#Monsoonsession in Lok Sabha begins on stormy note; Opposition brings no-confidence motion against centre amidst Question hour

NewsBharati    18-Jul-2018
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New Delhi, July 18: The monsoon session in Parliament began on a stormy note and a high-voltage drama as the opposition made a ruckus in the proceedings with protests and slogans. As soon as the Lok Sabha session began, the opposition parties including TDP and Congress moved a no-confidence motion against the Centre in Lok Sabha. However, the discussion on no-confidence motion will take place on Friday.

 

Question & Answers in Lok Sabha that matters for the country:

Q) Raising the issue, Samajwadi Party member Dharmendra Yadav said the UGC had issued the circular in March. He said the number of vacancies for the reserved sections had substantially come down in the faculty posts advertised by universities after the circular was issued.

A) Home Minister Rajnath Singh while replying to Dharmendra Yadav said that the government was committed to reservation for weaker sections and that no individual or organization can take it away. He said the government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court on the issue. "No one can snatch these (reservation) provisions. No institution can take them away," he concluded.

Nuclear Reactors:

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that there are a total of twenty-one nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 15,700 MW are currently under construction which is expected to be completed by 2024-25.

“Besides, in-principle approval has been given for five sites including Jaitapur (Maharashtra), Kovvada (Andhra Pradesh), Chhaya Mithi Virdi (Gujarat), Haripur (West Bengal) and Bhimpur (Madhya Pradesh) for setting up nuclear plants,” he added.

To a query on whether the government was considering increasing the capacity of the existing nuclear power plants, he said, “The existing units are operating at their rated capacity. The unit size of indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) has already been increased from 220 MW to 540 MW and then to 700 MW, which is now under construction.”

"In addition, Light Water Reactors of 1,000 MW have also been introduced with foreign cooperation," the minister said adding that the government has taken several measures to enable setting up of nuclear power reactors. “These include resolution of issues related to Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act and creation of Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool,” he concluded.

Monsoon Forecast Prediction:

Earth and Sciences Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a normal monsoon during the current southwest monsoon season. "Rainfall over the country as a whole for the 2018 southwest monsoon season (June to September) is most likely to be normal (96 percent to 104 percent of long period average)," he added.

The Minister further noted that the absolute error of the IMD's monsoon forecast for seasonal rainfall has shown a significant decrease after the implementation of the new statistical ensemble forecasting system in 2007 compared to previous years.

“The IMD was able to correctly predict the deficient monsoon rainfall experienced during 2014 and 2015,” the minister said, adding the government has taken various measures to upgrade the IMD forecast system to "further improve prediction accuracy".

"Systematic efforts are being made to further improve statistical forecasting system," he added. "The IMD is working to improve the skill of this dynamical prediction system in collaboration with Indian and foreign academic institutions," Dr Harsh Vardhan concluded.

Who said What in Lok Sabha?

Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said, 'The government which led farmers to commit suicide, under whose regime women are being raped every day, we move a no-confidence motion against you.

Another Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “The attack on his office wasn't only an attack on constitutionally provided office but a larger attempt by ruling party to destroy the idea of India and accepting pluralism. Swami Agnivesh was also attacked. We shouldn't stand by as mob lynching and hooliganism rule democracy.”

"Who says we don't have the numbers?," asks Sonia Gandhi when asked about No Confidence motion.

Union minister Ramdas Athawale said, “I think such overconfidence will serve no purpose. We will show a clear majority on July 20. We will win comfortably and show our strength to the Opposition.”

Protest:

Samajwadi Party and Telugu Desam Party MPs protest in the well of the House in Lok Sabha over different issues including mob lynching cases and demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh.