TEXT :
17.04 hrs
MR. CHAIRMAN: I now call Shrimati Geeta Mukherjee.
SHRIMATI GEETA MUKHERJEE (PANSKURA): Mr. Chairman, Sir, it seems that our functioning has been very chaotic because it is stated in the Order Paper that this discussion will be taken up at four o'clock but now it is five o' clock. I think, the hon. Member is raising an objection quite correctly that as one debate is going on another debate comes in and nothing gets properly discussed and decided upon. I think, we should better take a proper procedure to finish one discussion and start another.
17.05 hrs (Shri K. Yerrannaidu in the Chair)
Otherwise, the Members would really forget what they had said about them. Today we have started this discussion and by the time we finish this discussion, there may be three other discussions and this discussion would be forgotten. I am sorry about the state of affairs and I would like you to take it up with the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs so that we can do little differently.
Anyway, as you have called me, I am starting the discussion under Rule 193 regarding damage to crops due to natural calamities. During this year, 19 States have been affected by rains, floods, flash floods, cyclones and drought. According to the reply furnished by the Government, these 19 States are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, UP and West Bengal. These are the 19 States which have been affected, according to the reply furnished by the Government to a question which was answered on the 16th December 1998.
Another interesting thing is that there are different replies and they have given different figures. I am not going into it in detail; but I will give one or two examples. I have got the replies to the questions. They have given different figures for different questions on the same subject, put on different dates. I do not know which should be taken as the real answer.
I would like to say that the States which have been affected most are West Bengal, U.P., Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Assam, Gujarat, parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This, I am saying from my own experience. We are seeing the figures from the replies also. I am not going into those figures at the moment. The damage to crops and other live-stock are more than that of 1997. The loss of human lives are also substantially higher than that of 1997. This year, the number of those who lost their lives, according to one of the answers, was 3494. The damage to crop areas during 1997-98 was 153.74 lakh hectares. According to another answer, they say that for two years, that is, 1997-98 and 1998-99, the area of crop damage was 151.6 lakh hectares. Is it possible? In one of the answers, they said that for 1997-98 alone, the area of crop damage was 153.74 lakh hectares and in another answer, they said that for two years put together, it was only 151.6 lakh hectares.
Is is possible? I would like to point out that the figures mentioned in the replies are fictitious. Otherwise, this kind of answers could not be given. The figure says the damage caused to the houses and huts during the same period, that is during the year 1997, was 3,30,849. This was a huge loss. The total population affected was 475. 90 lakhs. If those figures were correct, all that I can say is that the damage this year is much more. What the Government has done, in my opinion, is not at all what they should have done to meet the situation neither in the short-term nor in the long-term.
In this connection, I would like to cite the example of West Bengal. As all of you know, West Bengal, particularly the northern part of West Bengal was very seriously affected this time due to heavy rain, floods and due to the damage caused to the embankments. According to the calculation of the Government of West Bengal, the total loss amounts to Rs. 2,000 crore. The State Government of West Bengal demanded Rs. 700 crore. What did the Central Government give? Last year the Central Government had decided to give some amount of money for resisting the damage. Now, this year the Government altogether gave Rs. 30 crore. Out of those Rs. 30 crore, 30 per cent is grant and the rest 70 per cent would be loan for which they would charge 12.13 interest.
That means we will give more than we have received. So, what do we do? Let us come to this year's Relief fund.
As you know, there is a National Calamity Relief Fund and the State Government Relief Fund. Despite the fact that we wanted Rs.700 crore altogether, nothing has been given to us either from the State Calamity Fund or from the National Calamity Relief Fund. This is despite the recommendations of the 10th Finance Commission that the fund must be released out of the National Calamity Relief Fund in case the intensity is very severe. Unfortunately, except what I have stated earlier, West Bengal did not receive any help.
In reply to one of the questions with regard to flood prevention, it has been said that, `requests for financial assistance, specially for construction and repair of bridges embankments, have not been received.' The fact remains, Sir, that we have very much requested for it. The spurs on the Malda were to be done by the Farraka Authorities but they have not yet done it. If these two spurs - 20th and 21st - are not built immediately then both Padma and Ganga will meet together and will totally devastate the whole area. This is the position. It will create absolute havoc in the nearby districts. It is already in a very very precarious condition and that is why we wanted this help. For this Ganga Padma Action Plan, for all these years except Rs.15 crore the Government has not given much fund.
MR. CHAIRMAN : Please conclude.
SHRIMATI GEETA MUKHERJEE : I am initiating the discussion and I have not said even a single word extra.
Now, the construction of each spur will cost about Rs.15 crore. So far, the Central Government has given nothing. Unless these two spurs are immediately built up, we shall be in great trouble.
Another point is about the crop insurance. This was discussed at great length during the UF Government. The then Minister of Agriculture, Shri Chaturanan Mishra took great trouble in introducing that but till now only 24 selected districts, out of eight States, are being approved by the Central Government for this. If this is the situation, what is the use of having such Crop Insurance Scheme? The Crop Insurance Scheme will be of help if much more expanded area is taken into consideration. These natural calamities occur every year, however, the severity of them varies from year to year. Therefore, the Crop Insurance Scheme is very important.
That is not being put any attention to. I request the Government to pay proper attention to it and assure the farmers that they will be covered by crop insurance all over the country.
Sir, since you are asking me to conclude and I am a law abiding citizen, with these examples I am concluding, though I have many things to say. I am concluding by saying that the way the question of national calamity has been dealt with by the present Central Government, is nothing but calamitous. That is all I can say. The people all over the country irrespective of the type of the Government in the States, are extremely displeased with the performance of the Government. I hope keeping that in mind, in future they will revise their way and go in for something which is necessary for the people to face such calamities.
I will quote some examples from my area. The coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh are subjected to cyclones almost every year. It is very unfortunate that the farming community and the poor sections of the society in the villages are most affected by it. In the last floods which had come about two months back in Andhra Pradesh, river Krishna was in floods. The crops of beetle leaves, vegetables, haldi, and sugarcane which were grown in the islands of the river Krishna were destroyed. The farmers could earn from those crops anywhere around Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 1 lakh per acre.
The relief given by the State Government, when the entire crop was damaged, was Rs. 500/- per acre. When the loss was Rs. 50,000, the relief given was Rs. 500/- per acre. As I told you, it is not possible, even if we demand from any Government, no matter whichever party is in power, to compensate the entire loss to the farmers. But shall we leave these unfortunate farmers at the mercy of the natural calamities, year after year?
I know that you have certain problems in applying the crop insurance to the whole farming community in the country. But in those areas where these cyclones and floods have become a frequent matter, at least, those people must be compulsorily rescued by a comprehensive crop insurance scheme. When we approached you, you wanted to know whether the insurance premium can be increased on these crops. Yes, certainly, it can be done. I do not think that farmers would be against accepting a little increase in the insurance premium. They only want that they must be rescued when such calamities occur.
There cannot be two kinds of justice -- one for the farmers and another for the traders or industrialists. When an accident occurs in an industry, then the insurance company is compensating almost all the losses that are caused. So, when an industrialist or a trader is taken care of, why should the farmer be left out like that? If the insurance companies were to think that the extent of loss is very high on these things, then the same applies to the industrialists or to the traders. We are continuing our policy there, but we are not applying the same thing to the farmers.
Similarly, certain measures like raising some permanent structures and balancing the reservoirs are needed. During floods, these measures can take care of the devastating effects. In addition, if you permit small check dams on several rivulets, then it will help in storing a lot of water. It will help in avoiding damage to the farming community during natural calamities and it can also be put to extensive use later for irrigating the crops. So, appropriate planning and appropriate directions to the State Governments will help in reducing the loss to the farming community and thus we will be saving the unfortunate farmers, who have been neglected all these years.
With these few words, I request the hon. Minister to consider some special scheme for all the farmers who are living in the coastal belt and who are subjected to frequent cyclones and floods.
MR. CHAIRMAN: Everything is important. Please take your seat.
Now, we take up discussion under Rule 193. Shri Janardan Prasad Misra.
... (´ªÉ´ÉvÉÉxÉ)
ºÉ¦ÉÉ{ÉÊiÉ VÉÒ, ¨ÉèÆ Eò½þ ®ú½þÉ lÉÉ ÊEò SÉɽþä MÉÖVÉ®úÉiÉ ¨ÉäÆ +ɪÉä ¦ÉÒ¹ÉhÉ SÉFò´ÉÉiÉ ºÉä MÉÖVÉ®úÉiÉ, ®úÉVɺlÉÉxÉ +Éè®ú ¨É½þÉ®úɹ]Å EòÉä IÉÊiÉ {ɽþÖÆSÉÒ ½þÉä ªÉÉ =iiÉ®ú |Énùä¶É Eòä =iiÉ®úÉÆSÉ±É ¨ÉäÆ {ɽþÉc÷ÉäÆ Eòä ÊJɺÉEòxÉä ºÉä >ðJÉÒ¨É]õ, °üpù|ɪÉÉMÉ +Éè®ú Ê{ÉlÉÉèc÷ÉMÉgø ¨ÉäÆ ½þÖ<Ç ¦ÉÒ¹ÉhÉ VÉxÉ-vÉxÉ EòÒ ½þÉÊxÉ ½þÖ<Ç ½þÉä*
¨ÉɱÉ{ÉÉ EòÒ PÉ]õxÉÉ ¨ÉäÆ, ÊVɺɨÉäÆ ¨ÉÉxɺɮúÉä´É®ú ªÉÉjÉÒ ¯ûEòä ½þÖB lÉä, {ÉÚ®úä EòÉ {ÉÚ®úÉ EòÉÊ¡ò±ÉÉ
xɹ]õ ½þÉä MɪÉÉ*
18.12 hrs. (Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in the Chair)