Bring back Indians stuck abroad: Oppn
nNEW DELHI: Opposition lawmakers in the Lok Sabha urged the Centre to evacuate Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus disease outbreak as the Narendra Modi government announced it would not allow any international flights to land in the country for a week starting March 22.
Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury gave notice of an adjournment motion in the House over the issue of Indians stranded at airports abroad due to the pandemic that has infected over 230,000 people globally and claimed the lives of over 9,300.
Citing the example of Indians coming from the US, Chowdhury said that though they were allowed to leave the country, they faced difficulties as they proceeded to board India-bound flights. “Lakhs of members of the Indian diaspora are stuck outside, and we will have to undertake steps to help them,” he said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) member Sudip Bandopadhyay, echoing the same concern, said: “The coronavirus issue has shaken the whole world, and we are not out of it. Today, we have heard that the Prime Minister is going to address the nation at 8 pm. Let the PM also address the House after his speech at the national level. This is my request.”
His party colleague, Asit Kumar Mal, also demanded a statement from the PM.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said that these concerns had been addressed. “The finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) has earlier addressed the House on the issue, and the government is taking steps accordingly,” Birla said.
Shiv Sena’s Vinayak Raut raised the issue of 58 Indian students stranded at the Singapore airport. “These are medical students in Philippines, who went to Malaysia and they were kept in Singapore. This is the third day, and they had to endure a lot of difficulties in the two days preceding that. We reached out to the external affairs minister and the Prime Minister, and through you, we would like to request the government to take necessary steps,” he said/
Raut said 25 of those stranded in Singapore are women.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Dayanidhi Maran raised the issue of the continued functioning of Parliament in times of a pandemic.
“The issue of coronavirus is serious. The Government of India is taking stern steps. The world is also appreciating those steps taken. But why is this partiality towards Parliament of India? Are we not citizens of India?” he said.
NEW DELHI: In an unusual move, the Budget Session of the Lok Sabha will begin at 2 pm on Monday instead of 11 am to help lawmakers reach Parliament on time in the wake of a drop in the number of domestic flights due to the outbreak of coronavirus, officials said.
At the meeting chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and attended by Opposition members to decide the business of the House for next week, it was decided to start the proceedings late on Monday as the fall in number of flights has made it difficult for some parliamentarians, especially those from rural areas, to return to the Capital from their constituency before 11 am, officials said.
The meeting also underlined the government’s strategy to keep the Budget Session going as many opposition parties have been demanding that the session be curtailed due to the outbreak. The session is scheduled to end on April 3.
Lok Sabha will start late on March 23 and 30—the two Mondays falling during the session.