LOK SABHA ___ SYNOPSIS OF DEBATES (Proceedings other than Questions & Answers) ______ Tuesday, January 31, 2017 / Magha 11, 1938 (Saka) ______ NATIONAL ANTHEM The National Anthem was played. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Copy laid on the Table of the House OBITUARY REFERENCES HON'BLE SPEAKER: Hon. Members, I have to inform the House about the sad demise of seven of our former members, Shri Jujhar Singh, Shri P. Viswambharan, Smt. Kishori Sinha, Shri Sudar Lal Patwa, Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Shri Manku Ram Sodhi and Shri Surjit Singh Barnala. Shri Jujhar Singh was a member of the 8th Lok Sabha representing the Jhalawar Parliamentary Constituency of Rajasthan. He was a member of the Committee of Privileges. Earlier, Shri Jujhar Singh was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly for four terms and served as Minister in the Government of Rajasthan from 1972 to 1977. Shri Jujhar Singh passed away on 1st December, 2016 in Kota, Rajasthan at the age of 96. Shri P. Viswambharan was a member of the 4th Lok Sabha representing the Trivandrum, now Thiruvananthapuram Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala. Shri Viswambharan was a member of the Public Accounts Committee. Shri Viswambharan was also a member of the erstwhile Travancore Cochin Legislative Assembly from 1954 to 1956 and Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1960 to 1964. A veteran freedom fighter, he participated in the Quit India Movement. Shri P. Viswambharan passed away on 9th December, 2016 in Vellar, Kerala at the age of 91. Smt. Kishori Sinha was a member of the 7th and 8th Lok Sabhas representing the Vaishali Parliamentary Constituency of Bihar. She was a member of the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sitting of the House during the 8th Lok Sabha. Smt. Sinha relentlessly worked for the upliftment of women and the marginalised sections of the society. Smt. Kishori Sinha passed away on 19th December, 2016 in Patna, Bihar at the age of 91. Shri Sundar Lal Patwa was a member of the 11th and 13th Lok Sabhas representing the Chhindwara and Hoshangabad Parliamentary Constituencies of Madhya Pradesh, respectively. Shri Patwa was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh twice. He was also a Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture, Chemicals and Fertilizers and Mines from 1999 to 2001. Shri Patwa was a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for seven terms and also served as Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Shri Sundar Lal Patwa passed away on 28th December, 2016 in Bhopal at the age of 92. Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil was a member of the 5th to 9th and 12th to 14th Lok Sabhas representing the Kopergaon and Ahmednagar Parliamentary Constituencies of Maharashtra. Shri Patil was Chairman, Committee on Petitions; Committee on Agriculture and Committee on Defence during the 8th, 9th and 14th Lok Sabhas, respectively. He was also a member of the various parliamentary committees during his long and illustrious parliamentary career. Shri Patil was also a Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises from 2002 to 2003 and Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999 to 2002. He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 2010 for social work. Shri Patil was a member of Indian Parliamentary delegation to Russia and Hungary. Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil passed away on 30th December, 2016 in Loni Budruk, Maharashtra at the age of 84. Shri Manku Ram Sodhi was a member of the 8th to 10th Lok Sabhas representing the Bastar Parliamentary Constituency of Madhya Pradesh, now in Chhattisgarh. He was a member of the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament during the 8th Lok Sabha and Committee on Railways during the 10th Lok Sabha. Earlier, Shri Sodhi was a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly for five terms and served as Minister in the Government of Madhya Pradesh from 1981 to 1984. Shri Manku Ram Sodhi passed away on 10th January, 2017 in Raipur, Chhattisgarh at the age of 82. Shri Surjit Singh Barnala was a member of the 6th, 11th and 12th Lok Sabhas representing the Sangrur Parliamentary Constituency of Punjab. Shri Barnala was the Chief Minister of Punjab from 1985 to 1987. He was Union Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation from 1977 to 1979; Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Food and Consumer Affairs from 1998 to 1999. Shri Barnala was Governor of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand. He was also Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. Shri Barnala was also a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly for three terms and served as Minister in the Government of Punjab. A veteran freedom fighter, he participated in the Quit India Movement. Shri Surjit Singh Barnala passed away on 14th January, 2017 in Chandigarh at the age of 91. We deeply mourn the loss of our former colleagues and I am sure the House would join me in conveying our condolences to the bereaved families. Hon. Members, 26 persons are reported to have been killed when a boat carrying them capsized in river Ganga near Patna on 14th January, 2017. In another tragic accident, 30 persons including 18 children are reported to have been killed and over 50 others injured when a school bus was hit by a truck in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh on 19th January, 2017. In yet another accident about 41 persons are reported to have been killed and over 65 injured when Jagdalpur Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express train derailed in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on 21st January, 2017. Hon. Members, in a natural calamity, 20 persons including 16 soldiers are reported to have been killed in four avalanches that took place in high altitude areas of Gurez and Sonmarg in Jammu & Kashmir on 25th January, 2017. The House expresses its profound sorrow on these tragic accidents which have brought pain and suffering to the bereaved families and wishes speedy recovery to those injured. The Members then stood in silence for a short while. ANOOP MISHRA Secretary General © 2017 BY LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NOTE: It is the verbatim Debates of the Lok Sabha and not the Synopsis that should be considered authoritative. English and Hindi versions of Synopsis of Debates are also available at http://loksabha.nic.in. .