Parliament live updates: Lok Sabha passes IIM Bill

While the Lok Sabha is functioning smoothly, Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day over resignation of MLAs in Gujarat at a time when Rajya Sabha elections are approaching.

July 28, 2017 11:11 am | Updated 07:11 pm IST

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in Lok Sabha.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in Lok Sabha.

Friday marked the end of second week of Monsoon Session of Parliament. Both Houses took up Private Members Bills. Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned four times and later for the day after Congress alleged that their MLAs in Gujarat were being abducted.

The Lok Sabha passed the IIM Bill.

Live updates

6.10 pm: After debating Private Members’ bills — that of RSP member N.K. Premachandran and BJP member G.C. Shetty, the Lok Sabha is adjourned till July 31, 2017.

4:40 pm: Lok Sabha passes IIM Bill. Now Private Members Business is taken up.

4:30 pm: The IIM Bill goes for voting. Clause-by-clause consideration now.

4:20 pm: Mr. Javadekar responds to two major queries — Reservation and fees. No student will be left out because he/she is unable to pursue education due to lack of funds. We have arranged for scholarships.

The law of land stands in reservation. There is reservation for students. We have already issued direction that positive and affirmative action in including the faculty from marginal communities, he says.

4:00 pm: Prakash Javadekar replies. Twenty-two members spoke on the fate of 20 institutes, he says. "Some members asked why the ministry gave away the administration. When I was the Environment Minister, I had to give approval for small issues like deviation of one kilometre od forest land for development of roads. The development was faster when these powers were decentralised," he recalls.

Earlier, IIMs couldn't grant PhD. With this Bill it is now possible, he says. Foreign universities are doing so well because they are independent, they are strong and they flourish. Same reform is hoped for IIM, he says.

3:50 pm: R.S. Satav, an MP from Marathwada region, suggests setting up IIM in his region. He also emphasises on level-playing field. A student from IIM Ahmedabad gets placed. What about someone from IIM Nagpur or Tiruchi? He also says NEET had different papers in various languages. This shouldn't happen in IIM.

3:40 pm: Harish Chandra Meena (BJP) says the medium of instruction is only English. The government should consider usage of mother tongue. The government should waive off fees of economically backward.

The campus placements ignore reservation. There must be reservation in placements too, he says.

3:30 pm: N.K. Premachandran says students look at foreign nations for higher education because we are lagging behind in the quality. Mr. Premachandran has suggested a couple of amendments.

3:25 pm: Mohammed Basheer, IUML, says he is congratulating the Minister for bringing a good model through this Bill Government will not interfere in the administration. There were earlier instance in ICHR, FTII and so on.

He says there is no exposure to R&D and industry. It is the need of the hour, says Mr. Basheer.

3:20 pm: Kaushalendra Kumar, JD(U), says the government should consider doubling the number of seats in the IIMs. He also urges that the vacancy in faculty posts should be filled up. He also requests government to set up an IIM in Nalanda.

3:15 pm: Prem Das Rai (SDF) says the Bill is historic. Mr. Rai, who is an alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad, says he thanks the Minister for granting autonomy for the institute. There is a brand association for IIM. It is recognised the world over.

Why should IIM be an elitist institute? They have not only produced Raghuram Rajans. Many angel funds within the country are run by IIM alumni, he says.

There is ample evidence to show no student from IIM will not be left behind in progress, says Mr. Rai.

3.10 pm: Kirit P Solanki, BJP, Gujarat speaks in favour of the Bill. He says the Bill ensures maximum governance, and minimum government.

3.01 pm: Sriajuddin Ajmal, AIUDF, Assam: It is good to note that IIMs will have governors. I think the new bill should incorporate some provisions. There must be a provision for providing a partnership. The bill should stimulate and help local issues. It is high time to change the face of education and redefine.

There is no IIM is Assam. Assam has been demanding for one but the request is still pending.

2.55 pm: Hari Babu Kambhampati of BJP, Visakhapatnam: Autonomy is a welcome step. In 1961 IIMs were established. In 1996, Indore IIM came up. The latest one is in Jammu.

SC/ST are included in the board of governors, this is a welcome step. When IIMs stop giving degrees, what'll be the future of the students? I request the govt of India to expedite the process of creating a financing agency to complete the funding. IIMs will now have flexibility of establishing collaborations abroad. It will benefit our institutions. Because of the bifurcation of AP, I thank the Ministry of HRD in helping Andhra Pradesh. Two establishments are pending, I request the minister to do the same.

2.50 pm: Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik of NCP: I support this bill. I'd like to highlight some grey areas of the bill. The bill only has a vague enabling for which the proposed law states that it has a clause that says IIM shall try to get the weaker sections of the society. The bill should resolve the issue of post graduate diploma in management. The most important aspect the bill should address is fixing the bottlenecks. This is a unique opportunity for the govt in making reforms. Students must develop soft skills too.

2.40 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till Monday.

2.40 pm: "There are criticism from certain quarters that our IIMs are below international standard. This bill seeks to declare some institutions as institutions of national importance", says B. Rajesh, CPI-M, Palakkad.

Academic autonomy is not a bad idea but still there are some issues. Who will appoint board of governors? When govt is focusing on autonomy, the govt did something that is completely against the spirit of this bill. 14 out of 20 IIMs were working without full-time directors. IIM-Kozhikode hasn't had a director for two years.

Another issue is that whether the govt believes that reservation and cooperation cannot co-exist. It is to be ensured that IIMs should not be money-making machines. No students should be denied the opportunity to study only because he cannot afford the fees. I hope the honourable ministers will address these issues.

2.35 pm: AP Jithender Reddy of TRS, says, "There are 20 IIMs. The highlights in the Indian Institute of Management Bill, 2017 declares 20 of these as institutes of national importance. Currently the central govt does appointment of roles in IIMs. We request that IIM was promised in the AP reorganisation act.

2.30 pm: "I support this bill. Javadekar Sir, you're revered and liberal," says Ravindra Babu Pandula, TDP, Andhra Pradesh.

"AP unfortunately got bifurcated but we got a lot of central universities. We turned out lucky and Mr. Javadekar Sir is at the helm of affairs. But IIM Visakhapatnam has no funds now since Andhra is suffering due to funds crunch. This autonomy is a very good step but only two or three of the faculty are from scheduled caste. The reservation is at entry level, the merit is same."

2.25 pm: Arvind Ganpat Sawant of SS, Maharashtra says: My nephew applied for a seat in IIM. The result he got more than 99% but he couldn't get a seat. Secondly, one cannot afford the fees. They aren't able to repay loans. This is again a concern. What govt is going to do to protect a talented child, if they cannot afford a fee of 30 lakhs?

Suppose if a new IIM is formed, apart from existing IIMs, who has the power to create this? Also another point to be noted is that, there are many talented children among the SC/ST.

2.20 pm: Odisha MP Nagendra Kumar Pradhan of BJD: IIMs are important institutions in this country. When management students enter corporate arena, they are charged high fees. There are about 5500 other business schools (non-IIMs) that offer MBA degree. They have around 5 lakh seats which is way more than what the IIMs offer.

What about the fate of other graduates who do not even get jobs. I request the govt to secure the future of these students. The increased fee in business schools is the reason why less number of students apply. A large number of students clear CAT but they settle for tier-2 and tier-3. Some students now prefer foreign universities. Two recommendations of Parliamentary expert committee are not accepted in this bill.

Mr. Pradhan starts speaking about IIM Sambalpur, which is running in a rented building. "Odisha govt sanctioned the building," he says but time runs out.

2.00 pm: AITC MP Saugata Roy thanks the minister in bringing the Bill, mentions Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru set up two IIMs in Ahmedabad and Calcutta in 1961, but the President-elect didn't mention him in speech. Supporting the bill, he said, "There are top institutes in many countries, but I am proud to say that our top three management institutes A/B/C come within the 200 top managements in the world."

"Give freedom to IITs also. I want the govt to maintain superiority. As I said earlier, that one of the objects mentioned, is that management, education and result should be in top levels. The research in management has not developed so much. You'd be glad to know that in IIM Calcutta, they also teach a course known as the IT-enabled management. Management and IT have become closely interlinked and it has become necessary.

You've not put any control of the fees. Unless they get any scholarship or education loans, even if a student cracks the CAT, it is hard to get into IIMs.

I liked the speech of Poonam Mahajan. Indira Nooyi is an alumni of IIM. These management experts do reach top posts. I hope we become a big economical power."

1.55 pm: Poonam Mahajan of BJP pays homage to APJ Abdul Kalam and Prof Yash Pal and continues to speak about the IIM Bill. Autonomy is necessary for IIMs. IIM have been building brick by brick. Rome was not built in a day. Indian youth wants to take this country forward, they do not want their wings cut. By 2020, Indian economy will become the third highest. IIM students get placed in bigger firms, but the ones who go to work in NGOs are making a big difference for this country. I thank the minister in supporting this bill as we, as a govt want to give the youth the freedom to think and freedom to go forward.

1:40 pm: Mr. Tharoor continues. "The Bill is silent on reservation, particularly on faculty position. The complete control over the fee structure worries me. This is a disadvantage for some people. 13 of the IIMs are functioning without directors. This is creating a vacuum. I'm a little worried about the brand value. I come from Kerala, we already have an IIM-K. So IIM Kolkata could be called as IIM C for Calcutta.

IIM-C to Kolkata will cause confusion with existing IIM-Kozhikode.

Management education is extremely important for this country, many IIM products must hold key positions in our economy. Give India the management leaders that it deserves."

1:25 pm: Shashi Tharoor raises to take part in the debate. The Thiruvananthapuram MP blames the government not providing able resources to the higher education sector. "We will end up with demographic disaster instead of demographic dividend, if we can't equip the youth," he says.

Though I welcome government declaring IIMs as institution of national importance, the budget allocated for it is meagre, Mr. Tharoor says.

He says he supports the Bill and congratulates the minister for bringing up the Bill. But he points out the the post of Visiting Professors have been abolished. 

1:20 pm: Zero Hour ends. Prakash Javadekar introduces the IIM Bill in Lok Sabha. The Bill gives power to IIMs to accord degrees and accord autonomy to these institutes.

Mr. Javadekar terms the Bill as an "historic one."

1:05 pm: Bhartruhari Mahtab raises the issue of reopening the gender determination case of Dutee Chand. The government should take her case in International courts, he says.

Ananth Kumar responds. He assures the House that government will take up the matter through Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry.

1:02 pm: Ganesh Singh says railway catering should provide hygienic food to travellers. He also suggests IRTC to use frozen foods.

1:00 pm: P.S. Chandumajra wants Punjabi language to be accorded official status in Chandigarh. He also points out the there is no Sikh representative in the Minorities Commission.

12:55 pm: M. Ramachandran raises the issue of athlete Chitra denied permission to participate in World Athletic Championship to be held in London. Many members associate with him. 

12:50 pm. P. Geeta raises the issue of vector borne diseases contacted by students studying in tribal ashram schools. Most of them are anemic. The students are forced to do sanitation works. The government should improve the infrastructure, she says.

12:45 pm: Prof. Sugata Bose quotes Rabinranath Tagore and says Tagore should not be removed from the NCERT textbooks.

Rajeev Satav suggests potato must be included in mid day meals.

12:38 pm No Bombay, it's Mumbai. Bharatiben Shiyal, Bhavnagr MP asks for air connectivity from her constituency to Bombay. Maharashtra MPs correct her, ask her to say Mumbai. Please say Mumbai, says Ms. Mahajan, who is also from Maharashtra.

12:30 pm G.C. Shetty says there is a confusion over GST in hotels. People who take parcel are also charged with GST. There are "mix hotels" which have both AC and non-AC facilities. This has to be fixed, he says.

12:25 pm: Rajendra Agarwal raises the issue of Samjhauta Express blast leak. Quoting a television report that showed footages of alleged Pakistani hands in the Samjhauta Express blast. Congress MPs object to it.

12:18 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2:30 pm

Anshul Verma (BJP) talks about men being "harassed". Pro-women should not be anti-women, he says.

12:15 pm: Zero Hour in Lok Sabha. D.B. Mahadik says government has imposed GST of 28% on Ganesh idols. It is our matter of faith. Hence, the GST should be waived off, he says.

Rajya Sabha reconvenes. Vice President Hamid Ansari is in the Chair. Congress MPs continue to protest.

12:05 pm Members are now giving submissions. Submission of Members is when MPs suggest agenda to be added to the upcoming week's list of business. They will be collated and sent to the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. The Ministry, in consultation with the Speaker and Parliament Secretary will release the final list of business for the week. 

12:03 pm Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar reads out the list of business schedules for the next week.

12:00 noon Rajya Sabha adjourned again for 15 minutes.

Question Hour ends in Lok Sabha. Ministers are laying various reports on the Table.

11:55 am  Ganesh Singh points out the CAG report that our ammunitions will end within 10 days of war. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley says though we have adequate indigenous content, we have to depend on defence imports. Through strategic policy, we have opened up defence manufacturing to private Indian companies.

11:50 am An MP asks if the Pune ordnance factory will be closed down. MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre replies in negative. He goes on to say defence production is given priority under the Make in India programme and hence no ordnance factory will be shut down.

11:40 am Lok Sabha continues with Question Hour. Parliamentarians are asking about AYUSH. There were questions on organ donation, insurance coverage for AYUSH treatment, among others.

11:37 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon.

11:32 am: Rajya Sabha reconvenes. Ruckus continues. Anand Sharma raises the issue. "What can I do? You have to approach the Election Commission," says the Chair.

Congress MPs indulge in sloganeering.

11:25 am: It is high time to review the scheme, says Mohammed Basheer citing CAG and Parliamentary Standing Committee reports. Why not have a time-bound programme and have a monitoring programme.

We have been effective in increasing sex ration. But sending these girls going to schools is more challenging. Every State is offering incentives, says Ms. Gandhi.

11:22 am West Bengal has refused to carry out Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. They have started their own scheme. But the sex ratio of Kolkata is among the lowest in the country, says Ms. Gandhi in Lok Sabha.

11:20 am Rajya Sabha adjourned for 10 minutes.

11:15 am Rajya Sabha continues to discuss Anand Sharma's claims. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad too joins the issue. The MLAs who resigned from Congress have immediately been given tickets to contest elections. What is this? he asks.

"You are doing this keeping the Rajya Sabha elections in mind. You should be ashamed," he says. BJP MPs object to it.

The Lok Sabha is functioning smoothly today. No sloganeering so far. But Rajya Sabha is witnessing slogans.

Mr. Naqvi says Congress should set its house in order instead of wasting Parliament's precious time.

11:10 am In Lok Sabha Minister of Women and Child Affairs says the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Aandholan is a massive success. But Etawah, Farukkabad, Etah, Bijnor, Champawad, Pitjoragarh, Haridwar, Chamoli, and Kolkata are in the bottom of the list.

The Centre has no ground in the scheme. The implementation is by State governments. The funds have not been reached to the districts from the State, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

11:06 am Anand Sharma raises Point of Order. He claims Congress MLAs in Gujarat are being aducted. BJP MPs protest. The Chair says it is not Point of Order. You have to approach the Election Commission

11:04 am In Rajya Sabha Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi reads a long list of schedule listed for business for the next week. The list is so long that the Deputy Chairperson remarks, "is it for the session or for the year?"

11:02 am MoS for Health and family welfare Anupriya Patel categorically says electro-homeopathy is not a recognised medical field. Persons practicing it are not medical professionals. She was replying to questions in Lok Sabha. 

11:00 am Both Houses convenes. Lok Sabha takes up Question Hour. Minister are submitting various reports pertaining to their ministry in Rajya Sabha.

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