RAJYA SABHA FRIDAY, THE 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2007 (The Rajya Sabha met in the Parliament House at 11-00 a.m.) *11-02 a.m. (The House adjourned at 11-02 a.m. and re-assembled at 12-00 Noon.) 1. Starred Questions Answers to Starred Question Nos. 341 to 360 were laid on the Table. 2. Unstarred Questions Answers to Unstarred Question Nos. 2604 to 2758 were laid on the Table. 12-00 Noon 3. Papers Laid on the Table Shri Mahavir Prasad (Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) laid on the Table:— I. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) of section 619A of the Companies Act, 1956: — ( (a) Eighteenth Annual Report and Accounts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), Port Blair, for the year 2005-2006, 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. Statement (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shri Suresh Pachouri (Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs) on behalf of Shri B.K. Handique laid on the Table:- I. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) of section 619A of the Companies Act, 1956:— _______________________________________________________________* From 11-00 a.m. to 11-02 a.m. some points were raised. 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2007 (i) (a) Twenty-eighth Annual Report and Accounts of the Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation Limited (HFCL), New Delhi, for the year 2005-2006, 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) Fourth Annual Report and Accounts of the Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup, Assam, for the year 2005-2006, 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) Fifty-second Annual Report and Accounts of the Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL), Pune, for the year 2005-2006, 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. II. Statements (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shri Kantilal Bhuria (Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution) laid on the Table:- I. A copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following papers, under sub-section (1) of section 619A of the Companies Act, 1956 — (i) (a) Thirty-sixth Annual Report and Accounts of the Madhya Pradesh State Agro Industries Development Corporation Limited, Bhopal, for the year 2004-2005, 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. RAJYA SABHA (ii)(a) Fortieth Annual Report and Accounts of the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation Limited, Chandigarh, for the year 2005-2006, 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. Statements (in English and Hindi) giving reasons for the delay in laying the papers mentioned at (1) above. Shri Naranbhai Rathwa (Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways) laid on the Table:- I. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) Notification No. G.S.R 540 (E) dated the 9th August, 2007, publishing the Railway Passengers (Manner of Investigation of Untoward Incidents) Amendment Rules, 2007 under section 129 of the Railways Act, 1989. II. A copy (in English and Hindi) of the Report on the Progress made in the intake of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes against vacancies reserved for them in recruitment and promotion categories on the Railways for the year ending 31st March, 2006. 12-01 p.m. 4. Messages from Lok Sabha (I) The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2007. (II) The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Bill, 2007. Secretary-General reported to the House the following messages receivd from the Lok Sabha, signed by the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha:- (I) "In accordance with the provisions of rule 96 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I am directed to enclose the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, as passed by Lok Sabha at its sitting held on the 6th September, 2007." 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2007 (II) "In accordance with the provisions of rule 96 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I am directed to enclose the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production Supply and Distribution) Amendment Bill, 2007, as passed by Lok Sabha at its sitting held on the 6th September, 2007." 5. Bills Laid on the Table Secretary-General laid on the Table the following Bills, as passed by Lok Sabha:— (I) The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2007. (II) The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Bill, 2007. 6. Report on Indian Parliamentary Participation at International Conference Secretary-General laid on the Table a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Report on the Participation of Indian Parliamentary Delegation at the 116th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held at Nusa Dua, Bali (Indonesia) from 29th April to 4th May, 2007. 12-02 p.m. 7. Report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare Shri Amar Singh presented the Twenty-fourth Report (in English and Hindi) of Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare on the Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry Bill, 2007. 8. Evidence Tendered Before the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare Shri Amar Singh laid on the Table a copy of the Evidence tenderedbefore the Committee on the Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry Bill, 2007. RAJYA SABHA 12-03 p.m. 9. Report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan presented the Twenty-third Report (in English and Hindi) of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice on the Government’s Policy of Appointment on Compassionate Ground. 12-04 p.m. 10. Reports of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways Shri Tarini Kanta Roy laid on the Table a copy each (in English and Hindi) of the following Reports of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways:— (i) Twenty-eighth Report on action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in the Twenty-fourth Report (Fourteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on “Land Management”; (ii) Twenty-ninth Report on action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in the Seventeenth Report (Fourteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on “Railway Production Units – Workshops and Maintenance of Rolling Stock”; (iii) Thirtieth Report on action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in the Sixteenth Report (Fourteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on “Expansion of Railway Network – New Lines, Gauge Conversion, Doubling and Electrification”; and (iv) Thirty-first Report on action taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in the Twenty-first Report (Fourteenth Lok Sabha) of the Committee on “Terminal Facilities in Metropolitan Cities”. 7TH SEPTEMBER, 2007 12-05 p.m. 11. Report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy Shri Jesudasu Seelam laid on the Table a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Twenty-first Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy on “Damodar Valley Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2007” pertaining to the Ministry of Power. 12-06 p.m. 12. Report of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology Shri Praveen Rashtrapal laid on the Table a copy (in English and Hindi) of the Fiftieth Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (2007-2008) on “Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2006”. 12-07 p.m. 13. Statement regarding Government Business Shri Suresh Pachouri, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, made a statement regarding Government Business in the Rajya Sabha during the week commencing Monday, the 10th September, 2007. 12-08 p.m. 14. Government Bill — Introduced The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology Bill, 2007 Shri Murli Deora (Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas) moved for leave to introduce a Bill to declare