Title: Introduction, consideration and passing of the Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2003.
MR. SPEAKER: The House will now take up he Supplementary List of Business.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND COMPANY AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANT SINGH): I beg to move for leave to introduce a Bill to authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2003-2004.
MR. SPEAKER: The question is:
“That leave be granted to introduce a Bill to authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2003-2004.”
The motion was adopted.
SHRI JASWANT SINGH: I introduce** the Bill.
SHRI JASWANT SINGH: I beg to move:
“That the Bill to authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2003-2004, be taken into consideration. ”
MR. SPEAKER: Motion moved:
“That the Bill to authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2003-2004, be taken into consideration. ”
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI (RAIGANJ): Sir, I gave a notice under rule 218 because the Supplementary List of Business was circulated just now without prior intimation. So, I gave the notice just now. It is subject to your discretion.
SHRI SOMNATH CHATTERJEE (BOLPUR): This is a contingent notice.
* Published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II,Section-2 dt.25.4.2003
** Introduced with the Recommendation of the President
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : Sir, since the Demands of most of the Ministries could not be discussed, as usual for paucity of time, I thought of bringing a few points to your notice and to the notice of the Government.
The first relates to pricing of sugarcane and the condition of sugarcane growers. In spite of the hon. Prime Minister’s intervention, it appears from the latest reply given here on the 25th April, that is, today, that out of Rs.5,096.07 crore only Rs.3,030.62 crore have been paid and Rs.2,065.45 crore are still unpaid. Therefore, their condition is further deteriorating. I urge upon the Government, through you, to respond to this matter very quickly.
In regard to the Ministry of Urban Development, we could not discuss the Demands but widespread reports have been published about the DDA scam. In that regard, we hope, in the next Session, the Government would come out with a full report on the progress of the inquiry and the final outcome.
The condition of the Ex-servicemen and their problems are gaining momentum every day but since we could not discuss the Demands of the Ministry of Defence, we could not bring them to the notice of the House. I appeal to the Government and especially the hon. Minister of Finance, through you, to look into the matter.
Also, since we could not discuss the Demands of the Ministry of Defence, we could not take up the issue related to the progress of the Commission of Inquiry on the Tehelka.com matter. So, we would also like to know whether the Interim Report is prepared and would be tabled in the next Session.
SHRI JASWANT SINGH: I would respond to each of these. I will start from the last one and proceed upwards.
So far as the inquiry is concerned, as the hon. Member would understand, the inquiry is a judicial inquiry under Justice Phukan, a Retired Justice of the Supreme Court. The Government is fully committed to complete it at the earliest; and as soon as the inquiry is completed and the Government has examined the report, of course, it would come to the House. Let there be no ambiguity at all on that.
The hon. Member mentioned about the condition of Ex-servicemen. I am sure, he appreciates particularly three things really. So far as the Ex-servicemen are concerned, on the pension anomalies that remain, the Ministry of Finance has taken the initiative and appointed a committee to inquire and look into those anomalies so that those are eliminated.
I am sure, the hon. Member has also observed that of the 227 medical polyclinics meant only for Ex-servicemen, announced by the hon. Prime Minister to be established, the last information I have is about 114 of them, since it was mentioned in February, have already become functional. In fact, I had the honour of inaugurating the first one of them with the hon. the Minister of Defence. I do wish to take this opportunity to say that 227 medical polyclinics only for Ex-servicemen at one stroke in a country the size of India has not been done anywhere else in the world. I think, this is a really true outstanding achievement of the Government.
SHRI PRIYA RANJAN DASMUNSI : I would like to just bring to your notice, without interrupting you, in this regard that the dependant of an Ex-serviceman, who was a martyr in Kargil, gave me a paper yesterday and I handed it over to you. He is being harassed from pillar to post to get sanction for a petrol pump.
SHRI JASWANT SINGH: I appreciate that. I take that on board because I do not want to personalise the whole thing but this is correct.
It is entirely correct that between the announcement of a benefit – not only to dependants of Ex-servicemen or dependants of security personnel – and the benefit actually being received and enjoyed by such dependants, it is an inexcusably long and an inexcusably complex procedure that is followed. I do not wish to assign the blame to anybody but I am sure the hon. Member would recognise that if, for example, a petrol pump were to be allotted, the land belongs to the State Government and then the State Government and the city administration would come in. We have no shortcut to it. The only answer to this is a greater awareness all across the country and greater co-ordination. I take this on board and I accept this.
On the question of Delhi Development Authority, I am sure the Government will, at the appropriate time, share all information with the House.
The final query that the hon. Member had to say was about sugar. If the hon. Members would recollect, I had, in my Budget speech, mentioned that the hon. Prime Minister had specifically directed that just as for plantation industry, sugar being one of the oldest agro industries of the country, as old indeed as plantation, if not older, it is vital that all issues relating to the problems of sugar industry are addressed urgently. Here, you would appreciate that … (Interruptions)
(महाराजगंज, उ.प्र.) : अभी भी गन्ना किसानों को एम.एस.पी. मूल्य नहीं दिया जा रहा है। प्रधान मंत्री जी यहां बैठे हुए हैं। आपने इसी सदन के अंदर पांच रुपये एम.एस.पी. मूल्य बढ़ाया था और वह १५ दिन के अंदर गन्ना किसानों को मिल जाना चाहिए। अगर १५ दिन के अंदर वह चीनी मिल मालिकों द्वारा नहीं दिया जाता तो उनको बकाए पर ब्याज देना होगा। लेकिन मैं कहना चाहता हूं कि भारत सरकार चीनी मिल मालिकों को संरक्षण दे रही है और गन्ना किसानों का गला घोंटने का काम कर रही है।
श्री जसवंत सिंह : माननीय अध्यक्ष जी, मैं माननीय सदस्य को कहना चाहूंगा कि मैं चीनी को कड़वा नहीं करना चाहता।…( व्यवधान)
कुंवर अखिलेश सिंह: किसान मर रहा है, किसानों के ऊपर राज्य सरकारें गोली चला रही हैं तो वैसे ही चीनी कड़वी हो रही है।…( व्यवधान)
अध्यक्ष महोदय : चीनी का नाम भी नहीं लेना, दूसरी बात कीजिए।
अध्यक्ष जी, जैसे मैं निवेदन कर रहा था, माननीय प्रधान मंत्री जी ने आदेश दिया था। मैंने बजट में घोषणा की थी कि एक इंटर मनिस्टीरियल ग्रुप बैठेगा। वैसे मैं फाइनैंस बिल के दौरान इसकी सूचना दे रहा था। यह जो इंटर मनिस्टीरियल ग्रुप बैठा है, इसने इस दौरान अपना काम करीब-करीब पूरा कर लिया है। मेरा विश्वास है कि १०-१५ दिनों के भीतर यह अपनी समुचित रिपोर्ट दे देगा। अध्यक्ष जी, आप समझते हैं कि महाराष्ट्र में चीनी को लेकर जो समस्या है, वह उत्तर प्रदेश से भिन्न है और उत्तर प्रदेश के पश्चिमी जिलों में जो समस्या है, वह पूर्वी जिलों में नहीं है। एक समुचित व्यवस्था तमाम शुगर इंडस्ट्री की हो क्योंकि यह एक बहुत महत्वपूर्ण ऐग्रो-इंडस्ट्री है, सरकार इसकी महत्ता समझती है। मैं मानता हूं कि गन्ना किसान को अगर उसका पैसा समय पर नहीं मिलेगा तो बहुत कठिनाई होगी। सरकार इसे पहचानती है और इसके लिए हम पूरा प्रयत्न कर रहे हैं कि जल्दी से जल्दी इसका समाधान निकले।