RAJYA SABHA TUESDAY, THE 14TH AUGUST, 2012 (The Rajya Sabha met in the Parliament House at 11-00 a.m.) %11-01 a.m. 1. Reference to the victims of earthquake in Iran The Chairman made a reference to two powerful earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 6.3 respectively on the Richter scale, which struck the North Western region of Iran on the 11th of August, 2012, in which more than 250 persons lost their lives and several others were injured. The House observed silence, all Members standing, as a mark of respect to the memory of those, who lost their lives in this natural calamity. @11-05 a.m. 2. Starred Questions The following Starred Questions were orally answered:- Starred Question No. 61 regarding Millennium Development Goal for MMR. Starred Question No. 62 regarding Eradication of open defecation. Starred Question No. 63 regarding Higher allocation for fighting environmental crisis. Starred Question No. 64 regarding Special schemes for healthcare in rural districts. Starred Question No. 65 regarding Misuse of AICs. Answers to remaining Starred Question Nos. 66 to 80 were laid on the Table. 3. Unstarred Questions Answers to Unstarred Question Nos. 466 to 620 were laid on the Table. % From 11-00 a.m. to 11-01 a.m. some points were raised. @ From 11-03 a.m. to 11-05 a.m. some points were raised. 24 14TH AUGUST, 2012 12-00 Noon. 4. Statement by Minister Correcting Answer to Question Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, laid on the Table, a Statement (in English and Hindi) correcting the answer to Unstarred Question 5044 given in the Rajya Sabha on the 22nd May, 2012 regarding "Promotional avenues for CGHS employees". 12-01 p.m. 5. Papers Laid on the Table Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad (Minister of Health and Family Welfare) laid on the Table:- I.(1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (4) of Section 18 and Section 19 of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Act, 1966:— (a) Forty-fourth Annual Report and Accounts of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for the year 2010-11, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Institute. (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 18 and Section 19 of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act, 1956:— (a) Fifty-fifth Annual Report and Accounts of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, for the year 2010-11, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Institute. (2) Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. 25 RAJYA SABHA Shri G.K. Vasan (Minister of Shipping) laid on the Table:- I.(1) A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) of Section 619A of the Companies Act, 1956:— (a) Twenty-seventh Annual Report and Accounts of the Hooghly Dock and Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL), Kolkata, for the year 2010-11, 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) Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan (Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests) laid on the Table a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers: — (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai, for the year 2010-11, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Authority. (c) Statement giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (a) above. Shri S. Gandhiselvan (Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) laid on the Table:- I. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of AYUSH) Notification No. G.S.R. 372 (E), dated the 18th May, 2012, publishing the Indian Medicine Central Council (Election) Second Amendment Rules, 2012, under Section 25 of the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970. II. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Department of AYUSH) Notification No. G.S.R. 373 (E), dated the 18th May, 2012, publishing the Homoeopathy Central Council (Election) Second Amendment Rules, 2012, under sub-section (2) of Section 33 of the Homeopathy Central Council Act, 1973. 26 14TH AUGUST, 2012 III. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers:— (a) Annual Report and Accounts of the National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Kolkata, for the year 2010-11, together with the Auditor's Report on the Accounts. (b) Review by Government on the working of the above Institute. (c) Statement giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (a) above. Shri R.P.N. Singh (Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs) laid on the Table a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Notifications of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, under Section 62 of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006:— (1) F. No. S-Admn/II/XI/2012, dated the 10th April, 2012, publishing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Appointment of Consultants) Amendment Regulations, 2012. (2) F. No. M (C)/2009, dated the 6th July, 2012, publishing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Guiding Principles for Declaring or Authorizing Petroleum and Petroleum Products Pipelines as Common Carrier or Contract Carrier) Regulations, 2012. (3) F. No. PNGRB/M(C)/11 Final Tariff Filing, dated the 30th May, 2012, publishing the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (Determination of Natural Gas Pipeline Tariff) Amendment Regulations, 2012. 12-02 p.m. 6. Reports of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Dr. Karan Singh laid on the Table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Reports of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs:— (i) Fifteenth Report* (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Problems relating to Overseas Indian Marriages: Scheme for providing legal/ financial assistance/ rehabilitation to Indian women deserted by their Overseas Indian spouses’; and (ii) Sixteenth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘The Piracy Bill, 2012’. * The Report was presented to the Speaker, Lok Sabha on 12th July, 2012 and to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 17th July, 2012 respectively. 27 RAJYA SABHA 7. Statement of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Dr. Karan Singh laid on the Table, a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Statement showing action taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the Eleventh Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) of the Department- related Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the replies to the recommendations contained in their Tenth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Demands for Grants (2011-12)’ of the Ministry of External Affairs. 12-03 p.m. 8. Action Taken Statements of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour Shri Mohd. Ali Khan laid on the Table, a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Statements of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour:— (i) Statement showing further action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in Twenty-fifth Action Taken Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on the recommendations contained in their Nineteenth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Demands for Grants (2011-12)’ of the Ministry of Labour and Employment; (ii) Statement showing further action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in Twenty-sixth Action Taken Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on the recommendations contained in Twentieth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Demands for Grants (2011-12)’ of the Ministry of Textiles; and (iii) Statement showing further action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in Twenty-seventh Action Taken Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on the recommendations contained in their Eighteenth Report (Fifteenth Lok Sabha) on ‘Directorate General of Employment and Training – A Review'. 28 14TH AUGUST, 2012 9. Report of the Railway Convention Committee Shri Rama Chandra Khuntia laid on the Table, a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Fourth Report of the Railway Convention Committee (2009) on ‘Pending on-going projects of the Ministry of Railways - Commissioning of the Autokast Factory at Cherthala, Kerala - A Case Study’. 12-04 p.m. 10. Motion for Election to the National Shipping Board A motion for election of two members to the National Shipping Board was moved and adopted. %12-11 p.m. 11. Matter raised with permission !Shri Balbir Punj raised a matter regarding violence and vandalism in Mumbai following a protest rally called by Sunni Muslim Groups in Azad Maidan against the Ethnic violence in Assam. Shri Sanjay Raut also spoke. @12-32 p.m. (The House adjourned at 12-32 p.m. and re-assembled at 12-42 p.m.) Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs, responded. &12-45 p.m. 12. Calling Attention to the Matter of Urgent Public Importance !Shri Arun Jaitley, Leader of the Opposition, called the attention of the Minister of Home Affairs to inadequate facilities and safety measures along the Amarnath Yatra route resulting in death of pilgrims.