Karnataka political crisis echoed in Rajya Sabha forcing adjournments for the past two days. The Upper House continued its discussion on the general Budget till 9 p.m. Lok Sabha discusses demands for grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2019-20.
Here are the live updates:
Chair demands that rest of the speakers can lay their speeches on the table of the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi credits the Speaker, members and staff for holding such a long session. He says its a first for the House in 21st century.
After this the House is adjourned till 11 a.m. on July 12, 2019. The Minister will reply to the debate.
Pragya Singh Thakur (BJP, Bhopal, Madhya Pardesh) says there's no direct train from Bhopal to Mumbai despite Bhopal being a State capital, and demands one. She further demands there are law and order issues at Habibganj railway station in Bhopal be addressed.
Nisith Pramanik (BJP, Coochbehar, West Bengal) rises for his maiden speech. He says every corner of India knows how Railways progressed under Narendra Modi 1.0. And Ms. Sitharaman's budget will give a new direction to the Railways. He demands restoration of an older line between Coochbehar and Kolkata, which saved about eight hours of travel.
Shashi Tharoor (Congress, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala) demands a new train in the Thiruvananthapuram-Madurai-Velankanni pilgrimage route among other demands specific to his constituency.
Minister of State for Railways Suresh Chanabasappa Angadi is intervening in the discussion. Chair informs final reply will be tomorrow. Mr. Angadi says he comes from Karnataka, which “gave the world democracy”. Comments come from Opposition in the context of the current developments. A voice says, “Supreme Court has to intervene. Otherwise...”
Mr. Angadi struggles with names of every speaker he mentioned. Suresh Kodikkunnil, who is in the Chair, tells the Minister not to mention the names. Before Modi regime, railway budget was a political budget, he says. Allotting a separate budget just politicised railways and no development happened, he says. Ten years of UPA rail budgets didn't even complete 10% of the promises, he says. Under the NDA government, the Railways has spent double the amount in capital expenditure compared to the UPA rule.
No protest from Congress/Opposition benches.
As Mr. Angadi continues his praise of the Modi government, while discrediting the previous UPA government for lack of political will, the Chair seeks the sense of the House for extending the House's time by another two hours. The House accepts.
Mr. Angadi continued his tirade against the Congress, squarely blaming it for the bad shape of the railways and concludes his intervention.
It's been announced that arrangements for food have been made in the Central Hall for all members and staff. Suresh Kodikkunnil, who is in the Chair, quips if the food is vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
V.K. Sreedharan (Congress, Pallakkad, Kerala) says number of trains have been reduced after gauge conversion in the Palakkad-Pollachi section. He seeks restoration of the trains running pre-conversion. And he wants the promise of a new train to Mangaluru should also be fulfilled.
MPs stick to their lines. Opposition MPs raise the issue of missing announcements on rail projects regarding their region or seek new services and projects. BJP MPs praise the government and take the example of projects and rail schemes completed under the NDA regime in the five years.
Naranbhai J. Rathwa (Congress, Gujarat) while discussing the Union Budget 2019-20, points out the projects, including the high speed train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, which have been approved, but whose work has either not started or is dragging along.
He says that while the government is focussed on cosmetic changes in Railway like repainting stations, no improvement has been made to the life of the passengers. Trains are still running late, the amenities still leave much to be desired, says Mr. Rathwa.
K.J. Alphons (BJP, Rajasthan) says the budget is short on rhetoric and packed with dreams for the new india. He reels out stats to say that macroeconomic fundamentals of he country had never been better. Do not judge the govt on the last quarter, he says. “We have run a dramatic government in the last five years,” he adds seeking to counter former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who is currently not in House. “Mr. Chidambaram, where are you,” he asks. He belligerently tells Congress member Jairam ramesh that he need not have to look at the Economic Survey. Instead he would provide Mr. Ramesh with the page numbers. “I’m sorry Mr. Chidambaram misled the House on the macroeconomic fundamentals,” Mr. Alphons and justifies the borrowing record of the country. Chair tells Mr. Alphons, amid voices from the Opposition, to conclude. Mr. Alphons concludes with a request to the govt to give Rajasthan and Kerala a share of their tourism revenues. He also seeks alternative measures for Kerala rubber farmers and the State's fisherfolk.
Chair now calls for special mentions.
Ripun Bora (Congress, Assam), K. Bhavanand Singh (BJP, Manipur), Jairam Ramesh (Congress, Karnataka) and Binoy Viswam (CPI, Kerala) make the mentions.
The House is adjourned till 11 a.m. July 12, 2019.
Thol Thirumaa Valavan (VCK, Chidambaram, T.N.) , speaks in Tamil about the issues faced by sanitary workers and manual scavengers not just in Tamil Nadu and across States in the Railways sector.
P. Raveendranath Kumar (AIADMK, Theni , T.N.) thanks Mr. Modi for renaming Chennai Central station to Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, and goes on to praise and thank the Prime Minister and Railway Minister for the "excellent work" done by the government.
P. Raveendranath Kumar in Lok Sabha
He asks for the speedy completion of existing projects, and says that he supports the demand of grants from the Minister of Railways on behalf of his party. He did not mention late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's name once.
Lallu Singh (BJP, Faizabad, U.P.) requests for a direct train from Ayodhya to Chitrakoot, and a number of development projects for the cities. He requests multiple additions in the railway lines
Kumar Ketkar (Congress, Maharashtra), says while “it was fashionable to condemn Jawaharlal Nehru", the university named after him is immensely contributing to the Narendra Modi Ministry referring to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the alma mater of Ms. Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. For his part he sings paeans to the Nehru-Gandhis and their contribution to the country. “You can call them dynasty. I call them India.” And expresses regret over the lack of railway modernisation in the city of Mumbai and laments the absence of special discussion on the Mumbai rail commuters in the rail budget.
Supriya Sadanand Sule of NCP fears that like privatization of Air India, the ruling government might allow private enterprises to dominate Indian Railways under PPP model.
Gopal Narayan Singh (BJP, Bihar) says it's the first pro-rural budget which also includes the interests of the 80 crore people who, he claims, were ignored by the previous Congress-led governments.
Mohd. Ali Khan (Congress, A.P.) speaks in Urdu. He expresses regret over the reduction for fund for scholarships for minority students. Pointing out that there was lack of financial heal from the Centre for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Khan asks how would this govt bring sabka saath, sabkaa vikas is States like Telangana are left out. He lists out schemes promised for Telangana and says why no support has been extended as promised.
Kamahkya Prasad Tasa (BJP, Assam) says Assam had gates and gates and now with one tax across the country the Northeast is benefitting. The region is also will benefit with provisions for doubling of rail lines. He goes on to list every scheme by the government to praise the dispenastion.
Arjun Singh of BJP points out that a lot of projects declared by Trinamool supremo and former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is still pending in Bengal. He urges the Railway Ministry to complete the pending projects at the earliest.
Ripun Bora (Congress, Assam) is told by Kahkashan Perween that he has 12 minutes. Mr. Bora says he has 13 minutes and as a woman she would give him two more minutes. Mr. Bora says there is no scheme for the rural areas in the budget, particularly the health sector. Budget has reduced the funds for medical colleges and upgradation of medical colleges, he says.
Hanuman Beliwal of RLP points that the number of Railway accidents has decreased in the country under the current government.
He points out that under the UPA leadership 4.3 km's of railway line was constructed daily but under the NDA regime 6.53 km's of new railway line is being setup on a daily basis.
Shwait Malik (BJP, Punjab) says Ms. Sitharaman has given an aam aadmi budget. Launches into couplets to praise of Narendra Modi and against the long Congress rule. Receives applause from Treasury. The Chair has some pains to make Mr. Malik to conclude his Jai Modi speech.
Imitiaz Jaleel Syed of AIMIM points out that Railways must complete all pending projects before investing in a new one.
Sushil Kumar Gupta (AAP, NCR) says the budget is not looking at avenues for job creation. While giving the benefit of direct taxes, you have slapped indirect taxes on the people through fuel prices. He says that the NCR should be given its proper share of tax revenue as it is the face of India. “IIM budget has been drastically cut and IIT budget has not been increased. And there are 20,000 vacancies in central universities,” he says turning to the issue of education.
N.K. Premachandran of RSP says Railways is the lifeline of the nation. The current Railway budget is 20% higher than the last one but without using its own public resources, the Railways is getting too much dependent on PPP model.
He adds that Kerala is facing discrimination from the Southern Railways and demands that Chengannur which is the nearest railway station to Sabairamala should be declared a heritage station.
Abdul Wahab (IUML, Kerala) congratulates Nirmala Sitharaman's budget as it comes from a "Tamilian as Tamilians are known for accounts and auditing". He says there are no structural reforms belying expectations from the Modi government. Where is the money, he asks, for schemes like skill development. He expresses concern about the external borrowing and concludes abruptly as and when the Chair's bell rings.
Binoy Viswam (CPI, Kerala) says the budget doesn't have clarity and can be called a document of illusions. "Slogans after slogans are coming. Slogans coming and slogans forgotten,” he says. “You can call me professional pessimist if I tell you the truth.” He says the budget has done an injustice to the State of Kerala. “And if you call me a pessimist for stating the fact that this budget does not have anything to bring back the dying farmers to life, I am proud to be called a pessimist.” Mr. Viswam says while water should be the keyword, “your keyword is investment - private and foreign”. And suggests wealth tax to earn an extra Rs. 9 lakh crore and not to impose cess on fuel, he says. “Try to tax on the rich and not the poor,” he says in conclusion.
Vir Singh (BSP, U.P.) says the budget lacks clarity on schemes for different sections particularly farmers and the rural areas. The country will go forward only if the farmer progresses, he says. Moving on to education, he asks if the primary education is in shambles how can the government bring equality as promised by the Narendra Modi government and dares the government to bring equality in education.
K. Ram Mohan Naidu of TDP demands PPP implementation to modify smaller stations in his state. He feels, the modification of the smaller stations could increase livelihood of the people residing around these areas.
While the previous NDA government was a name-changing government, the current government is a big announcement government, says Prof. M.V. Rajeev Gowda (Congress, Karnataka) . He says he would conclude with a Bashveshvara saying “as the Finance Minister did”.
Quoting the vachana “ Kala Beda, Kola Beda, Husiya nudilyalu beda (Don't steal, don't kill)”, Prof. Gowda says, “Do not let indirect taxes squeeze the people, do not let our bad policies kill farmers, do not let the credibility of our data suffer”.
Prabhakar Reddy Vamireddy (YSRCP, Andhra Pradesh) in his maiden speech points out the lack of schemes for the Vijayawada region in particular and Andhra Pradesh in general. The Chair tells him to conclude and forces him to end his speech assuring he would be given time for his maiden speech.
Kanakamadela Ravindra Kumar (TDP, Andhra Pradesh) says the Centre has not paid adequately for the promised educational institutions in the State, Polavaram project and construction of capital Amaravati.
Bidyut Baran Mahato of BJP says that Jamshedpur is like 'Mini-India' due to the presence of Tata Steel Company but it requires better railway connection with neighbouring states.
Pratima Bhoumik of BJP says the people of Tripura have never seen Railways until 2017. It is because of Narendra Modi people of Tripura have been able to experience trains after 70 years of Independence.
Also, till date North East has been granted the highest amount ever in the budget, she adds.
In reply to P. Chidambaram's speech, Ashwini Vaishnaw, BJP, Odisha , says that the former Finance Minister thinks that the GDP will automatically double. If that had been the case, why did not the same happen till the 1990's, Mr. Vaishnaw asks. Generations missed opportunities that could have taken our economy higher, he says.
R.S. Bharathi, DMK , asks why the government is taxing the media, which is the fourth pillar of democracy, with the 10% hike on news print.
Mentioning the 5% duty on printed books, Mr. Bharathi says that despite 2019 being the 10th anniversary of the Right to Education Act, the government today is taxing education and stopping scholarship.
This budget fails to address water scarcity, he says. Referring to the Finance Minister as the daughter of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, he says that she must ensure the linking of the Krishna, Cauvery and Godavari rivers.
Quoting former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late M. Karunanidhi, Mr. Bharathi says that the Budget must tap the rich and pat the poor. Instead, the 2019 Budget pats the rich and taps the poor, Mr. Bharathi says.
In her maiden speech, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, BJP, Bolangir (Odisha) , says that the country is in a period of transition and experiencing a paradigm shift and the railway budget is in sync with the vision of New India.
She says that initiatives like – using Make in India to build the railways through Transfer of Technology, promotion of RRTS and metros, forming an alliance with France to build 'World Class' stations, installing CCTV cameras in in the stations, introducing Vande Bharat and allocating dedicated freight corridors will go a long way in improvement in railway infrastructure.
The 13% increase in the funds allocated to build railway lines in Odisha, which amounts to Rs. 7010 crore and the laying of new railway tracks at the rate of 25 km per year has been some of the highlights of the government's work in the constituency so far, she adds.
Ms. Deo also asks for setting up of workshops in her constituency along with laying down two new railway lines.
P.K. Kunhalikutty, IUML, Malappuram (Kerala)
Maintains that Kerala, even among the Southern States, is largely neglected. He says that "even if Kerala is not a part of your political map, it should not be so in the railway map." The issue of Kanjikode coach factory, which is in a limbo, must be addressed, he said.
Su Thirunavukkarasar, INC, Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu)
The PPP model, which was started with a small investment by the government, failed last year, he says. 'The 50 lakh crore that is planned to be invested with the deadline of completing the projects in10 years, means that the government would need to procure 5 lakh crore every year. Who will invest this money in these loss making institutions?' He asks, and says that the privatisation of the railways will not succeed.
Kapil Sibal, INC MP, questioned the Finance Ministry's move to restrict access to the North Block to journalists. The government claims transparency, yet have shut access to the Finance Minister, Mr. Sibal says.
The Finance Ministry, a day after the Budget, issued a notice which read, "Entry of media persons, including those holding a PIB accredited card will be on the basis of prior appointment."
On the Budget, Mr. Sibal says that no investment is taking place either in the private or public sector, despite the attention given to FDIs. The issue is not the idea of a $5 trillion dollar economy but the impact of that economy per capita, he says. In a country where people receive less then ₹100 per day, what use is such a promise, he says.
He says that the country has only 4% of the drinking water of the world, but has 18% of the population. Agriculture alone consumes 68% of this water, he says. Moreover, most of the country's agricultural produce is exported. Hence, India's water ends up in everywhere but India, he says.
The Budget has not addressed structural changes with regard to these terms, he says. Quoting Kabir, the poet, he says that the people need the fruits sown by the government now. Don't give people dreams, give them a reality, he says. He says that the Budget document was a trailer to a movie that the country has not yet seen.
Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt, BJP, Vadodara (Gujarat)
Says that the government's' initiative of private train and green initiative is a welcome move. The Vadodara Smart City project will look to implement the Multi-model transport hub soon. The 25 crore Railway University developed in the constituency has benefited the youth and enhanced the educational capabilities of the constituency.
Ms. Bhatt says that the existing National Academy of Indian Railway has been a pioneer of education of the railways, and the National Rail and Transportation Institute (NRTI) will continue the legacy.
She invited the members of the opposition to Aadarsh Bus Station which was constructed using the PPP model and claims that it is no less than 'a national airport'.
She requested the ministry to introduce a train from Vadodara to Haridwar and Vadodara to Amritsar for the benefit of the devotees and the Sikh population in the State.
Gopal Chinayya Shetty, BJP, Mumbai-North (Maharashtra)
The PPP model is the only solution to the issues that the railways face, he says. The money that will be saved by government over the model will be reinvested in developing other infrastructure, Mr. Shetty adds.
He claims that the 'door-closer' trains have played a big role in reducing the number of people who are killed in rail accidents and requests the ladies special trains to also have coaches with doors. He says that the railway officials have been lax in implementing MUTP 3A which has finally been cleared. However, he says that the government has been careful and considerate towards those who were displaced.
Manoj Kumar Jha, RJD MP from Bihar, says that the government lives in an optical illusion and has the tendency to remain living in that illusion.
Naresh Gujral, SAD , says that the Finance Minister has been able keep a balance between fiscal deficit and growth. For the first time, this government has focused on the farmers, especially with regard to Minimum Support Prices, Mr. Gujral says.
The government must keep in mind that Foreign Direct Investment does not like "flip-flop" policies, he says. Consistency is necessary and the only way to attract FDI is through long-term policies, he says.
CPI (M) MP Elamaram Kareem says the Budget has discriminated against the State of Kerala, especially with regard to assistance for rebuilding the State after the 2018 floods. Neither did the Centre permit the Stat e to access help from outside the country, nor did they help themselves.
Noting that the Budget had not addressed the working people, farmers, and the poor, he says that reforms for the government can be be equated to taking wealth from the poor and giving to the corporates. It was completely silent on the agrarian distress, the industrial crisis and unemployment. The government is exaggerating figures to make it seem like India is growing stronger, he says.
Quoting NSSO data, Mr. Kareem says that the government was reluctant to publish the data because it revealed the truth about the economy. Unemployment stood at a low of 6.1%, he says, adding that it stood at a dismal 5.3% in rural areas and 7.8% in urban areas. This is the highest it has been in the last 45 years, he says.
Chandra Sekhar Sahu, BJD, Berhampur (Odisha) , says that the railway ministry needs to collaborate with the State government for new projects that will connect mineral-rich and tribal areas with the main cities. He also requested new trains, extension and increase in the frequency of existing trains, redevelopment of the railway stations and MRTS in Bhubaneswar.
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, DMK, Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu), questions the investment in railways. "The railways has always been run successfully by the government," she says.
She quotes a railway committee report that claims accounting in railways is neither scientific nor accurate, and the asks if the privates will invest in such a case.
She questions the incentive for the private players and asks for the source of compensation of the losses so far. She further questions the PPP model, and says that there is no track record of it working.
Questions the rationale behind naming the schemes, names and signboards in Hindi and says that it does not help the common folk.
She claims that the Southern Railways is neglected by highlighting a gap of Rs.1290 crore in allocated and received funds. She says any attempts of corporatizing the ICF and the railways will be resisted by the people of Tamil Nadu and the DMK.
She requests the completion of the line along the Eastern coast announced in 2011 and 12 other projects which lay abandoned, renaming of the Erode railway station to Thanthai Periyar railway station, solution to students of apprenticeship courses being unemployed and an increase of accessibility in railway stations where the differently abled suffer.
She says that modernisation of the railways does not matter if the employment of manual scavengers continue. There are about 95,000 people engaged in the work through contractual employment without any safety gear, she adds.
Prasanna Acharaya, BJD, questions the curtailing the MGNREGA funds, when there is a drought-like situation in different States. The government should be allocating more to the scheme in such a situation, he says.
Mr. Acharaya says that the biggest problem in the country is unemployment. It is the highest in the last 45 years and yet it has not been addressed adequately, he says.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, TMC, says that the budget does not raise the hopes of the unemployed youth of the country nor the pensioners.
Mr Roy says that the Finance Minister had halwa at the printing of the Budget at the Finance Ministry. Some of that halwa should have been given to the common people through the Budget.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress says that total tax revenues were lower than the revised estimates.
Sunil Kumar Singh of the BJP says that his party fulfills promises, unlike the Opposition. He says the government plans in advance, and in detail.
He says that the capital expenditure towards transport infrastructure under the BJP government has increased by 200%. He adds that initiatives like QR codes for railway kitchen and training of railway staff will spur the railways to become profit-making.
He quotes several 'historic achievements' of the government like converting a diesel locomotive to electric locomotive for the first time in the country and introducing the Broad-gauge rail line.
He says that the government has revived the Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli which produced 1425 coaches last year and targets 2118 this year.
He also says that 116 'aspiring' Zilas are to be connected through railway. He claims that Jharkhand, which was neglected before, is revived by the BJP govt. through a 357% increase in investment into the State's rail services.
Barwadih-chirmiri line which has been abandoned for 81 years under the UPA government will be revived by the govt., he adds.
Ravi Prakash Verma of the SP says that the caste system locks people into jobs. He cites the Prime Minister washing the feet of manual scavengers.
R. Vaithilingam of the AIADMK says the government needs to waive farm loans. He wants the government to set up the Poompuhar port.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says that the government does not care about farmers. He lists the government’s promises which it has not fulfilled, from the previous Union Budget.
He says that the government is not concentrating on railways either. He says the growth of the railways' revenue from its core business of running freight and passenger trains is declining.
Continuing his speech on the Budget, P. Chidambaram, INC, says despite having inherited a strong mandate, the government has not taken bold enough steps to address various issues in the Budget.
While loans worth ₹5 ,55,603 crore have been written off for corporates, the same has not been done for farmers, micro industries, small industries, says Mr. Chidambaram.
On the question of the $5 trillion dollar economy by 2020-25, Mr. Chidambaram says that the rate of the economy will continue to double every five or six years as long as the growth rate is 11% or 12%. It is the magic of compouding, he says, and any money lender will be able to explain the same. Instead, bold structural reforms is needed because the economy is weak, he says.
MP Veerendra Kumar says the 10% custom duty slapped on news print must be rolled back. The highest ever custom duty slapped on newspapers, it comes at a time when the print media is already reeling under factors like the lack of funds, he says.
Rahul Gandhi, INC, Wayanad (Kerala) takes up the issue of farmers suicide, and says that bank notices issued to farmers for non payment of loans has worsened the situation. He says that the central government has refused to pass the moratorium formulated by the Kerala govt. to the RBI. He also claims that there are no concrete steps taken in the Budget to relieve the farmers of their debts and the commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have gone unfulfilled.
Rajnath Singh replies by saying that the pressure on the farmers is not recent and is a product of the failures of the governments that came before the BJP government. He points to the increase of the Minimum Support Price for farmers and the announcement and implementation of the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana whereby the farmers have received Rs. 6000. He says that an internal report has indicated that this has led to a 20-25% increase in the income of the farmers. He says that the government is committed to removing the plight of the farmers and more will be done.
P. Chidambaram, INC, says he condemns the political crisis taking place in Karnataka and Goa because of the damaging effect it has on the democracy.
Addressing the Parliament in Tamil, Mr. Chidambaram quotes the Tamil poet Bharathiyar and congratulates the Finance Minister for becoming the first women to chair that position.
Commenting on the Budget, he says the calculation of the GDP for the year that went by is different in the Economic Survey and the Budget document. Moreover, according to the budget document, growth projection is set at 8%, while the Economic Survey says 7%. There is no unified picture of the growth rate from the government, he says.
Mr. Chidambaram says that the Budget document mentions structural reforms. But for structural reforms, disruption is required, he says, pointing out that there is no mention of what these structural reforms are in the Budget.
Answering questions on the sale of Air India and decline of domestic civil aviation market, Hardeep Singh, MoS (Ind.), Civil Aviation , says that it is only a 'narrative' that the domestic civil aviation market is declining. He says that it has seen a steady annual growth of 17%. Contrary to the 'speculation', the number of flights haven't gone down either, he adds. Mr. Singh says that the other carriers have picked up business even after the closing down of Jet Airways. He acknowledges that most of the air companies are facing difficulties due to variables like Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), 28-30% VAT levied on the companies, crude oil and currency fluctuations.
He says that Air India's 'unsustainable debt burden' was its downfall for which the government is not at fault. It is for the benefit of the Indian citizens that the government has decided to privatise it. The government will do its best to ensure that the company is purchased by an Indian entity so that the citizens' best interests are protected.
As the discussion on the Budget continues, D. Raja, CPI , says that the government is dismantling the economy by the dismantling of PSUs that are fundamental to the economy. He says that the government talks about the alleviation of poverty, but the allocation of funds for schemes like the MNREGA and the welfare of women, children, SC/ST students says otherwise.
Anil Jain, BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, in his maiden speech, says the Prime Minister has made sure that some plan for the poor was introduced every 15 days, unlike the previous government where every 15 days saw the development of a new scam.
He is interrupted as MPs say that he has taken the name of a party in Parliament.
The Chair intervenes and asks Mr. Jain to continue.
Hibi Eden, INC, Ernakulam (Kerala) , asks about sources of water and desalination plants to rectify the water problems in specific districts.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister, Jal Shakti , responds by saying that out of the 6881 blocks where groundwater is assessed, about 1160 face scarcity, about 1300 are categorised as semi-critical and critical. He agrees that desalination plants might be the way forward but points to the barrier of electricity costs. He says that the ministry is looking for alternative sources of power such as captive power generation in Gujarat which might help eliminate the problem.
Rajya Sabha decides to take up discussion on Budget. Anand Sharma seeks intervention. He accuses the BJP of "buying MLAs" in States where they are not in power. "This is an assault on democracy," he says.
Prakash Javadekar strongly objects to it. "Your party doesn't have a chief. How can you blame the BJP," he asks.
The Chair intervenes. He notes how the House was functioning smoothly, but for the past couple of days the House had to be adjourned. "In politics, developments take place. We have to think of development of the country. I can only order a member to go back to his seat. I can't ask anyone to go back to his party," Mr. Naidu says.
Anil Desai continues to speak on Budget.
A YSRCP member asks about six-laning of Vijayawada bypass. The Speaker points out he had sought permission to ask about roads in Chhattisgarh. The member points out the road is useful for Chhattiagarh also. If the Minister can answer, let him answer, the Speaker says amid chuckles in the House.
Road Minister Nitin Gadkari asks the member to meet him in person to discuss the issue.
Both Houses assemble. Speaker Om Birla is in the Chair in Lok Sabha, where Question Hour is taken up.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu is chairing the proceedings in Rajya Sabha. Papers are being laid on the table.
Non-NDA, non-UPA members stage a demonstration at parliament premises condemning the political developments in Karnataka and Goa.
The Congress members and non-Congress opposition members separately held protests condemning the BJP government, in what they call the ruling party's undemocratic means to usurp power.
Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over the political situation in Goa. Ten MLAs from Congress joined the BJP on Wednesday, reducing the opposition party's strength to five in the Goa Assembly.
