্তরবঙ্গ সফরে যাচ্ছেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। উত্তর দিনাজপুর জেলায়ও প্রশাসনিক বৈঠকও করবেন তিনি।

এই প্রশাসনিক বৈঠকের সঙ্গেই এবছরে সমস্ত জেলায় প্রশাসনিক বৈঠক সম্পূর্ণ হবে। এর আগের প্রশাসনিক বৈঠক তিনি করেন পূর্ব মেদিনীপুরের দিঘায়। প্রতিটি জেলায় চলতে থাকা সমস্ত প্রকল্পের খবর নেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী, প্রয়োজনীয় নির্দেশও দেন।

মুখ্যমন্ত্রী সফর চলাকালীন সেই সব জেলায় জনসভাও করেন, সেখান থেকে তিনি নানারকম পরিষেবা প্রদান করেন। আজ সন্ধ্যায় মুখ্যমন্ত্রী শিলিগুড়ি পৌঁছবেন। আগামীকাল উত্তর দিনাজপুরের চোপরা’য় প্রশাসনিক বৈঠক করবেন।

Arpita Ghosh asks a Question on revenue-sharing agreement during Question Hour

Posted on July 31, 2017 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Madam, Mantri ji ka jo answer aaye hain usme dekhe hain, ki bol rahe the ki sansad ki, usme answer mein kuch nahi hai. Doh cheez mujhe poochna hain ki domestic traveller ke barein mein bhi soch rahe hain Government ya nahi , kyunki international travellers ke liye toh kafi, toh yeh GST ke barein mein bhi 28 per cent jo lag raha hain woh toh think hain par domestic travellers ke liye jaise Bangali aur Gujrati bahut ghumte hain, kafi mashoor hain ghumne ke liye. Inke barein mein aap log kya soch rahein hain, ek app ke barein mein kya soch rahein hain aap, taki usmein se hum log link karke ,kahin bhi hotels, jo bhi aap log provide kar rahein hain jo bhi home stay ho ya kahin jana hain, jaise hum log Make My Trip ya Trivago aise mil jaate hai waise koi Government of India ke taraf se aise koi app ke aane ki soch hai? Yeh toh humare liye bahut behtar hai, particularly jab hum ghumne jaate hai.

Thank you very much.