PR ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATIONS: ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATION-234

Hon. Speaker Sir, I would like to speak on a very important and long pending demand of dairy farmers in the country. Dairy farming is considered as an important element for uplift of the farming community in our country. The income generated from dairy farming helps the rural economy. Dairy farmers have been requesting for a long time that dairy farming must be included in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Sir, this scheme is considered as an important scheme for the rural masses of the country. So, I would urge upon the Government of India to include dairy farming in this scheme. It will be of great help to the dairy farming community in the country. It¹²⁰ will increase production of milk which will ultimately improve the nutrition levels in our country.

Sir, I would like to¹⁴⁰ (1) draw the attention of the Government of India towards the issues being faced by the Indian travellers due to high airfare and higher charges for mandatory COVID tests at airports. Although many Gulf countries have relaxed travel restrictions, high airfare is depriving Indian travellers of their chance to return to their destinations. Many of them are forced to book their air tickets at exorbitant prices during this period of crisis. This has become a heavy burden on the Non-Resident Indians who are already facing salary cuts and job losses. Similarly, there are a large number of complaints against higher charges²⁴⁰ for COVID tests at airports. The mandatory test at airports costs Rs. 30,000 which is extremely high. Most of the Indian travellers cannot afford such a huge amount. Hence, I would request the Government of India to consider these²⁸⁰ issues on priority and take measures to help the Indian (2) travellers.

Sir, in the month of December, a very unfortunate and shameful incident took place in Nagaland where 14 innocent people were shot dead by the armed forces in a so-called anti-terror operation. Sir, this is not the first time that an incident like this has taken place where innocent people had to bear the brunt of the draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. It also reminds³⁶⁰ us of an incident that took place in Manipur in the year 2000 where over 10 innocent people were shot dead. Yesterday, various political leaders across party lines spoke about this issue and condemned it in one voice. Even the Home Minister gave a statement regarding this incident. He informed the House that a Special Investigation Team will be⁴²⁰ formed in order to probe this issue. But I also believe that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act should be repealed. I would like to say that the reason why (3) the Armed Forces Special Powers Act was enacted in 1958 was to ensure that insurgency is stopped in the Northeast but it has not been able to do⁴⁸⁰ that. We can clearly see that insurgency has not been contained because of the enactment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Instead, what it has done is that it has caused innocent people to be unfairly tortured, raped, and killed. Therefore, I request the hon. Minister, not just on behalf of my party but also on behalf of the people of the Northeast, to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act which has become a tool for the armed⁵⁶⁰ forces to suppress and punish the innocent people of the Northeast.

Sir, there are about 21 red points in my State which are facing various types of problems. They do not have basic facilities like approach road, lighting etc.⁶⁰⁰ Infrastructure in these red points needs to be developed (4) on priority basis for smooth operation and better distribution of fertilizers in my State. In my parliamentary constituency, there is no fertilizer red point. In the absence of any red point, the farmers of this region have been facing a lot of problems. I would request the hon. Minister to sanction fertilizer red points in my constituency and also examine the difficulties being faced by the existing fertilizer red points and review them in a timely manner for smooth distribution of fertilizers to the beneficiaries.

Sir, everyone knows about the cultural⁷⁰⁰ diversity of India. We are all very proud of India’s unity in diversity. These facts also underscore the strong cultural⁷²⁰ heritage of the country. Our country is blessed with a variety of ethnic and cultural practices, arts and traditions. However, these are not adequately preserved. We need professional support to sustain such rich traditions. In our country, we have a few deemed universities here and there, whereas the actual (5) need of the hour is to establish a cultural university at the national level. It will be possible only through a cultural university as a parental umbrella, considering the variety of arts and traditions.

Hon. Chairman Sir, I would like to make a submission with regard to the Uniform Civil Code. It is not about imposing any religious code or any other religion but it is about bringing the society under⁸⁴⁰ one Code. During the making of the Constitution, it was thought fit that we should leave out the social and religious code, as it was being practiced for some years. But as the Independent India is already in the 75^th year of Independence, I think it is necessary for the Government to take the initiative to have the Uniform Civil Code. Recently, the Delhi High Court and the Allahabad High Court have suggested that there is need to have a Uniform Civil Code. The Uniform Civil Code does (6) not mean imposing Hindu Code on every religion. It means bringing in better things from different codes together. I believe, the Muslim Code on marriages is the most modern system that⁹⁶⁰ we have in our country. I think, that needs to be involved with other religious things. At the same time,⁹⁸⁰ I urge upon the Government to take steps to implement the Uniform Civil Code. When suggestions are coming from the Judiciary, the Executive should at least come forward and form a committee to deliberate upon a Uniform Civil Code for the country.

Hon. Speaker Sir, the Northeast region of the country is one of the richest regions in terms of biodiversity. The wildlife and natural beauty of the Northeast is unique in South East Asia. The Government of India’s push towards oil palm plantation threatens this diversity. It will lead to an increase in air pollution, displacement of forest birds,¹⁰⁸⁰ reduction of forest cover, and will be detrimental to (7) the natural PH value of the soil. I request the Government to find alternate crops such as bamboo, cane, or local plants, and value the forest raw material that is there¹¹²⁰ in the Northeast. In today’s times, we need a kind of smart agriculture in the Northeast.

Hon. Chairperson, Sir, first of all, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak during Zero Hour. I take this opportunity to register my strong disappointment over the lacklustre performance of the National Highways Authority of India in my constituency. There is a project for widening of the road of 43 kilometres and this project has been going on for the¹²⁰⁰ last five to six years. Even now, it is not sure when they will complete this project. The cost of the project is about Rs. 300 crore. The National Highways Authority of India is giving the contractor extended opportunities and additional payments, which means cost overrun is taking (8) place and they are taking more years to complete the project.¹²⁶⁰ I request the hon. Minister to take immediate steps to see that this project is completed as soon as possible¹²⁸⁰ because it is a nuisance to the people living there.

Hon. Chairperson, the recent monsoon has brought about a big natural disaster in South Indian States. In the State of Tamil Nadu, monsoon has recorded the third highest rainfall over the last 200 years. It has caused huge floods, and thousands of acres of agricultural land have been destroyed. The hon. Chief Minister has written to the Government of India, seeking interim relief of about Rs. 2500 crore. I request the Government of India to release this amount immediately. I would also like to say that the new mobile application launched by the Department of Meteorology does not give adequate details about forecasting of rains which¹⁴⁰⁰ (9) can be very useful for the common people. It is only available in Hindi and English. The application should be made available in all regional languages, so that everybody can get benefit from that.

Hon. Chairman Sir, this is a¹⁴⁴⁰ very important Bill. There are 41 ordnance factories in India. Now, the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence is trying to convert this into separate boards. It is an indirect way of privatisation of ordnance factories in our country and the sole purpose of this Bill is to ban strikes. Thousands of employees working in the defence sector will be affected by this Bill. Banning the right to strike means taking away the legitimate right of the workers. There is the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947. Even the labour courts are there. Unilaterally taking away the right of the workers is not a good thing.¹⁵⁵⁰ (10)