Plenty of Bills were lined up to be discussed in both the Houses of Parliament on July 21, 2017. Rajya Sabha took up Private Members’ Bills and during the discussion of Congress member B.K. Hariparasad’s bill sparks flew over allegations of imposition of Hindi. The Lok Sabha also saw introduction of Private Members’ Bills.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to repeal the necessary Acts in wake of the merger of State Bank of India (SBI) with its subsidiary banks.
And as the Rajya Sabha was about to take up the Admiralty Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, lack of quorum was pointed out and the same forced the House’s adjournment for the day.
In the Lok Sabha a private members’ — Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015 — was discussed and the debate remained inconclusive over paucity of time.
Read: The Sixth Schedule to the Constitution
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6 pm: The debate remains inconclusive. And the House is adjourned till July 24, 2017.
5.25 pm: The Lok Sabha, meanwhile, is going on with its business. Debate on private members’ Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is on. The Bill seeks “to amend the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India in its application to constitution of District Councils and powers of the District Councils and Regional Councils” to increase the number of the members in the District Council from 30 to 40, as originally envisaged in the Constitution; bring traditional occupations of tribals relating to mines and minerals under legislative competence of the District Council; and protect customary practices and interests of tribals. The bill was proposed by Shillong MP Vincent Pala of the Congress.
5.15: As there were only 23 members, less than the number of members required for running the House, Deputy Chairman adjourns the House till July 24, 2017. Despite the ringing the bell for three-and-a-half minutes the quorum is 10% of the total strength of the House — it's 25 in the case of the Rajya Sabha — could not be ensured.
5.09 pm: Mr. Ramesh raises lack of quorum. Chair wants to check the quorum. Chair wants to ring quorum bell.
5.04 pm: Mr. Ramesh again objects to bringing legislative business at the fag end of a sitting. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi gives a lecture to him on “not doing injustice to those who have sent us here” to talk about their issues. Argument ensues. Chair rules it’s duty bound to take up the Admiralty Bill.
4.57 pm: Mr. Rijiju makes it clear that “Hindi is official language. All other languages are national languages. So there's no question of imposing any language over any other language.” Two panels have failed to come up with suggestions about languages to included in the Sixth Schedule, he says.
4.55 pm: Satyanarayan Jatiya as usual quotes extensively in Sanskrit, peppered with Malayalam words much to the glee of Mr. Kurien.
4.45 pm: Tamil MPs — Vijila Sathyananth and Ila Ganesan — are arguing over Hindi. Chair says let's not fight over language. Chair has also asked the Minister what happened to the three-language formula.
A moment in the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on languages on July 21, 2017. Photo: RSTV
M.P. Ragesh wants to know why no regional language is taught in central schools while Sanskrit is taught. Chair says, “You are not speaking in Malayalam.” Mr. Ragesh, amid peels of laughter, says in Malayalam he doesn’t have any problem in speaking his language. The Chair’s comment that Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages is met with opposition.
4.40 pm: Jairam Ramesh says if govt. has no move to impose Hindi, why only Hindi pakhwadas and not any other language pakhwadas. Mr. Rijiju's remark, “It's our mentality to run down neighbouring State languages, while we don't have any problem in learning a foreign language." Mr. Hariprasad wants the Minister to take back the phrase “run down”.
4.35 pm: Back to the Rajya Sabha. Private members’ bills are being discussed. B.K. Hariprasad’s bill on regional languages is being debated. MoS Kiren Rijiju is replying. Mr. Rijiju says there is no move to impose Hindi. And says Hindi is an official language.
4.30 pm: Private members’ bills are being introduced.
4.27 pm: Lok Sabha passes Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education(Amendment) Bill to extend the deadline to December 2019 for untrained teachers to get qualified.
4.25 pm: BJD’s Mr. Mahtab insists on his amendment seeking to empower States on untrained teachers. HRD Minister requests withdrawal. Amendment defeated.
4.17 pm: HRD Minister thanks all the participants in reply. Says the quality of eduction debate can be taken up separately in and out of the House, reminding the members the limited application of the bill, i.e. to ament the law to extend the deadline to 2019 to acquire teaching qualification. Lists out the measures to improve training of teachers. Class V and class VIII students who fail in annual exams will be given a second chance in the month of May, to reduce detention rates. As he was ready to take up inspections without prior notice, MPs should also refrain from recommending unnecessary transfer of teachers.
4.15 pm: Bhagwant Mann, AAP, Sangrur, Punjab, highlights the issue of depriving girls their right to education on the excuse of lack of safety. He wants the govt. to come up with a measure to ensure safety of commute to schools.
4.05 pm: BJP’s Satya Pal Singh wants a penalty element for the parents who don't send their wards to school at the right age.
3.55 pm: The unmissable N.K. Premachandran, RSP MP from Kollam, joins the debate. “We need to have a separate discussion on implementation of the RTE Act,” he says. If the trainers are not trained how could the quality of education be improved. Article 21A is violated by the States by not being able to provide quality training to teachers by the stipulated time of December 2015. One sixth of the 55 lakh teachers are untrained, that means RTE Act is only in paper.
RSP member N.K. Premachandran speaks in the Lok Sabha on July 21, 2017. Photo: LSTV
3.45 pm: Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, RJD, Bihar, says without moral education education is not complete and wants to make games compulsory till class XII. He says till the government makes admitting government officials’ wards in government schools mandatory, the govt. can't do justice to the concept of equality of education.
3.40 pm: NCP member Supria Sule welcomes the govt. step to include the number disabilities (list has been updated to include 11 more from 10) and seeks special attention for children with autism. And she seeks extends the age for RTE to 18. And the quality of teacher training should also be improved apart from making legislations, she says.
3.25 pm: CPI(M) member A. Sampath begins with a demand to HRD Minister: Visit a govt. school without prior notice. CPI (M) asks govt. not to extend deadline for unqualified and under-qualified teachers. If they have not taken any effort to acquire the qualification by the deadline, would they acquire it in the extended period of four years, he asks.
A. Sampath, CPI(M) member from Kerala’s Attingal constituency, speaks in the Lok Sabha on July 21, 2017.
3.20 pm: TRS member says there are two Indias: Convent-Corporate India and Common Man India. he then goes on mention measures taken by the TRS government in Telangana on education. Concludes with a demand for more Navodaya schools in the State.
3.15 pm: Jayadev Galla, the TDP member from Guntur, talks — in pronounced American accent — about the need to face the challenge of automation and the need for our schools to upgrade and asks plans does the HRD Ministry have for providing international exposure to teachers.
3 pm: No data available on number of pupil admitted under RTE, says BJD member Bartruhari Mahtab and he also demands a separate budget for RTE and also run a separate household survey. There are inconsistencies in the data, he says. Most Central schools are understaffed, he says. He also brings into notice an alarming “practice of teachers subletting their job to some others, while they spend time at their home.” Mr. Mahtab introduces an amendment: it will be difficult for States to come to Parliament to extend the period for teachers to attain necessary qualification. So give the States power to extend the said period.
2.50 pm: In the Lok Sabha, Arvind Ganpat Sawant of the Shiv Sena is speaking on the RTE bill. He draws attention to the plight of children forced to work despite the ban against such practice. Like Prof. Thomas Mr. Sawant too talks about people seeking recommendation to get their wards admitted to pvt. schools. “We should think why they go to private schools. Along with free and compulsory education, we should also give global standard education in our government schools,” he says.
2.40 pm: Members are being called to introduce their bills. K.K. Ragesh, V. Vijayasai Reddy, Rajkumar Dhoot and T. Subbarami Reddy introduce their bills.
2.35 pm: Jairam Ramesh of the Congress demands that the govt. should not bulldoze any of its legislation in the time allotted for private members’ bills. Chair assures him and says the Admiralty Bill be taken up only after 5 p.m.
2.30 pm: Rajya Sabha reconvenes. Govt. withdraws the Noth East (amendment) bill, House agrees.
2.30 pm: Jagadambika Pal of the BJP rises to speak. Talks about the new education policy brought about by the govt.
2.20 pm: While welcoming the bill per se, Prof. K.V. Thomas of the Congress points out the lacuna on the funding for education. Last budget most disappointing for education sector. He adds that only 9.5% of schools in the country have implemented the RTE Act provisions. He also points out the need to address the availability of teachers especially in the North East. Even in places like Kerala, known for high education, people prefer private schools. “People come to us (MPs) for recommendation in pvt. schools, but there are vacancies in govt. schools,” he says. Governments, both Centre and States, should think together to improve infra in schools.
Prof. Thomas takes a dig a PM’s pet Swach Bharat programme. “But many of the govt. schools don't even have toilets,” he says.
And he draws attention to linking Aadhaar with providing mid-day meals in schools and wants the Minister to understand the difficulty of such a suggestion.
2.10: Lok Sabha reconvenes for the post-lunch sitting, takes up discussion on Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education(Amendment) Bill. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar introduces salient features of the amendment.
Text of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017
2 pm: As we wait for the live telecast from Lok Sabha to begin, let's look at some of the questions raised during Question Hour earlier in the day.
Over 1.62 lakh companies deregistered till July 12: Jaitley
Over 1.62 lakh companies that have not been carrying out business activities for long have been deregistered and a series of actions are being taken against shell firms, the government said today.
While the term ‘shell company’ is not defined under the Companies Act, Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha that many such entities have been found to be indulging in large scale tax violations.
“However, the Registrars of Companies (RoCs) have removed 1,62,618 companies from the register of companies as at July 12, 2017 after following the due process under Section 248 of the Companies Act, 2013,” he said during Question Hour.
His response was to a query on whether a large number of shell companies and entities that are primarily used as conduits for dealing in black money and hawala transactions have come to the notice of the government.
Less than one doctor for 1000 population in India: govt to LS
India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the World Health Organisation standard, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a total 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.
“Assuming 80 per cent availability, it is estimated that around 8.18 lakh doctors may actually be available for active service. It gives a doctor—population ratio of 0.62:1000 as per current population which is estimated to be of around 1.33 billion,” she said during Question Hour.
The WHO prescribes a doctor population ratio of 1:1000.
Rs. 274.21 crore allocated by HAL under CSR
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has allocated Rs 274.21 crore under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the last four years, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister of state for defence Subhash Bhamre said Rs. 69.35 crore has been allocated in 2014-15, Rs 68.31 crore has been allocated in 2015-16, Rs. 66.92 crore in 2016 and Rs. 69.63 crore has been allocated in 2017-18.
The expenditure and projects are taken up for implementation under the CSR as per framework of the HAL’s CSR policy in line with provisions mentioned in the Companies Act, he said during Question Hour.
1:08 pm Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm.
1:05 pm Richard Hay, an Anglo Indian nominated member, says the population of Anglo Indians is dwindling in the country. He seeks incentives for poor Anglo Indians.
1:01 pm Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh seeks exemption of GST from religious institutions. The GST should not be God Service Tax, he says.
1:00 pm Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2:30 pm
12:50 pm Rajya Sabha is taking up question on internet connectivity. As many as 950 million are not connected, says an MP quoting an Assocham report.
12:40 pm Murali Mohan Maganti urges the government to bring back women's reservation Bill.
12:33 pm Vijila Sathyanath suggests women judges should be appointed in Mahila Courts. Many stunning judgments on women rights were pronounced by male judges. The fairness of judiciary should be taken into account, Mr. Prasad says politely rejecting Ms. Sathyanath's suggestion.
12:30 pm Vijaisai Reddy asks if government or Supreme Court is taking up any reforms in higher judiciary to give more representation to women. Law Minister says subordidate judicial appointments are taken care of by High Courts and the government has no plans to bring reservation. But we are regularly sensitising judiciary to include women, Dalits and minorities, he says.
12:28 pm Rahman Khan says there is no gender justice in the Supreme Court. The number of women judicial officers is far less than number of males, Mr. Khan says. Law Minister Ravishakr Prasad assures that he will take it up with Supreme Court.
12:25 pm Thokchom Meinya, Manipur MP, raises the issue of flash floods in the Northeast. It is high time to have a dedicated flash flood management policy for the NorthEast and Manipur in particular, he says.
Mr. Meinya, though a Congress MP, chose to stay back in the House to take up highlight the flashflood issue.
12:18 pm Mohammad Salim raises the issue of Darjeeling crisis. Mr. Kumar says Centre government is concerned of the situation in the Hills. The Chief Minister should ensure law and order in the area and then we can discuss a permanent solution, he says.
12:15 pm Congress MPs walk out after Speaker rejects the adjournment motion brought by them. The Congress MPs want the House to discuss agrarian crisis, which has not been listed in the business yet. Mr. Kumar says the discussion will happen during the Monsoon Session but the opposition wants a date.
12:10 pm Revati Raman Singh asks about fluctuating prices of vegetables. Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh says his ministry came up with a proposal to tackle price stabilisation, whose expenses will be shared by Centre and State. Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have implemented this scheme.
12:04 pm Members are suggesting issues that cane be taken up in next week's parliamentary proceedings.
12:03 pm Question Hour ends in Lok Sabha. So is sloganeering. inisters are laying various papers on the Table.
12:00 noon Rajya Sabha reconvenes for Question Hour. Vice-President Hamid Ansari is in the Chair. Anand Sharma raises the issue of privilege again.
A ruling was given two days back over certain remarks made by MP Naresh Agrawal. Despite the ruling, a section of media published and broadcasted his speech, claims Mr. Sharma.
The Secretariat has been asked to issue a notice, says the Chair. "We will ask for a factual report from the concerned authorities," Mr. Ansari says.
11:50 am: Anurag Thakur suggests incentive-based system should be taken up for population control.
Uday Pratap Singh asks if the Ministry plans to enact law to restrict the child birth? India is a democratic country. We have no plans to enact such laws. Our programmes are designed in such a way the people understand the issue and voluntarily take up family planning, Ms. Patel says.
11:48 am Lok Sabha is taking questions on population growth. MoS Health, Anupriya Patel is answering questions. She narrates how the ministry is planning to ramp up efforts on sterlisation by planning sterlisation fortnight in November.
11:44 am Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon.
11:42 am If an MP's House has been vandalised or attacked for what he said in the House, the government should take action, Mr. Kurien tells Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Now Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha also shout slogans.
11:40 am Rahman Khan insists on taking Mr. Agrawal's issue privilege committe. He cities his own experience. Mr. Kurien insists he wants notice and evidence. I will severely take action, he says.
11:30 am In Rajya Sabha the Chair and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy continue to argue over the rules on suspension of proceedings to enable discussion.
11:25 am: Health Minister J.P. Nadda is taking questions related to his ministry in Lok Sabha. An MP asks how the ministry plans to combat vector-borne diseases in rural areas. This is handled by the State governments. We are ready to assist them whenever they come with a proposal, he says.
11:21 am: In Lok Sabha, Ashokkumar, AIADMK MPs, asks if government has taken any actions against Shell Companies, including those involved in 2G spectrum scam. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says actions are being taken.
11:20 am The Chair says a remark expunged by the House cannot be printed or broadcasted. An FIR cannot be raised for anything that happens inside the House. This is a serious issue. The government should enquire this, he says.
But MPs want a discussion, the Chair wants a notice.
11:13 am: They are vindicating lynching, alleges Shard Yadav and wants the minister to reply.
On one hand the government says it won't encourage mobocracy, and at the same time an MP is receivng death threats, says Tapan Sen.
11:10 am Naresh Agarwal says BJP members are issuing threats to him even after he withdrew my comments. "If an MP receives death threats for what is said in the House, it is a serious issue," he says.
Pramod Tiwari points out an FIR filed in Meerut for Mr. Agarwal's comments. How can someone approach Police on something spoken in Parliament?
11:07 am Zero Hour proceedings begin in Rajya Sabha. The Representatives of People Act has been amended through Finance Bill, says Anand Sharma. What will be the role of this House if everything is passed as Finance Bill? Sharad Yadav, Ghulam Nabi Azad also join the issue.
11:04 am: Union Minister Ananth Kumar requests Congress MPs to allow the House to function. Where were you when the proceedings were running till late night yesterday, he asks.
11:02 am: Question Hour begins. Lots of commotion in the House Badaruddoza Khan, Murshidabad MP, continues to ask his question related to Health Ministry. Oppositon MPs, predominantly from Congress, shout slogans against the government.
11:00 am Lok Sabha begins proceedings. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan arrives. Before proceeding to the Question Hour, she requests all members to attend the farewell function organised by the House for the outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee.
11:00 am Rajya Sabha begins its morning session. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien is in the Chair. Ministers are laying various papers on the Table.
