The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will both discuss the motion of thanks to the President’s address at the joint session of the Parliament.
The Rajya Sabha will begin its day with an obituary reference to sitting Member Madanlal Saini. On Monday, the Houses began discussion on the motion of thanks, and the Aadhaar Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Here are the updates:
On setting up an Agricultural University in Meghalaya
A Meghalaya Member Vincent H. Pala asks why there is a delay in the setting up an Agricultural University in his State. The plan has been in place in 2009.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar says that Imphal University already covers this, but the Meghalaya Chief Minister has given a letter to the Centre on this issue, and that the government is looking into it. Mr. Tomar says that there is a plan to open Central Universities in 15 climate zones, and that Imphal is one of them. Three of these Universities are already open.
A Member asks about Minimum Support Price to farmers.
On water scarcity in Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri MP Rajkumar Chahar asks the next question on a potato processing plant in his constituency. The Minister of State for Agriculture and Family Welfare Parshottam Rupala says that the question pertains to the food processing Ministry. The Minister also answers the Member’s other question on what the government is doing to battle water scarcity in Fatehpur Sikri. Mr. Rupala lists the schemes in the Agra zilla. The Member goes on to ask what the government is doing to promote drip irrigation in the area.
NCP Member Supriya Sule asks what the Centre is doing to abate the agrarian crisis in Maharashtra. Mr. Rupala says that Maharashtra is the only State that has managed to effectively harvest rainwater.
On the crop insurance sheme
Mohanbhai Kunadariya, the BJP MP from Rajkot, says that crop insurance companies do not have grassroots workers, and that premiums are hurting farmers. He asks if the States have been made aware of the Centre’s PM Fasal Bima Yojana, and asks if there is any alternate for this. Mr. Rupala says that information went to all State Secretariats yesterday. The memo read that the scheme should be made voluntary.
Another Member says that the insurance is based on average yield, but average yield has been decreasing. He says the highest yield of the last five years should be taken into account. The Minister says that data from seven years back is taken into account, and the five best years are used for arriving at average yield.
House convenes. Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu is in the Chair.
Mr. Naidu reads out an obituary reference to Madanlal Saini. The House observes two minutes of silence and is adjourned till 2 p.m.
House convenes. Speaker Om Birla is in the Chair.
Members who did not take their oaths come forward to do so now. The first is Nusrat Jahan Ruhi from the Trinamool Congress. She is followed by Mimi Chakraborty. They are both first-time Members.
Question Hour begins.
On subsidies to fishermen
Kaushalendra Kumar of the JD(U) asks a question on the promotion of fisheries. He asks if workers will also be given skill development training. Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh answers that the government will work on this.
Mr. Kumar, a Member from Nalanda, asks if there are any subsidies in place for fishermen. He also wants to know if there are plans to establishing hatcheries. Mr. Singh responds that hatcheries have been set up in Bihar, the State the Member is from.
Answering another question, Mr. Singh says that the government is working on a Blue Revolution.
A Member from Kerala says 18-20% of the people are depending on fisheries for their livelihood. He asks is there is going to be a new fisheries policy. Mr. Singh says that the government has given facilities for fisheries already.
Locket Chatterjee asks if the government has any plans for inland fisheries. The Minister says that the government has already begun working with State governments on this.
Kerala Congress MPs protest
Kerala Congress MPs staged a demonstration at Parliament House on Tuesday, demanding farm loan waivers.
Aadhaar Bill introduced amid protests
The second week of the 17th Lok Sabha saw hectic business on Monday as several key Bills were introduced, as many as 10 questions were asked during Question Hour and the debate on the President’s Address got under way.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha on Monday amid protests from Opposition members.
Centre sticks to its guns on special status to AP
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ruled out the possibility of granting the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) and some other States.
Ms. Sithraman clarified in the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Central government was receiving requests for grant of the SCS from Odisha, Rajasthan, Bihar, Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and A.P. but there was no such proposal under its consideration.