Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Govt selling PSUs to pamper some private players, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

Congress MPs held a protest against the issue of electoral bonds in the Parliament premises on Friday, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi breaks his silence over it.

Present at the protest site near the Gandhi statue were Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, Karti Chidambaram and Manish Tewari among others.

The issue of electoral bonds has snowballed into a political flashpoint following reports that the Reserve Bank of India and the Election Commission had reservations against them, but were overruled by the Modi government.

The Delhi government is "creating hype" on the issue of rising air pollution in the national capital due to "political reasons", Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Responding to queries during Question Hour, he said, "It may be the failure of the state government. There are many reasons for rise in pollution. However, the state government is creating hype for political reasons."

He said there was no need to blame farmers for the rise in pollution as stubble burning has contributed to only 3 per cent to the overall air pollution in Delhi.

A bill to ban production, import and sale of electronic cigarettes and similar products was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill, 2019, seeks to replace an ordinance issued on September 18.

The bill was introduced by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

India generates more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste everyday, 40 per cent of which remains uncollected and littered in the environment, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.

In a written response to a question in the Lower House, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the demand of plastic has increased significantly due its increased use in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, which has indirectly resulted into the challenge of plastic waste managemen

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday attacked the BJP-led government over disinvestment of PSUs, accusing it of pursuing privatisation to "pamper" some private players.

Government is selling family silver of the country to pursue privatisation and is doing so without Parliament scrutiny, he said while speaking after Question Hour.

Chowdhury said, "Government is selling profit-making PSUs to pamper some private players."

The Speaker then told him that the time alloted to him was over.

At this point, Congress members along with Chowdhury walked out of the House.

The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved strategic disinvestment in five public sector undertakings including BPCL, Shipping Corporation of India and Concor.

Comparing the situation of air pollution in India with that of London and China, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Lok Sabha said "our approach is spasmodic in nature."

Lauding the foreign countries for dealing with the pollution crisis with their own formula, Chowdhury criticised the Indian government and said, "we have no long term perspective. Its a raring topic right now, after few weeks we will forget."

The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar when members took up Jawaharlal Nehru University student protests and water pollution in Delhi on Friday with the Chairman issuing warnings to members not following the rules.

An angry Chairman of the House Venkaiah Naidu told the members that Zero Hour is to raise serious and current critical issues. "When you don't follow the rules how can discussion over serious issues can happen," Naidu said.

CPI member K.K. Ragesh raised the issue of JNU students allegedly being brutally beaten up police in Delhi when they were carrying out a march to Parliament from their campus.

Ragesh said: "Is there no freedom of speech? Is there no freedom of association? Is there no freedom of assembly? Then why civil liberty is denied to the JNU students. Why there is an emergency kind of situation in the campus?"

The member demanded judicial enquiry over the alleged police brutality.

Over the same issue, BJP's Prabhat Jha said that JNU has a great history.

"It is an institution which gave personalities like Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman," said Jha. The member then sought know why the statue of Swami Vivekananda inside JNU was vandalised by miscreants.

As he asked why there is no probe against people who wrote 'Bhagwa jalega (saffron will burn)' in red paint at the platform of the statue of Swami Vivekananda, members started protests.

A huge uproar started in the House forcing the Chairman to ask the members to follow the rules of the House.

Thereafter when BJP member Vijay Goel took up the issue of water pollution in Delhi and started presenting figures of water supply across the city, Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh stood up and claimed that everything Goel is saying is "false". He kept on shouting "Vijay Goel is telling lies" even after the Chairman requested him to sit down.

But Naidu issued a warning to the members, particularly Goel, not to put anything on display like water bottles, water purifiers, air masks and other things in the House while speaking.

He told Sanjay Singh that he is not minister who needs to reply to the query of Goel.

"Don't put pressure on your lungs. It is already under pressure," Naidu told Singh.

Naidu also called for a 'mike out' for Goel who crossed the stipulated time to make his submission.

The Chairman said Rajya Sabha is the House of Elders and all need to follow rules, decorum and decency in the House.

There has been uproar in the Lok Sabha over the decision by the Modi government to sell several PSU companies in the country. The opposition created a ruckus on this issue. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary raised the issue in the House. He asked how the government was selling Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Air India. He said that while the Supreme Court has said on this issue that it should be discussed in Parliament.

As BJP MP Vijay Goel raises the issue of water pollution in Delhi in Rajya Sabha, parliament falls into heavy arguments on both sides. House Chairman Venkaiah Naidu had to intervene and appealed to both sides to not create a ruckus. "Please do not shout and put pressure on your lungs, anyway it is happening due to air here."

MPs Maneka Gandhi and Kapil Patil pick up the issue of plastic pollution during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha to which Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar is responding. "Ragpickers do not pick up small packets of gutka and tobacco because they have to frequently bend to pick these small plastic waste. It is necessary to ensure public awareness which will only help tackle plastic pollution. We have already issued guidelines regarding single-use plastic," Javadekar replies.

The Rajya Sabha on Friday will witness a range of matters related to the well being of and employment for persons from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, besides ensuring ownership rights of dwellings to people from underprivileged section and constitution of a new army regiment called the Tribal Regiment. It will also discuss matters related to universal health scheme.

The Ministers, who will lay papers on the Table, are Parshottam Rupala for Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Som Parkash for Ministry of Commerce and Industry; and Pratap Chandra Sarangi Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The Upper House will be presented with the statement of the Committee on welfare of SC/ST by Ramkumar Verma.

Meghalaya MP Wansuk Syiem will lay on the Table, the Final Action Taken Statement on the recommendations of 27th Report on the reservation for and employment of SC/STs in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) related to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Karnataka MP B.K. Hariprasad will introduce a Bill to identify dwellers like farmers, labourers, artisans, tribes living in non-revenue or un-recognised village and seek to provide them with ownership rights.

He will introduce also introduce

Rajasthan MP Kirodi Lal Meena will introduce a key Bill to provide for the constitution and regulation of a new army regiment to be known as the Tribal Regiment.

The Dausa MP will also introduce a The Mangarh Dham National Memorial Bill, 2019, to perpetuate the memory of those killed or wounded on November 17.

Meena will also seek for reservation for SC/STs people in private sector.

Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi will introduce a Bill to provide for the right to free and compulsory healthcare services and universal health to people

Besides a Bill on afforestation of mangroves will also come up also a Bill to provide for the protection and rehabilitation of victims of floods; also compulsory periodical desiltation of dams and reservoirs as part of Rivers Bill.

A Bill promoting social and emotional learning in schools will also come up.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) has given an Adjournment Motion Notice in the Lok Sabha over the "continued shutdown in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir)".

Prakash Javadekar on Thursday, while addressing the Rajya Sabha regarding pollution in Delhi had said that the air quality in the national capital had improved in the past three years and the number of ‘good’ and ‘moderate’ days has increased. “As per continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations data, there is a general improvement in

Kirit P Sokanki and Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma will lay on the Table the Final Action Taken Statement (Hindi and English versions) of the Government on the recommendations contained in Chapter I and V of Twenty-Seventh Report (16th Lok Sabha) of the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes regarding Action Taken by the Government on the Fifteenth Report (16th Lok Sabha) on 'Reservation for and Employment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)' pertaining to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Minister Smriti Zubin Irani to move the bill for selection of members for the National Jute Board. "That in pursuance of clause (b) of sub-section (4) of section 3 of the National Jute Board Act, 2008, the members of this House do proceed to elect, in such manner as the Speaker may direct, two members from amongst themselves to serve as members of the National Jute Board, subject to the other provisions of the said Act and the rules made thereunder."

Harsh Vardhan to move the bill regarding selection of two members to serve on Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.
"That in pursuance of sub-section (j) of section 5 read with sub-section (1) and (2) of section 6 of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Act, 1980, the members of this House do proceed to elect, in such manner as the Speaker may direct, two members from amongst themselves to serve as members of the Institute Body of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, subject to the other provisions of the said Act and the Rules and Regulations made thereunder."

Harsh Vardhan will also give Statement (Hindi and English versions) showing reasons for immediate legislation by promulgation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Ordinance, 2019 (No.14 of 2019).

Some Bills to be introduced in the Lok Sabha:

1. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Eport, Transport,Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Bill, 2019. Harsh Vardhan to mov for leave to introduce the Bill to prohibit the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in the interest of matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

2. The National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2019. Som Prakash to move that the Bill to amend the National Institute of Design Act, 2014 as passed by Rajya Sabha to be taken under consideration.

Further discussion on 'Air pollution and climat change' raised by Congress' MP Manish Tewari on the November 19, 2019. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar to reply on the discussion around 12.30 p.m.

Several will be taken up for discussion, consideration and passage on Friday in both the Houses including the Transgender Persons (Protection) Bill and discussion on Delhi pollution will continue