Parliament Live: Flood Situation Discussed in Rajya Sabha
Catch all the live updates from the second day of the monsoon session in the Parliament.
- Congress walked out of Lok Sabha over Rajnath Singh’s statements over Arunachal Pradesh.
- Question against condition of Kalam Memorial causes uproar in Rajaya Sabha.
- Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar: The foundation of Kalam Memorial will be laid on 27 July.
- Baijayant Jay Panda requested the Forest Ministry to inform all forest officials about rules of action against wild animals.
- Kiren Rijiju MoS (Home) delivered a report on the loss and Centre’s position on the rain-related problems in the country.
Congress Member Alleges Neglect Towards Hilly Regions
Congress MP Viplove Thakur alleged that the government is neglecting the hilly regions facing rain-related problems, especially cloudburst.
Thakur also alleged that the hilly region has been neglected after repeated efforts to draw government’s attention.
While Thakur said that erosion is one of the key issues in the region, CPI member D Raja added that lack of water management is responsible for urban flooding.
Kiren Rijiju on Floods
Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stated in the Rajya Sabha that due to rain-related incidents, 196 people and 2184 cattle have lost their lives, over 38,218 huts have been washed away.
As a part of the central government’s preparation, he stated that the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) is situated in 32 location in the country based on their vulnerability. The government also held a meeting with the responsible authorities on 18 May to review the preparedness of the states.
The NDRF is also carrying out mock drills in various districts with the help of state governments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reviewed the preparations through Pragati, Rijiju added.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2:30pm.
BJP MP Condemns Killing of CRPF Commandos by Naxalites
BJP MP Sushil Kumar Singh brought the incident of Naxal attack on the CRPF unit in Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Monday night.
Ten CRPF commandos and three Naxalites were killed in the encounter following the IED blast.
Although it is a state matter, Singh asked for the Centre’s intervention in the incident.
Missing Fishermen
P Karunakaran, CPI(M) member from Kasaragod constituency of Kerala raised the matter of 21 missing fishermen in the Lok Sabha.
The rumors that the youth of the country is joining terror group ISIS were squashed by Congress MP Venugopal who also sought an NIA investigation in the rumors saying “ISIS is the real enemy of the state”.
Rajay Sabha adjourned till 2pm.
The members of the Congress party walked out of the Lok Sabha over statements made by Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the imposition of President’s rule in two states which are Congress strongholds.
Rajnath Singh Responds to Congress’ Allegations
Speaker of the Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan asks Home Minister Rajnath Singh to respond to questions raised by Congress members.
In response, Rajnath Singh said that the problems caused in the two states where President’s rule was imposed was due to failures of the Congress government.
He stated that the BJP has nothing to do with the sinking boat in which Congress is sailing. He added that it is the lack of unity in the Congress that led to the imposition of President’s rule in the two states.
The Congress members raised the issue of Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha even as newly appointed Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar introduced the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Lok Sabha Disrupted Over Arunachal Pradesh Issue
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raises questions about the central rule that was imposed in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The state, a Congress stronghold, was placed under the BJP-led centre’s rule for months.
The Supreme Court recently reinstated the Congress government of the state. However, the Congress party raised slogans in the House saying the Centre had refused to respect the Constitution by trying to dismantle the elected government of Arunachal Pradesh.
Kalam Memorial
Derek O’Brien raises question about the despicable condition of the resting ground of late former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam in Rameshwaram, close to Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
The subject caused an uproar in the Rajya Sabha as the state and the central government ministers responsible for the maintenance of the burial ground denied O’Brien’s claims.
AIADMK member Vijila Sathyananth denied the claims made by O’Brien even as he continued to request construction of a memorial for APJ Abdul Kalam.
To this, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the Tamil Nadu government is cooperating with the Centre. However, the memorial’s construction has been delayed due to land ownership issue.
He also said that the foundation for the memorial will be laid on 27 July as the government will not wait for the additional land which is currently disputed.
Animal Culling
Baijayant Jay Panda raised the issue of animal culling in the rural areas and requested the newly appointed MoS Environment Anil Madhav Dave to send advisory to the forest officials across the country informing the about the rules of culling wild animals that attack farms and farmers.
To this, Environment MoS Dave reiterated the notice regarding the culling of wild bores, neel gai, and monkeys.
While the first day of the monsoon session in the Parliament witnessed to and fro over the issue of violence and loss of life in Kashmir, the second day may witness a discussion on floods, as the matter is scheduled as a “matter of urgent public importance”.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a parliamentary meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
What to Expect?
The new bills scheduled for introduction in both Houses are:
Lok Sabha:
- Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – Rajnath Singh
- High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 –Ravi Shanker Prasad
- Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – Jagat Prakash Nadda
Newly appointed union minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar will also be introducing the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the lower House.
Rajya Sabha:
- Bandaru Dattatreya will be bringing up the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 for discussion in the upper House.
Whether the discussion on the turmoil in Kashmir will continue or not remains to be seen.
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