Parliament Diary

In Lok Sabha today, during Zero Hour several members expressed
their condolences to the families who have been affected by the earthquake in
Nepal.  The Minister at the end of the
discussion replied to the debate informing the members about the Government of India’s rescue
efforts.  He stated that a High Level
Inter Ministerial Team has been sent to Nepal to coordinate the rescue
operations. It was also unanimously decided by a sense of the House that MPs
would contribute their one month’s salary to the relief fund.

Lok Sabha continued the discussion on Demands for Grants of
the Ministry of Human Resource Development. 
Members raised their concerns about the decreased allocation for the
Ministry. Issues related to enrollment ratios and learning outcomes were raised
by several MPs.

The Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Human Resource
Development was passed after the Minister replied to the debate. The Minister
pointed out that the number of children out of schools had decreased from
approximately 81 lakh in 2009-10 to 60 lakh in 2013-14. Additionally the
Minister outlined the Ministry’s progress and achievements so far and its
future objectives.

Lok Sabha also then took up for discussion the Demands for
Grants of the Ministry of Home Affairs.  Issues related to police modernization,
infrastructure development in areas affected by left wing extremism and
decreased allocations for border management were commonly raised by MPs. 

The Standing Committee examining the Demands for Grants of
the Ministry of Home Affairs submitted its recommendations recently. The
Committee recommended that the decision of the Ministry of Finance to delink
schemes related to national security, from central funding, should be reviewed.
In relation to disaster management, the Standing Committee further observed
that there has been underutilization of funds related to infrastructure in the previous
year, and allocations to the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project must be
increased.

In Rajya Sabha discussion continued on the agrarian crisis and
farmer suicides in various parts of the country.

Both the houses were sitting at the time of sending this
Diary.