Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh on Thursday ordered a probe into the reported live streaming of proceedings of the House on social media by some Opposition members.
The issue was raised by the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh as soon the House proceedings started for the third day of the Budget session.
Seeking the Speaker’s permission, Capt Amarinder called for implementing the rules regarding prohibition of audio-video recording of the House proceedings, while expressing grave concern over the violation of the Assembly rules.
He said that Opposition members going live on Facebook from the House was a serious matter. He requested the Speaker to direct all members to strictly follow the rules and maintain the dignity of the august House.
Without naming any member, Capt Amarinder informed the House that it had come to the Government’s notice that an Opposition member had put the proceedings of Assembly in public domain by live-streaming them on Wednesday.
The Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, intervened, and demanded an inquiry into the reported incident — to which the Speaker agreed. He assured Channi to probe the sharing of the audio recording by the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLA Simarjit Bains.
Channi, along with the Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, maintained that despite rules disallowing audio-video recording, the audio recording was shared by Simarjeet on his official Facebook page.
While directing all the members to strictly adhere to the Assembly Conduct Rules, the Speaker cited Rule 90 which states that all members should switch off their mobiles or other communication devices before entering the House.
GOVT’S COMMITTED TO FREEDOM FIGHTERS’ WELFARE: CM
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder reiterated his Government’s commitment to the welfare of the freedom fighters in the State while listing various initiatives in that regard.
Responding to a question by Budhlada MLA Budh Ram regarding bus travel facility for freedom fighters, Capt Amarinder informed the House that the State Government was already providing free bus travel facility to the freedom fighters in Punjab Government buses.
“Facility of free bus travel in AC and Non-AC buses run by the State Government is being provided to the freedom fighters and also to widows of deceased freedom fighters. After the death of his widow, a deceased freedom fighter’s unmarried unemployed daughter was eligible to get this facility,” he said, adding that even attendants of freedom fighters were allowed free travel facility in State Government buses while accompanying them.
He said that the Congress Government was also giving one out-of-turn tubewell connection each to the freedom fighters, besides exempting them from payment of toll taxes on the State Highways. The State Government had also decided to provide 300 units of free electricity to freedom fighters, he added.
VCs PANEL ON INTRODUCING VOCATIONAL SUBJECTS
The State Education Minister Aruna Chaurdhary, in reply to a question raised by MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur during the question hour, informed the House that the Education Department has constituted a committee of three Vice Chancellors, which will submit a report within two months, on introducing a vocational subject along with two routine subjects in the normal graduation courses.
SAD-BJP WALKOUT ON DALIT ISSUE
Refused to raise the issue favouring the dalit community, the SAD-BJP MLAs staged a walk out after protesting in the well of the House for few minutes.
SAD-BJP MLAs raised slogans and protested in the well of the House after the Speaker rejected their adjournment motion to demand loan waiver of dalits as well as the poor and disadvantaged.
Even as SAD MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu sought the Speaker’s permission to speak on the issue, he was disallowed.
Later, Tinu said: “We demand that Rs125 crore worth loans taken by dalits from the SC Land Development and Finance Corporation be waived off. We also demand that cooperative loans taken by dalits be waived off immediately besides re-start of all welfare schemes with increased benefits as promised.”
Later in the day, the Cabinet had waived of Rs52 crore loans of the SC-BC corporations.
SANDHU COMPLAINTS ABOUT BABUS’ NON-COOPERATION
AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu complained against the non-cooperating attitude of the State bureaucracy. Heading the House Committee on Public Accounts, Sandhu said that they fail to get proper response from the babus saying that the State Excise and Taxation Department has failed to respond since 2010 with 184 paras pending to be replied.
He insisted that the House Committees should be taken seriously and be made itsproceedings open to the press.