The House was adjourned till 2:30 pm today, with special mentions made for Thursday, as indicated by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu in yesterday’s proceedings.
Rajya Sabha had bid farewell to 72 members yesterday Retiring between March and July this year, the Upper House is making a significant change in the political arithmetic until the next meeting for the monsoon session takes place in July. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing phrases used in Bengali and Gujarati for goodbye that translate to “come again”, said he would say the same to retired members – “come again”.
Here are the updates:
5 pm
House adjourned till 11 am on 4th April
4:50 pm
Rakesh Sinha said – no religion is mentioned in the bill
Rakesh Sinha, speaking on the Population Regulation Bill introduced by him in Rajya Sabha in 2019, says that there is no mention of any religion in the bill.
4:20 pm
Mansukh Mandaviya speaks on the Population Regulation Bill, 2019
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya speaks in the House. He says the government follows a “holistic approach” towards healthcare and lists out various schemes launched by the government with the aim of providing affordable healthcare.
Shri Mandaviya also mentioned about the National Health Policy launched in 2017 and schemes like Ayushman Bharat.
4:11 pm
AAP’s Sanjay Singh attacks Kejriwal’s residence, opposes BJP
AAP MP Sanjay Singh attacked outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence and the BJP protested the remarks. The chair asks Mr. Singh to end his speech.
3:50 pm
John Brittas opposes the Population Regulation Bill, 2019
CPI(M) MP John Brittas says he opposes the Population Regulation Bill, 2019, and says, “The population growth of Muslims in Kerala is much less than the population growth of Hindus in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan. what does this mean? If you will give adequate level of education and awareness to the people, then the population will be reduced.
Mr Britas also says that many states in India have achieved replacement level populations without any coercion and defaming minorities. He says a state like Kerala that has made “amazing contributions” to population control has been “punished” continuously for its achievements.
He also says that there were huge campaigns against polygamy, but adds, “Almost all studies state that polygamy is more prevalent among upper castes than Muslims in North India.”
3:11 pm
‘India is now facing the problem of aging’, says Jairam Ramesh
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said during the discussion on Population Regulation Bill 2019 that the country is currently facing the problem of aging. “In 2011, eight per cent of India was over 60 years of age. By the year 2040, 16% of India will be over 60 years of age. 25% of Tamil Nadu will be above 60 years of age. 28% of Kerala would be over 60 years of age,” he says.
He urged the Union Health Minister to address the issue of long-term effects of an aging population.
3.00 pm
Population regulation bill under discussion
AITC MP from West Bengal Jawahar Sarkar has opposed the Population Regulation Bill 2019 on the ground that it is introducing a National Population Policy. He said he felt it carried an agenda far beyond what was stated. He indicated that he hoped the community was not targeted and emphasized that educating the girl child is the best way to advance the cause of family planning.
He said he supported concerted efforts to reform family planning, but cited the case of Sanjay Gandhi to say the state should not interfere too deeply in civilian life.
2:45 pm
Various Bills introduced by private members
Private members sought leave and were granted leave to introduce several bills, including:
Bill to amend various Articles and Preamble of the Constitution, Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020, Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Epidemic Diseases (Prevention, Preparedness and Management) Bill, 2021, National Right to Lands and Shelter Bill, 2022, Kerala High Court (Establishment of a Permanent Bench at Thiruvananthapuram) Bill, 2022, Kashmiri Pandits (Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2022 , Kuresong Gorkha Fashion and Design Institute Bill, 2022, Kalimpong Films and Music Institute Bill, 2022, Population Regulation Bill, 2019, National Anthem (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Introducing the Kashmiri Pandits (Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2022, MP Vivek K. Tankha said that this is the first bill of its kind in 32 years.
2:30 pm
proceedings resume in the house
1:00 pm
House adjourned till 2:30 pm
12:50 pm
Artisans and the textile industry were discussed
Kerala CPI(M) MP Dr. V Sivadasan asked whether the textile mills were functioning properly and whether the artisans and textile workers were getting fair wages. In his reply, Minister of State for Textiles Darshan Vikram Jardosh outlined the measures being taken to promote artisans abroad and during festivals. (She did not answer the question directly.)
12:40 pm
Discussion continues on industrial development and investment
Andhra Pradesh MP Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla, YSRCP asked a question about the measures being taken by the government to attract foreign investment and what incentives are being given to make India internationally competitive.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said development projects are stalled due to land purchase issues and added that these projects are a joint project of the Center and the state. He said that only the Center can prepare the masterplan, for this the cooperation of the state is needed.
Regarding foreign direct investment, he said that India has broken previous records in the last six years, including during the Covid period. He said that talks are going on with many countries including UK, USA, UAE, Israel and Australia.
House is experiencing chaos as more questions are being asked about industry and investment.
12:15 pm
Questions raised regarding the purchase of food grains
Uttar Pradesh BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao asked about the delay in releasing payment to farmers for the purchase of paddy in Andhra Pradesh. He also asked about the guidelines of the Central Government for this.
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal said that now the payment goes directly to the bank account of the farmer without any middleman. He said that in 90% of the cases, he gave money to the states in advance, and he would investigate discrepancies in payments if the member or states provided details about the extent of the issue.
Questions were also asked about mismatch in procurement, extra boiled rice and other food delivery issues.
12:00 pm
question hour is on
11:55 am
Assam MP raised the issue of safe drinking water in Guwahati
Assam MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan spoke about the chronic shortage of safe drinking water in Assam. He said that despite the Brahmaputra river flowing in the state, people are facing water scarcity. Water is provided by pipelines in 30% of the city, most of it being government premises and government water supply touching a negligible part of the city, he said. He strongly urged the government to prepare a white paper regarding this issue and take further measures.
11:52 am
Government should take steps to deal with violence against Dalits, Adivasis: BSP MP
Ramji, a BSP MP from Uttar Pradesh, raised the issue of harming and killing Dalit and tribal people in the country. He said that the culprits are not being brought to justice. He highlighted the recent killings of Dalit and Adivasi people and urged the government to take strong measures to stop the violence.
11:40 am
Address the digital divide to allow access to online education: CPI(M) MP
CPI(M) Kerala MP Dr V Sivasadan raised the issue of digital divide and how it was blocking access to online education during his special speech.
He said that there is no electricity in rural and tribal areas. Hobbing Access to Online Education. He said that 74 per cent students in India do not have a smartphone. He urged the central government to take steps to remove this divide.
11:26 am
Odisha to increase road, rail connectivity: BJD MP
Prashant Nanda, BJD, Odisha requested the government to increase the rail and road network in Odisha to ensure better connectivity with Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. He stressed that this would improve the socio-economic condition of the region and help in dealing with extreme leftist elements.
At the end of the speech of the MP, Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh extended Odisha Day greetings to the member and all the residents of Odisha.
11:17 am
Declare Hindus as minority in Meghalaya: Trinamool Congress MP
Trinamool Congress MP Shanta Chhetri asked the Home Ministry to issue a notification declaring Hindus as a minority in Meghalaya. He also said that in states where Hindus are a minority, they should be allowed to run educational institutions.
11:12 am
Zero hour issue regarding price hike
CPI(M) Kerala MP John Brittas raised the issue of rising prices saying that there has been an increase of 11 per cent on essential commodities. Britas said this was gross insensitivity to the people, adding that the price hike during the health crisis should have been avoided. He said that the prices of all essential medicines have increased. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also continued the issue by talking about the rise in the cost of living and the cost of medicines.
11:05 am
Various papers laid on the table, Zero Hour begins
11:00 am
House proceedings begin, presided over by Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh
10:15 am
business list
-
Papers, Reports of the Parliamentary Standing Committee will be laid on the Table.
-
Statements by Krishna Pal, V Muraleedharan to make statements on their respective ministries.
-
question hour
-
Various Bills including Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020, Epidemic Diseases (Prevention, Preparedness and Management) Bill, 2021, National Right to Land and Shelter Bill, 2022, Kerala High Court (Establishment of a Permanent Bench Thiruvananthapuram) Bill, 2022 , Kashmiri Pandits (Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2022, Kuresong Gorkha Fashion and Design Institute Bill, 2022, Kalimpong Films and Music Institute Bill, 2022, Population Regulation Bill, 2019 , National Anthem (Amendment) Bill, 2018, others will be presented between
at 10 am
Day 13 Recap
Members including PM Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Harivansh Singh bid farewell to the retired MPs. Several members gave their farewell speeches in the House.