355 Motion for 22 NOVEMBER, 2000 Adjoumment 356 {English] Shri Sujan Singh Bundela, meanwhile in his letter received by me just now, has requested that SHRl KAMAL NATH: Sir, why not he accept a Calling Shrimati Sonia Gandhi may be permitted to seek leave Attention Motion? of the House and initiate the discussion in his place. I have accepted his request. MR. SPEAKER: That is the duty of the Speaker and not the Minister regarding admission of Calling Attention Shrimati Sonia Gandhi may now ask for leave of the MotIons. House . .... (Interruptions) SHRIMATI SONIA GANDHI (Amethi): Mr. Speaker [Translation] Sir, I seek the leave of the House for moving the Adjoumment Motion. ... (Interruptions) SHRI PRAMOD MAHAJAN: Let me first conclude .... (Interruptions) [TranslationJ 13.00 hr•. SHRI NAWAL KISHORE RAI (Sitamarhi): Mr. Speaker He gave a statement there and after that Rajya Sir, what happened to my notice? I have been sitting Sabha has agreed to hold a short duration discussion of here since moming. two and a half hours and the discussion has begun. The Government has no objection if the speaker permits a {English] discussion this issue in place of statement in the Lok Sabha under any rule. Government has no objection MR. SPEAKER: If not today, I will call you tomorrow. whether you discuss the issue under calling attention or any other motion. Thereafter according to the conclusions SHRIMATI SONIA GANDHi: Mr. Speaker Sir, I seek of the discussion we would try to provide relief to the the leave of the House for moving the Motion for people of Delhi. Adjournment regarding severe crisis faced by .the farming community due to burden of the recent increased cost of As far as the issue of amending the Master Plan is production and the crash in agricultural commodity prices. concerned, I would like to tell you that Government is not rigid about it. If the need arise, we are ready to MR. SPEAKER: Is the leave opposed? amend the Master Plan by amending it in a flexible manner. The Government is also ready to go to the Supreme Court and ask for more time. Therefore, after SEVERAL HON. MEMBERS: No. the discussion in this House and that in the other House also, the Govemment will try to provide relief to the people MR. SPEAKER: Lease is granted. of Delhi according to the sentiments expressed by the two Houses. Under Rule 61, the Adjournment Motion is to be taken up at 1600 hours or at an earlier hour. Under Rule 62, not less than 2 hours and 30 minutes are allotted for its discussion. The discussion on the motion may be taken 13.01 hrs. up at 2.00 p.m. I think, the House agrees. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT SEVERAL HON. MEMBERS: Yes. Severe erlala faced by the Farming Community THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS {English] AND MINISTER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI PRAMOD MAHAJAN): Sir, before you adjourn the MR. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, as I mentioned in House, I would like to submit one thing because there the morning, I have received 77 notices of Adjournment will be voting on this motion. You are starting the Motion. I haVE! given my consent to SM Sujan Singh discussion at 2.00 p.m. and it cannot be less than 2 Bundela, who has secured first place in the ballot, to hours and 30 minutes, but it can be more than that. So, move the motion in the follOwing form: you may just tell the limit of hours you are likely to give MSevere crisis faced by the falming community due and when the voting will be there so that Members can to burden of the recent increased cost of production be present. So, it will be better if you can tell the tentative and the crash in agricultural commodity prices.' time of voting. 357 Motion for AGRAHAYANA 1, 1922 (Saka) Adjournment 358 MR. SPEAKER: The voting is at 6.00 p.m. today. 6. BSP 06 minutes 13.02 hr•. 7. AIAOMK 04 minutes 8. NCP 04 minutes The Lok Sabha then adjoumed for Lunch till Fourteen of the Clock. 9. RJD 03 minutes 10. INLD 02 minutes 11. Small Groups (CPVRSPI ABLCI 14.00 hr•. AIFBI MU RLD) comblnedly 06 minutes The Lok Ssbha re-assembled after Lunch at Fourteen 12. Independent! Single-member Party 08 minutes of the Clock. I would urge upon the Members to stick to the subject (MR. SPEAKER in the Chair) and to the time limit to ensure that the House is able to complete the discussion on time. (English) SHRI S. JAIPAL REDDY (Miryalguda): Mr. Speaker, SHRI M.V.V.S. MURTHI (Visakhapatnam): Mr. Sir, while you have fixed the voting time and such time Speaker, Sir, you can treat the "Matters under Rule 377' needs to be fixed, six, o'clock may not be practical as laid on the Table. because this is an issue on which Members on both sides would like to express themselves. Therefore, please MR. SPEAKER: You can raise this issue some time fix some other time; four hours will not suffice. and not now. SHRI MADHAVRAO SCINDIA: As of now, let it be SHRI MADHAVRAO SCINDIA (Guna): Why do we six o'clock, but please make it flexible. not treat them as laid on the Table of the House? MR. SPEAKER: What do you mean by 'flexible'? We MR. SPEAKER: We will take up this issue later and have already allotted four hour. Normally, only two-and- not now. a-haH hours time is allotted for the discussion on the Adjoumment Motion. 14.01 hr•. SHRI MADHAVRAO SCINDIA: Let it be up to 8 p.m. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT MR. SPEAKER: Now, Shrimati Sonia Gandhi to Severa erial. fIIced by the Farming Communlty--Contd. speak. (English) SHRIMATI ~ONIA GANDHI (Amethi): Sir, I beg to move: MR. SPEAKER: Honourable Members, before Shrimati Sonia Gandhi moves her Adjoumment Motion, I would 'That the House do now adjourn." like to inform the House that as decided eartier voting has to take place at 6 p.m. We have thus four hours Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to move our Motion of available for this purpose. The broad distribution of time Adjoumment on the crisis that has overtaken agriculture amongst various parties is as follows: across the country. The worsening plight of crores upon crores of our kisans and khet mazdoors has failed to 1. BJP and other parties move this Govemment. The Indian kisan is being crushed represented in the in a chakki - the rotating stone below is the rising cost Govemment hour 58 minutes of production; the rotating stone above is the falling prices of his output. The Govemment is neither curbing the 2. Indian National Congress 50 minutes cost nor intervening to ensure a higher price. It is clear 3. CPI (M) 15 minutes that this Govemment has failed on aU fronts, as far as the agricultural sector is concerned. It is, therefore, our 4. TOP 12 minutes duty to raise the voice of the kissn and the khet mazdoor 5. Samajwadi Party 12 minutes on the floor of tnis august House. 359 Motion for 22 NOVEMBER, 2000 Adjoumment 360 [Smt. Sonia Gandhi] suitable to the needs of the poor and small farmers is not being developed. The State has even failed to make There is no policy; there is no foresight; there is no available certified seeds in adequate quantities and Plan of Action. All decisions are ad-hoc. None is affordable prices. thereby, further affecting our farmers. sustained. Indeed, decisions are made and modified only under the partisan pressure of a Govemment that is at Sir, we believe that nation-wide crop insurance is odds with itseH. The crisis in agriculture covers every both feasible and desperately needed. Tragically, even region, every single resion of our country. In Punjab, here little is being done to make this a reality. Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, the heartland of the Green Revolution, the procurement machinery has Disaster relief is inadequate, inefficient and palpably failed and even if it was cranked up, it was not discriminatory, as seen last year during the super cyclone to serve the interest of our kisans but to keep this in Orissa; as seen during the floods in Arunachal Pradesh Government from collapsing under the weight of its earlier this year; and as seen in West Bengal during the internal contradictions. inter-session period. Equally unforgivable has been the callous attitude of the Centre towards the persistent Sir, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, drought in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Maharashtra are in the grip of a drought Orissa, Maharashtra and even in the BJP-run State of that has by-passed the attention of this Government. The Gujarat. No plea on behalf of the concerned Chief States of Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have Ministers, no plea on behalf of the concerned Members been devastated by floods which have not evoked even of Parliament or the leaders of various parties has been the sympathy, let alone the needed assistance of New able to soften this hard-hearted Government's attitude. Delhi. In Tamil Nadu, Karanataka and Kerala, the tea, coffee and rubber plantation industry is reeling. Nothing In the 80s. notwithstanding some of the worst of note has been done to combat the pestilence and the droughts this country has suffered. foodgrain output rose disease that have destroyed and are destroying thousands by 40 per cent. In the last five years, the average growth of coconut trees all over the South. The Sugar Mills rate has come down to two per cent or less, barely everywhere are failing to lift cane and pay due prices.