Rajya Sabha —— Revised List of Business

RAJYA SABHA —— REVISED LIST OF BUSINESS

Friday, August 6, 2010

11 A.M. ——— QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS entered in separate lists to be asked and answers given. ————

PAPERS TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE

I. Following Ministers to lay papers on the Table entered in the separate list: — 1. SHRI SRIKANT JENA for Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers; 2. SHRIMATI D. PURANDESWARI for Ministry of Human Resource Development; and 3. PROF. K.V. THOMAS for Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

II. SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA to lay on the Table, under clause (1) of article 151 of the Constitution, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Reports:— (i) Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March, 2009: Report No.11 of 2010-11: Union Government (Indirect Taxes Central Excise) (Performance Audit) - Performance Audit on Excise Duty on Pharmaceutical Products. (ii) Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March, 2009: Report No.12 of 2010-11: Union Government (Defence Services) Army and Ordnance Factories; and (iii) Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March, 2009: Report No.15 of 2009-10: Union Government (Indirect Taxes - Customs) (Performance Audit) - Performance Audit on natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal and articles thereof, imitation jewellery, coin (Chapter 71 of Customs Tariff Heading). ————

MOTION FOR ELECTION TO THE COURT OF THE ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

SHRI KAPIL SIBAL to move the following Motion:—

“That in pursuance of item (xxiv) of clause (1) read with clause (2) of Statute 14 of the Statutes of the Aligarh Muslim University appended to the Aligarh Muslim University (Amendment) Act, 1981, in terms of Section 28 thereof, this House do proceed to elect, in such manner as the Chairman may direct, one Member from amongst the Members of the House to be a member of the Court of the Aligarh Muslim University in the vacancy caused due to the retirement of Shrimati Mohsina Kidwai from the membership of Rajya Sabha on the 29th June, 2010." ————

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

1. SHRI SHARAD PAWAR to make a statement regarding status of implementation of recommendations contained in the First Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture on Demands for Grants (2009-10) of the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation.

2. SHRI SRIKANT JENA to make a statement regarding status of implementation of recommendations contained in the Second Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers (2009-10) of the Department of Fertilizers. ______

CLARIFICATIONS ON THE STATEMENT BY MINISTER

MEMBERS to seek clarifications on the Statement made by Shri P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home Affairs on the 4th August, 2010 on the 'Situation in Jammu and Kashmir'. ______

LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS Bill for introduction

The Central 1. SHRI KAPIL SIBAL to move for leave to introduce a Bill to amend the Educational Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006. Institutions (Reservation in ALSO to introduce the Bill. Admission) Amendment Bill, 2010. Bill for consideration and passing

The Trade 2. SHRI ANAND SHARMA to move that the Bill further to amend the Marks Trade Marks Act, 1999, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration. (Amendment) Bill, 2009. ALSO to move that the Bill be passed. ————

84 (FROM 2.30 P.M. TO 5.00 P.M.) PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS (RESOLUTIONS)

1. FURTHER DISCUSSION on the following Resolution moved by SHRI N.K. SINGH on the 12th March, 2010:— “That this House resolves to constitute an Environment Adaptation and Mitigation Fund by innovative fiscal policies to finance the cost of technology, promote research and development of renewable energy and lower the burden to meet the inevitable costs of adaptation arising from Global Warming and Climate Change.”

2. SHRI M.P. ACHUTHAN to move the following Resolution: — "Having regard to the fact that the social, economic and geographical conditions are different in different states and various centrally sponsored developmental schemes under different Ministries cannot be implemented as per uniform guidelines and norms in all the States, this House urges upon the Government to have a flexible approach and allow the State Government(s) to formulate their own schemes and fix norms and conditions so as to suit the interests of different States for implementing the centrally sponsored and funded schemes within a general guidelines and approach."

3. SHRI VIJAY JAWAHARLAL DARDA to move the following Resolution:— "Having regard to the fact that - (i) India's water crisis has worsened in the wake of the projected demand of water to double by 2030, as revealed by a study conducted by an International Water Resource Group; (ii) the estimated rise in demand is from present 700 billion cubic meters to 1498 billion cubic meters by 2030; (iii) the biggest deficits are likely to be in the most populous river basins - the Ganga, Krishna and Indus which is a serious threat to our capabilities to sustain economic growth; (iv) under-ground water in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan is depleting at the rate of one foot per year; (v) water insecurity is happening due to poor hydrological management and absence of water harvesting culture and conservation techniques; (vi) agriculture being chief consumer of water the shortages may further strain the existing irrigation network; (vii) chronic shortage of power to activate water pumps has been further lowering water availability for irrigation; (viii) reckless cutting of forests is causing floods and contributing to non-absorption of rain water in the soil; (ix) growing increase in setting up of mega and small power generation plants leave abysmally low quantity of water available for irrigation purpose and potability of our teeming population, cattle, livestock, etc; (x) contamination through unchecked release of industrial waste in the rivers like Ganga, Yamuna, etc., makes river water unfit for any use;

85 (xi) erratic monsoon condition is jeopardizing the rain-fed crop cultivation and obsolete system of irrigation leading to high incidence of wastage of water; (xii) devastating floods destroy crops, livestock, huts of poor rural population and further contribute to need for 'already-short- availability' of water resources; (xiii) inadequate availability of water is causing low yield of crops and leading to farmers' suicides, gravest incident being in Vidarba region of Maharashtra; (xiv) large scale pollution of water is causing water-borne diseases, thus becoming major health hazards; (xv) insufficient availability of rain water for irrigation purposes is forcing excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, thereby increasing cost of crop-growing inputs; and (xvi) global warming also has its colossal adverse effects on water availability; this House urges upon the Government to - (a) evolve modalities for better understanding of nexus between climate change and water crisis; (b) create new effective strategies to combat climate changes and conservation; (c) preserve and maintain existing water bodies through better water management; (d) take active help from international bodies like UNESCO for setting up Water Technology and Management Centers in tune with the Delhi Technical University; (e) focus on low-cost water technologies for water treatment and waste water recycling; (f) launch special campaigns to increase awareness, at all levels, to conserve water and to control polluting water resources; (g) motivate upcoming technical education centres to conduct research and innovate technology for water conservation and management; (h) organize seminars, rural camps, interactive sessions, etc. at all levels, to focus on local needs while retaining a global perspective; (i) bring together academia, industry, R&D organizations and government agencies for adopting a concerted approach through mutual sharing of experiences and studies conducted respectively, towards water conservation, rain harvesting, restrictive but judicious setting up of power plants and their operational needs of water; (j) launch target campaigns, through electronic and print media, in regional languages urging large-scale adoption of techniques of water conversation, rain-water harvesting, etc.; (k) create a much larger reservoir capacity for the river stretches along the metro cities and putting in place waste water technologies to prevent untreated waste water going directly into our rivers; (l) provide farmers with seed, money and insurance of crops and also change in existing cropping patterns, rotation of crops,

86 etc., as per universally accepted standards and assure the farmers of due compensation in case of loss in their usual income; (m) adopt basic water conservation measures in agriculture e.g. drip irrigation and no-till farming (without using ploughs) technique, etc.; and (n) study the concept of 'weather mastering' as shown by China during 2008 Olympic Games by keeping off the rains from Beijing and harnessing the latest technological developments to insulate our farmers from the vagaries of droughts or torrential rains and consequential losses."

4. SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR to move the following Resolution:— "Having regard to the fact that:— (i) the State of Andhra Pradesh was formed in the year 1956 after amalgamating Telugu speaking areas and due to wrong policies, some areas remained neglected in the fields of education, employment, irrigation, development, etc., and this neglect and backwardness have led to an acute feeling of alienation among the people of the Telegana region, who have been demanding a separate state since 1969; (ii) Telangana consists of ten districts of Andhra Pradesh, namely, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Mahboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Khammam, Warangal, Karimnagar, Adilabad and Nizamabad out of which nine districts have been recognized by the Government of India as backward despite the fact that this region houses many natural resources, the benefits of which have failed to reach its people; (iii) Vidarbha was part of CP & Berar i.e., Central Province and became part of Maharashtra in 1960; (iv) Nagpur Pact and Akola Pact are two important promises given to Vidarbha but have largely remained unfulfilled; (v) the backwardness continued to grow even after programme of backlog removal was adopted in the wake of Report of eminent economist, Prof. V.M. Dandekar; (vi) the backwardness of Vidarbha is visible if compared with other regions of the state in respect of irrigation, technical education, per capita income, outward migration, industry, employment generation, agriculture, animal husbandry and all indicators of development prove the backwardness of Vidarbha; (vii) studies have proved that Vidarbha will be a viable state and there is continued agitation for separate state of Vidarbha. (viii) the proposed Gorkhaland area in West Bangal, i.e., Darjeeling District and adjoining Dooars area which are under Jalpaiguri District were parts of two kingdoms of Sikkim and Bhutan before the advent of the British; (ix) the Government of India Act, 1919 constituted a Legislative Council for Bengal but Darjeeling had no representation, as it was declared an Excluded Area and kept outside the purview of the Legislature of the Bengal Presidency; (x) Post Independence, Darjeeling and the Dooars became part of West Bengal;

87 (xi) the State Re-organization Commission in 1956 recommended creation of 14 states on linguistic lines; (xii) the census of 1951 for Darjeeling District projected the Nepali- speaking population as a miniscule minority by showing Nepali-speaking population only 17 per cent which was actually 66 per cent and thereby denied them separate state on linguistic lines; (xiii) the Indian Gorkhas having a distinct socio-cultural entity and concentrated in contiguous districts of North Bengal are fighting for the formation of a separate state within the Indian Union in order to preserve, protect and promote their distinct identity; (xiv) the Gorkhas, Bhutias and the Lepchas have a social, cultural and linguistic affinity with the tribals of the Dooras region, i.e., Santhals, Uraons, Mundas, Totas, Rabhas, Mechey and Raj Bangshis and Nepali is their lingua franca and is spoken throughout the region of Dooars; (xv) the demand, when fulfilled, will ensure the protection of the Gorkhas' distinct socio-cultural identity and will bring them into the mainstream and inculcate a sense of belonging; (xvi) the Ladakh region with the area of 86,904 square kilometers has only one representative in Parliament and two in State Assembly, due to this people's political voice is lost and there is poor recognition of their needs and requirement; (xvii) there is an urgent requirement to identify the aspiration and needs of Ladakhi people to integrate them with the Nation; (xviii) the Ladakh district has long border with China manned by the Indian Military and Para-military forces, which requires a day to day monitoring and supervision by the Union government; (xix) in the district of Ladakh, the major development issues have remained unfulfilled due to the distinct geographical location and the existing terrain in the Himalayas; (xx) in order to establish bilateral trade and prevent illegitimate trading, it is essential to have this region directly administered by the Central Government; (xxi) the experience of creation of smaller states and Union Territories has proved that it makes the administration smoother and efficient coupled with higher possibilities of development of the areas that have remained neglected giving the people more access to the Government and reducing disparity levels between the developed and non-developed areas; (xxii) such separated states have proved that both the states can live peacefully and prosper rapidly; and (xxiii) there is merit in the demand for separate states of Telengana, Vidarbha and Gorkhaland as well as centrally by administered Union Territory of Ladakh as it serves the cause of economic viability as well as administrative convenience; this House, therefore, urges upon the Government to create separate States of Telengana, Vidarbha and Gorkhaland with a separate Legislature, Executive and Judiciary in accordance with the Constitution of India and a separate centrally administered Union Territory of Ladakh."

5. SHRI MOHAN SINGH to move the following Resolution:— "This House expresses its concern over increasing impact of money and muscle power during elections to the Parliament and State Legislatures and urges upon the Government to initiate such procedural reforms as may make electoral process economical and implemented with ease."

6. DR. T. SUBBARAMI REDDY to move the following Resolution:— "This House expresses its serious concern over the unprecedented honour crime (honour killings) in the country for the last several years that has taken a serious turn as every day, number of cases of heinous honour killings in different places has created discontentment among the younger generation which is likely to have a serious consequence and thus urges upon the Government to take following measures to restore the confidence among the younger generation:— (1) amend the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to make it a general law to regulate marriages and divorces and provide greater legal protection to couples going for the inter-caste and inter-religion marriages; (2) implement the recommendations of the Law Commission which has suggested drastic changes in the Special Marriages Act, 1954 without any further delay; (3) enact a legislation immediately to check such killings, as per the Supreme Court directives; (4) make the following provisions to punish those who commit such crimes:— (i) any person, found guilty of committing honour killing of a couple shall be punished with death sentence — (a) if the act by which death is caused is done with the intention of causing death, or (b) if it is done with the intention of causing such bodily injury as the offender knows to be likely to cause the death of the person to whom the harm is caused, or (c) it is done with the intention of causing bodily injury to any person and the bodily injury intended to be inflicted is sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death, and (d) if the person committing the act knows that it is so imminently dangerous that it must, in all probability, cause death or such bodily injury as is likely to cause death and commits such act without any excuse for incurring the risk of causing death or such injury as aforesaid. (ii) all those who participated in the decision to kill the couple are liable to be tried for the main charge i.e., murder which would make them liable for the maximum penalty, i.e., death sentence;

89 (iii) special fast track courts should be set up to deal with such cases and special judges to be provided for each courts in every district; (iv) the courts shall pronounce their judgment within two months of filings of the case; and the judgment pronounced shall be implemented within three months and the judgment shall be final and no appeal shall be made against the judgment in any court of law."

NEW DELHI; V.K. AGNIHOTRI, August 5, 2010. Secretary-General.