FRIRDAY THE 31ST MARCH, 2017 (The Rajya Sabha met in the Parliament House at 11-00 a.m.) *11-03 a.m. 1. Papers Laid on the Table Shri Manoj Sinha (Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communication and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways) laid on the Table :- I.(1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) (b) of Section 394, of the Companies Act, 2013:— (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the Hemisphere Properties India Limited (HPIL), New Delhi, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts, and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Performance Review of the above Company, for the year 2015-16. (2) Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. II. (1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (4) of Section 23 and sub-section (3) of Section 24 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 :— (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), New Delhi, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Authority. (2) Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shri Ram Kirpal Yadav (Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development) on behalf of Shri Rajen Gohain laid on the Table:- I. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) Notification No. G.S.R. 1165 (E), dated the 22nd December, 2016, publishing the Railway Accidents and Untoward Incidents (Compensation) Amendment Rules, 2016, under Section 199 of the Railways Act, 1989.

* From 11-00 a.m. to 11-03 a.m., some points were raised. 303 RAJYA SABHA II. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers:- (i) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the IRCON International Limited, for the year 2016-17. (ii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), for the year 2016-17. (iii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCI), for the year 2016-17. (iv) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Burn Standard Company Limited, (BSCL), for the year 2016-17. (v) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFCL), for the year 2016-17. (vi) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), for the year 2016-17. (vii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVCL), for the year 2016-17. (viii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Braithwaite & Company Limited, for the year 2016-17. (ix) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the RAILTEL Corporation of India Limited, for the year 2016-17. (x) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the RITES Limited, for the year 2016-17. (xi) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Container Corporation of India Limited (CONCOR), for the year 2016-17. 304 31ST MARCH, 2017 (xii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTCL), for the year 2016-17. (xiii) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited, for the year 2016-17. (xiv) Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India (Ministry of Railways) and the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) for the year 2016-17. Shri Parshottam Rupala (Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj) laid on the Table:- (1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub- section (1) (b) of Section 394 of the Companies Act, 2013:— (i) (a) Twenty–ninth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 1994-95, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (ii) (a) Thirty-second Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 1997-98, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (iii) (a) Thirty–third Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 1998-99, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation.

305 RAJYA SABHA (iv) (a) Thirty–fourth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 1999-2000, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (v) (a) Thirty–fifth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 2000-01, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (vi) (a) Thirty-sixth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 2001-02, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (vii) (a) Thirty–seventh Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 2002-03, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (viii) (a) Thirty–eighth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 2003-04, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (ix) (a) Thirty–ninth Annual Report and Accounts of the Bihar State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Patna, for the year 2004-05, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. 306 31ST MARCH, 2017 2. Statements (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shri Sudarshan Bhagat (Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) laid on the Table:- I. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries) Notification No. G.S.R. 242 (E), dated the 14th March, 2017, publishing the Indian Veterinary Council (Procedure for nomination of one member by the Central Government from amongst the Presidents of the State Veterinary Associations) Rules, 2017, under sub-section (3) of Section 66 of the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984. II. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub- section (1) (b) of Section 394 of the Companies Act, 2013:— (a) Forty-second Annual Report and Accounts of the West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited, Kolkata, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal (Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs) laid on the Table a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Statement on Quarterly Review of the trends in receipts and expenditure in relation to the Budget, at the end of the third quarter of the Financial year 2016-17, under sub-section (1) of Section 7 of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. Shri Ajay Tamta (Minister of State in the Ministry of Textile) laid on the Table:- I. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Textiles Notification No. S.O. 4157 (E), dated the 23rd December, 2016, amending Notification No. S.O. 126 (E), dated the 14th January, 2016, to substitute certain entries in the original Notification, under sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Jute Packaging Material (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987. II. (1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) (b) of Section 394 of the Companies Act, 2013:—

307 RAJYA SABHA (i) (a) Ninety-fifth Annual Report and Accounts of the British India Corporation Limited (BIC), Kanpur, and its subsidiary Companies, for the year 2014-15, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Company and its subsidiary. (ii) (a) Thirty-sixth Annual Report and Accounts of National Jute Manufactures Corporation Limited, (NJMC), Kolkata, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (iii) (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the Birds Jute and Exports Limited (BJEL), Kolkata, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Company. (2) Statements (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. III. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers:— (a) Sixth Annual Report and Accounts of the National Jute Board (NJB), Kolkata, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Board. (c) Statement giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (a) above. Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya (Minister of Sate in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) laid on the Table:- I. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub- section (1) (b) of Section 394 of the Companies Act, 2013:— 308 31ST MARCH, 2017 (i) (a) Sixtieth Annual Report and Accounts of the Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL), New Delhi, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Statement by Government accepting the above Report. (ii) (a) Thirty-eighth Annual Report and Accounts of the Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL), New Delhi, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts and the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India thereon. (b) Statement by Government accepting the above Report. II. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers:— (a) Annual Accounts of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, , for the year 2015-16, and the Audit Report thereon, under sub-section (4) of Section 23 of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Act, 1998. (b) Statement giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (a) above. Shri C.R. Chaudhary (Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) laid on the Table :- I. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Notifications of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Food and Public Distribution), under sub-section (5) of Section 45 of the Food Corporation Act, 1964:— (1) G.S.R. 469 (E), dated the 9th June, 2015, publishing the Food Corporations (Amendment) Rules, 2015, along with delay statement. (2) G.S.R. 202 (E), dated the 6th March, 2017, publishing the Food Corporations (Amendment) Rules, 2017. II. (1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (2) of Section 35 of the Food Corporation Act, 1964:—

309 RAJYA SABHA (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), New Delhi, for the year 2015-16, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Corporation. (2) Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above.

Shri P.P. Chaudhary (Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) laid on the Table a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Notifications of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under sub-section (3) of Section 87 of the Information Technology Act, 2000:—

(1) G.S.R. 111 (E), dated the 8th February, 2017, publishing the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Amendment Rules, 2017.

(2) G.S.R.711 (E), dated the 21st July, 2016, publishing the Information Technology (Preservation and Retention of Information by Intermediaries Providing Digital Locker Facilities) Rules, 2016. 11-05 a.m. 2. Report of the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table Dr. C. P. Thakur presented the Hundred and Fiftieth Report (in English and Hindi) of the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table on delayed laying of Annual Reports and Audited Accounts of Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC); Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and Food Corporation of India (FCI). 11-06 a.m. 3. Reports of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests Ch. Sukhram Singh Yadav presented the following Reports (in English and Hindi) of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests:— 310 31ST MARCH, 2017

(i) Two Hundred Ninety Fourth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences; (ii) Two Hundred Ninety Fifth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Department of Biotechnology; (iii) Two Hundred Ninety Sixth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Department of Science & Technology; (iv) Two Hundred Ninety Seventh Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research; (v) Two Hundred Ninety Eighth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Department of Space; (vi) Two Hundred Ninety Ninth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Department of Atomic Energy; and (vii) Three Hundredth Report on Demands for Grants (2017-18) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 4. Statements of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy Dr. Anil Kumar Sahani, laid on the Table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Statements of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy (2016-17):— 1. Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Chapter – I of the Eleventh Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the Fifth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on 'Demands for Grants (2015-16)' of the Ministry of Power; 2. Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Chapter – I and V of the Ninteenth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the Seventh Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on 'Energy Conservation';

311 RAJYA SABHA 3. Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Chapter – I and V of the Twenty-first Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the thirteenth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on 'Development and Status of Small Hydro Sector'; and 4. Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Chapter – I of the Twenty-third Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the Fifteenth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on 'Demands for Grants (2016-17)' of the Ministry of Power. 11-07 a.m.

5. Reports of the Public Accounts Committee Shri Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, laid on the Table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Reports of the Public Accounts Committee (2016-17):— (i) Sixty-seventh Report on the subject "Performance Audit of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and Special Audit of Medical Education Projects of ESIC" relating to the Ministry of Labour and Employment; and (ii) Sixty-eighth Report on the subject "Excesses over Voted Grants and Charged Appropriations (2014-15)". 6. Reports of the Railway Convention Committee Shri Prem Chand Gupta, laid on the Table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Reports of the Railway Convention Committee (2014):— (i) Eleventh Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on the subject 'Exloring PPP Avenues in Railway Infrastructure' relating to the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board); (ii) Twelfth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on the subject 'Green Energy Initiatives in Indian Railways' relating to the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board);

312 31ST MARCH, 2017

(iii) Thirteenth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Committee contained in their Fourth Report on 'Role of IRFC and use of SPV methodology in financing development needs of Indian Railways' relating to the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board); and (iv) Fourteenth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Committee contained in their Fifth Report on 'Share of Railway Traffic vis-a-vis Air and Road Transport-An Evaluation' relating to the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board). 11-08 a.m. 7. Report of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes Shri Ram Narain Dudi, laid on the Table, a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Seventh Report of the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes (2016-17) on Action Taken by the Government on the Recommendations/ Observations contained in their Fifth Report (2015-16) (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on “Measures undertaken to secure representation of OBCs in employment and for their welfare in Indian Oil Corporation Limited” pertaining to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. 11-09 a.m. 8. Statements by Ministers 1. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law and Justice and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, laid on the Table, a statement (in English and Hindi) regarding Status of implementation of recommendations contained in the Twenty-fifth Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Demands for Grants (2016-17) pertaining to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 2. Shri Manoj Sinha , Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communications and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways, laid on the Table, a statement (in English and Hindi) regarding Status of implementation of recommendations/observations contained in the Twenty-fourth Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Demands for Grants (2016-17) pertaining to the Department of Telecommunications. 313 RAJYA SABHA

3. Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in the Ministry of Shipping and in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, laid on the Table, a statement (in English and Hindi) regarding Status of implementation of recommendations contained in the Eleventh Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers on “Movement of Fertilizers and Monitoring System".

11-10 a.m. 9. Cancellation of Sitting of the Rajya Sabha The Deputy Chairman made the following announcement:— “I wish to inform the House that there would be no sitting of the House on Monday, the 3rd of April, 2017. In view of the holiday on Tuesday, the 4th of April, 2017, on account of 'RAM NAVAMI', the House will, accordingly, meet on Wednesday, the 5th of April, 2017". 11-11 a.m. 10. Statement regarding Government Business Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, made a statement regarding Government Business for the remaining part of the Session. %11-29 a.m. 11. Matters raised with Permission 1. ! Shri Ram Nath Thakur raised a matter regarding need to resume work in the fertilizer factory in Barauni. 11-31 a.m. 2. Shri Md. Nadimul Haque raised a matter regarding difficulties being faced by meat sellers in the country.

% From 11-13 a.m. to 11-29 a.m., some points were raised. ! Spoke in Hindi. 314 31ST MARCH, 2017

!Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, responded. 11-36 a.m. 3. !Shri Harivansh raised a matter regarding increasing fire incidents in Ordnance factories in the country. 11-39 a.m. 4. Shri Ritabrata Banerjee raised a matter regarding safety and security of whistle blowers and their families, particularly women and children. 11-42 a.m. 5. Shri Tapan Kumar Sen raised a matter regarding alleged inaction in the appointment of Lokpal. !Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, responded.

11-46 a.m. 6. Dr. K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao raised a matter regarding need to release the resource gap of Andhra Pradesh, for the year 2014-15. #11-51 a.m. 7. !Shrimati Rajani Patil raised a matter regarding health hazard due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides by farmers. 11-54 a.m. 8. !Mahant Shambhuprasadji Tundiya raised a matter regarding stone pelting on the Indian army in Badgaon, J&K. 11-57 a.m. 9. !Shri Prabhat Jha raised a matter regarding cases of missing girls in Bihar.

# From 11-49 a.m. to 11-51 a.m., some points were raised. ! Spoke in Hindi. 315

RAJYA SABHA $12-00 Noon 12. Starred Questions The following Starred Questions were orally answered:- Starred Question No. 316 regarding Railway electrification works in Odisha. Starred Question No. 317 regarding Increase in freight loading of Railways. Starred Question No. 318 regarding Internet connectivity to Gram Panchayats of West Bengal. Starred Question No. 319 regarding Equipping ration outlets for cashless transactions. Starred Question No. 320 regarding Reopening of closed/sick jute mills. Starred Question No. 321 regarding Monitoring of railway projects by State representatives. Starred Question No. 322 regarding Decline in population of livestock. Answers to remaining Starred Question Nos. 323 to 330 were laid on the Table. 13. Unstarred Questions Answers to Unstarred Question Nos. 3357 to 3516 were laid on the Table. (The House adjourned at 1-00 p.m.and re-assembled at 2-31 p.m.) 2-31 p.m. 14. Private Members' Resolution — Under Consideration

Further discussion on the following Resolution moved by Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad on the 17th March, 2017, continued:— *"Having regard to the fact that:—

$ From 11-59 a.m. to 12-00 Noon, some points were raised. * Original notice of Resolution received in Hindi 316 31ST MARCH, 2017

(a) desperation is growing among farmers in region due to crop failure because of drought, flood, frost and hailstorm; (b) this region consists of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh namely, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalon, Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba and Hamirpur and seven districts of namely, Chhatarpur, Panna, Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Datiya and Gwalior; (c) farmers of Bundelkhand are continuously migrating to other places in search of employment for the last many decades; (d) farmers in Bundelkhand are getting frustrated because of huge loss of crops due to wild animals and Nilgais; (e) Bundelkhand is mainly rain-fed agricultural region and the production of crops depends mainly on the monsoon, which causes an irregularity in production and income that makes the life of farmers uncertain and difficult; (f) due to persistent severe droughts in Bundelkhand, crop production is continuously decreasing as a result of which farmers are not even able to recover their cost price; (g) the financial income in the region is meager because of dearth of agro-based and cottage industries; and (h) agriculture has become a vocation of loss because of under- valuation of cash crops and wide spread exploitation of trade which is the prominent reason for burden of debt and desperation prevalent amongst the farmers of Uttar Pradesh; this House is of the opinion that— (i) small scale and cottage industries should be established in the region; (ii) a training centre for central police force must be commissioned in Chitrakoot, Banda and Satna area of Bundelkhand, so that farmers in the area may get some security; (iii) loan recovery from farmers in Bundelkhand be stopped and waived off besides providing fertilizers, seeds and electricity free of cost to them; 317 RAJYA SABHA (iv) the farmers of Bundelkhand should be awarded a package of fifty thousand crore rupees, which will cater to completion of various incomplete works of the region and help in sustainable crop enhancement, macro-micro irrigation projects and other schemes related to development of infrastructure in the region; (v) a separate fund with the corpus of Rs. 500 crore should be established to provide financial help to elderly wives of old farmers and to provide facilities related to higher education for their children as thousands of elderly women and widows have high expectations of a relief and rehabilitation package; (vi) as the Finance Minister had promised in his budget speech, the Government should establish a price stabilization fund and a national market for agro products, start micro-irrigation and water-shed projects in drought prone areas, new and increased NABARD fund to restore the credit and steps should be taken to increase the storage capacity; (vii) useful information should be provided regarding reasons for drought and forecast of appropriate time for sowing the crops to lessen the effect of it and there should be proper rain water management and crop monitoring; (viii) a survey of all poor and labourers of Bundelkhand should be conducted and on that basis BPL cards, free accommodation and toilet facilities be provided; (ix) the Central Government should take steps to stop the loss of crops due to wild animals and Nilgais; (x) the Central Government should provide free fertilizers and seeds in order to promote production of pulses and oil seeds; (xi) Yamuna Canal should be built by making a dam on Yamuna river near village Augasi of Banda district so that the problem of irrigation in Bundelkhand may be solved; (xii) besides the existing ponds in Bundelkhand region, concrete ponds should be constructed at places in the fields for rain water harvesting so that the farmers can use the water of these ponds when needed for irrigating their respective fields and reap the harvest and the Central Government should provide interest free loan for this purpose; 318 31ST MARCH, 2017 (xiii) to curb migration from this region, the schemes like MNREGA should be amended and consideration be made for giving more than 100 days employment throughout the year under such scheme; (xiv) for plantation of fruit bearing trees in this region, a time-bound systematic action plan should be initiated under a Central Scheme; (xv) for irrigation in the region, irrigation of crops of the farmers should be ensured by laying pipes in the fields, so that the production can be increased to improve the conditions of farmers; (xvi) there is a need to roll out schemes to encourage farmers of Bundelkhand to do cultivation with modern equipments; (xvii) for all round development of Bundelkhand, there should be a guarantee of employment to all the groups of persons above 18 years of age which will stop migration and totally curb the suicides committed by farmers; (xviii) since this region is extremely backward in education, there should be a separate special provision in Education Policy for this region; (xix) keeping in view the electricity problem in the Bundelkhand region, electricity should be supplied on concessional rates by the Central Government; and (xx) in order to protect crops of farmers from wild animals and Nilgais, the Central Government should make arrangement in every Nyaya Panchayat for an Animal Shelter Centre and a Gausala (Public Cow Shelter). 2-31 p.m. !Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad concluded his speech while moving the Resolution. The following Members took part in the discussion:— 2-56 p.m. 1. Shri Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu 3-07 p.m. 2. !Shri Basawaraj Patil ______! Spoke in Hindi. 319 RAJYA SABHA

3-19 p.m. 3. !Dr. Anil Kumar Sahani 3-27 p.m. 4. !Shri Rajeev Shukla 3-36 p.m. 5. !Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla 3-52 p.m. 6. !Shri Raj Babbar 4-03 p.m. 7. !Mahant Shambhuprasadji Tundiya 4-13 p.m. 8. !Shri Digvijaya Singh 4-26 p.m. 9. !Shri Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj 4-56 p.m. 10. !Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (speech unfinished) The discussion was not concluded. 5-00 p.m.

15. Special Mentions The following Special Mentions were laid on the Table of the House:—

1. Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy Demand to take strict measures for implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 in the country, particularly in Andhra Pradesh.

2. Prof. M.V. Rajeev Gowda Demand to provide adequate funds to install Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in all EVMs to ensure free and fair elections in the country. 3. Shri Oscar Fernandes Demand to address the concerns of the civil services aspirants regarding CSAT and compensate them by giving two more attempts in the examination.

______! Spoke in Hindi.

320 31ST MARCH, 2017

4. Shri B.K. Hariprasad Demand to reconsider the plan to give contract of setting up of nuclear reactors to Toshiba-owned American firm Westinghouse.

5. Shri K.K. Ragesh Demand to take necessary steps for proper construction of the sewage treatment plant at Ezhimala Naval Academy, Kannur in Kerala.

(The following Members indulged in gross disorderly conduct in violation of the rules and etiquette of the Rajya Sabha by entering the ‘Well’ of the House, shouting slogans and willfully obstructing the proceedings of the House:-

1. Prof. M.V. Rajeev Gowda 2. Dr. K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao 3. Shri B.K. Hariprasad 4. Shri Husain Dalwai 5. Shri Santiuse Kujur 6. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu 7. Shrimati Rajani Patil 8. Shri Ranjib Biswal 9. Shri Pradeep Tamta 10. Shrimati Chhaya Verma 11. Shri Parvez Hashmi

(The House adjourned at5-03 p.m. till 11-00 a.m. on Wednesday, the 5th April, 2017.)

321