SCOPE OF PRIME MINISTER’S ROZGAR PROTSAHAN YOJANA TO BE ENHANCED

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved enhancing the scope of Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY). Under the scheme, the government will now contribute the employer’s full admissible contribution for the first three years from the date of registration of the new employee for all sectors, including existing beneficiaries. “The informal sector workers would get social safety net and there would be more job creation,” an official statement said. Started in August 2016, the government so far pays the 8.33% contribution of employers to the Employees’ Pension Scheme in respect of new employees who have joined on or after April 1, 2016 and with salary up to ~15,000 per month. NEWDELHI: Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and deputy chairman PJ Kurien on Wednesday joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi in expressing dismay over the frequent disruptions in legislative proceedings, even as the upper house bid farewell to its outgoing members.

Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress took exception to their remarks, stating that it was unfair to blame the opposition for forcefully raising people’s issues in the house. “I want to tell the nation that if democracy is alive in the country, it is because of Parliament,” he asserted.

Sixty members from 17 states, including four nominated members, will retire over the next few weeks upon completion of their six-year terms. Kurien will be among those leaving the house.

While Modi refrained from making any direct reference to the washout of proceedings in the upper house, he said it was unfortunate that the retiring members had “lost an opportunity to leave their legacy” on important issues such as the triple talaq bill.

“It is not necessary that whatever happens in the green house (Lok Sabha) should happen in the red house (Rajya Sabha),” he remarked, reminding that members with vast experience in different walks of life are a “value addition” to the rich parliamentary process of the country.

Modi praised the contributions of all the retiring members and wished them well for the future. He made special mention of some retiring MPS (including former attorney general K Parasaran, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey) and their contributions. Kurien, he said, would be remembered for running the house smoothly even during crises, and sending serious messages with a smile. Even as the members thumped their desks, Modi said the doors of Parliament and his office will remain open for the outgoing members and he will always be receptive to their views on various issues.

Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu urged MPS to refrain from further eroding “the quality of polity” and make a fresh beginning by conducting themselves in a more dignified manner. “The country expects a lot from you,” he said.

The second leg of the budget session, which began on March 5, failed to transact any substantial business in both houses of Parliament. While the Lok Sabha cleared the Finance Bill2018, the upper house was only able to pass the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill-2017.

“During this short span of time (three sessions), I have had mixed emotions... In this session, I appealed to parties on several occasions that their leaders ensure the smooth functioning of the house. I must confess that I am deeply perturbed by the way we have been conducting ourselves,” Naidu said in an emotionally charged speech. “Whatever has happened has hap- pened. Let us make a new beginning and see to it that we conduct ourselves in a more dignified manner and live up to the expectations of the constitution’s framers as well as the people of the country.”

The house chairman then went on to recount the supreme sacrifices made by soldiers who were posthumously honoured with the Shaurya Chakra by the President on Tuesday. Naidu also said it was a matter of concern that despite the stellar contribution made by many women members, they still constitute only 11.7% of the upper house’s total membership.

The outgoing deputy chairman also denounced the unruly manner in which members were lately conducting themselves in the house. “Walking out of the house was the biggest form of protest in the 1980s, when I first came to Parliament as an MP,” he said. “But now, people walk into the well of the house.”

Kurien urged both the government and opposition to behave more responsibly in order to raise the “standard of discussion” in Parliament.

However, Azad – who took the floor after the Prime Minister’s speech – said the opposition members were only raising issues of critical importance to the people.

“Our protests were never against the chair or any particular person. They weren’t politically motivated. It was not against our colleagues,” he asserted.

“I want to tell the nation that if democracy is alive in the country, it is because of Parliament,” he said, arguing that the opposition has the right to raise such issues in order to discharge its duties.

Agreeing with him, DMK leader Kanimozhi said MPS from parties such as hers were – at times – left with no choice but to rush to the well “in order to be heard and seek justice”.

To this, Naidu quipped: “All’s not well that ends up in the well.”

The day witnessed many instances of parliamentarians lavishing rare praise on colleagues from other parties. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’brien expressed his appreciation for outgoing CPI(M) member Tapan Sen, and stated that the Left party was “a political rival, not a political enemy”.

Arun Jaitley, leader of the house in the Rajya Sabha, described the moment as a nostalgic one. “We will miss many of those who are retiring,” he said, listing out the contributions of many members such as Naresh Agarwal, Satyavrat Chaturvedi and Rajiv Shukla of the Congress and DP Tripathi of the Nationalist Congress Party. He then wished them a great life ahead.

Tripathi, i n his address, claimed that women’s issues were not discussed properly in Parliament in recent years. Pointing out that about a million Indians will die of sexually transmitted diseases in the next five years, he said it was a pity that the parliament of a country that boasts of progressive texts such as the Kama Sutra could never discuss sex in a dignified manner.