Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Mann, Anupriya say farmers shouldn’t be blamed for stubble burning 

AAP member Bhagwant Mann and Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel on Thursday said in Lok Sabha that farmers should not be blamed for stubble burning, considered as one of the main reasons for air pollution in the national capital region, and demanded that they should be encouraged to grow crops which do not leave stubble.

They also said that the government should explore ways of using stubble in biogas and cardboard manufacturing to encourage farmers to sell it.

Participating in a discussion on "air pollution and climate change", Mann said farmers should be encouraged to grow crops including pearl millet (bajra) and sunflower as they do not leave stubble after harvest.

He said farmers grow crops which leave stubble as they get minimum support price (MSP). If the government announces a reasonable MSP on pearl millet and sunflower, then farmers would be encouraged to cultivate it, Mann, who represents Sangrur in Punjab, said.

Patel said stubble can be used for biogas and cardboard manufacturing and farmers should be encouraged to sell it.

The discussion had remained inconclusive on Tuesday.

No final decision has been taken yet on merger of University Grants Commission and All India Council of Technical Education, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Thursday.

"Till now no final decision has been taken on this issue," the minister said in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha.

Asserting that the BJP was trying to portray everything was alright in National Capital, Congress leader Kumari Selja said that due to air pollution the average life expectancy was shortened. "Six lakh children under 15 die every year due to  Air Pollution," said the Conngress leader

Speaking about methods to abate to control air pollution in Delhi-NCR region, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said several initiatives were taken by the Centre under the chairmanship of the Principal Secy to the Prime Minister.

"We have undertaken several initiatives. A high level task force was constituted under the chairmanship of the Principal Secy to the PM. Regular review meetings have been held," said Javadekar.

Claiming that Delhi's air quality has improved, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Prakash Javadekar said the major source of air pollution are industry, construction, vehicles, biomass and construction/demolition.

Prakash Javadekar further said that the Centre has allocated a total of Rs 280 crore for awareness programs to curb air pollution in Delhi and NCR regions.

"We are now migrating to BS6 which will reduce vehicular pollution by 80 percent," said Javadekar.

Speaking about the measures taken against stubble burning, the environment minister said Uttar Pradesh has recorded a reduction of 25 percent, Haryana a reduction of 20 percent and Punjab had gone a reduction of 16 percent.

BJP MP from Andan, Gujarat, Mitesh Rameshbhai Patel has raised serious questions in the Lok Sabha on the farmers' land acquired for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project. Questioning PM Modi's ambitious bullet project, he said that the process of land acquisition for the project is not just. He clearly said that the farmers are upset and worried.

The BJP MP said that the land of most of the farmers has been destroyed. He said that the farmers' land which has been destroyed is not being acquired. The BJP MP appealed to the government to immediately pay attention to the matter. It's important to note here that farmers have raised this issue many times, but their voices have fallen on deaf ears.

The opposition Congress on Thursday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of electoral bonds, saying it has made corruption "official".

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Manish Tewari said despite reservations expressed by the Reserve Bank of India and the Election Commission, the government went ahead with the scheme.

Congress members later walked out of proceedings.

Under the electoral bonds scheme, the government has offered complete anonymity to those making donations. A donor could now anonymously buy a bond, and deposit it with the political party of his or her choice.

Congress MP Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha, says I want to draw the attention of the House towards electoral bonds. The electoral bond scheme was limited to elections. RTI in 2018 reveled that government overruled Reserve Bank of India on electoral bonds.

Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel reached the Parliament today with an urn carrying the soil of Jallianwala Bagh. He will handover the urn to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rajya Sabha passed the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill on November 19th.

Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP on Electoral Bonds: When electoral bonds were introduced, many of us had raised serious objections about how it could easily become a way for rich corporations and individuals to influence improperly political parties, particularly the ruling party.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to Opposition MPs raising slogans in the House during Question Hour said, It is our duty to maintain the dignity of the House. Please do not come to the well of the house. I have always given all a chance for debate and discussion

Lok Sabha proceedings continue amid uproar, Congress gives adjournment notice over electoral bonds

Key papers are to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday by Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ministrr of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh and Minister of Human Resource Development.

Following Ministers to lay papers on the Table, entered in the separate list:

1. Ravi Shankar Prasad for Ministry of Law and Justice;
2. Jitendra Singh for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; and
3. Dhotre Sanjay Shamrao for Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Shamrao is also to make a statement regarding Status of implementation of recommendations/observations contained in the Fiftieth Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on "Progress of implementation of BharatNet", pertaining to the Department of Telecommunications.

Calling attention to matter of urgent public importance

R K Sinha, Vijay Goel and K J Alphons is to call the attention of the Minister of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change to the situation arising out of the
dangerous levels of air pollution in the country, particularly in Delhi.

1. Further consideration of the following motion moved by Harsh Vardhan on the 19th November, 2019:
"That the Bill to constitute National Surrogacy Board, State Surrogacy Boards and appointment of appropriate authorities for regulation of the practice and process of surrogacy and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, as passed by the Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration."

Harsh Vardhan to move that the Bill be passed.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019.

2. Further consideration of the following motion moved by Thawar Chand Gehlot on the 20th November, 2019:
"That the Bill to provide for protection of rights of transgender persons and their welfare and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration."

Thawar Chand Gehlot to move that the Bill be passed. The Dam Safety Bill, 2019.

3. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to move that the Bill to provide for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dam for prevention of dam failure related disasters and to provide for institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration. Also to move that the Bill be passed.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday will witness further discussion on air pollution and climate change, besides a short discussion over the appointment of two key members to the Khadi and Village Industries board.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will move the motion for the election of the members to the National Board for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

The National Institute of Design (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will also be tabled for consideration and passing. Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash will move the the Bill. There will be a short duration discussion under Rule 193.

Congress party has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over 'lack of transparency in the entire scheme of electoral bonds'