New Delhi, March 16 Rajya Sabha members on Monday advocated for increased budget allocations for ministries such as Labour and Employment, Minority Affairs, and Tribal Affairs.
Demands for allocating funds to address the cyclones in Odisha and tax exemptions on disability pensions were also made during the discussion on the Appropriation Bill.
RJD MP Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha said that it is concerning that budget allocations to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj have remained "stagnant" for many years.
He also said that the amount paid to farmers under the PM Kisan Nidhi Scheme was Rs 6,000 in 2019, and even after seven years, the amount remains unchanged.
"Shouldn't these be our priorities?" Jha said.
He alleged that the process of issuing Soil Health Cards to farmers is rife with corruption, but the government, instead of accepting this, continues to "remain in denial".
Claiming that it had adopted a similar "stance of denial" in the field of diplomacy, Jha referred to the reported killing of 175 girls in Iran during the ongoing war in West Asia. He said that India should have condemned it, adding that not doing so has eroded the ethical standards and values that the country has followed for generations.
He accused the government of not prioritizing the education sector and said that the country was left embarrassed by the Galgotia incident (where a private university falsely claimed a robot dog as its own innovation at an AI summit).
He said that the incident occurred because the government neglected publicly funded education. He added that the non-NET Fellowship amount has not been increased since its introduction.
He also raised the issue of contaminated drinking water in Indore, which killed several people, and highlighted migration and employment issues in Bihar.
Muzibulla Khan, BJD MP from Odisha, said that 12 districts in the state frequently face destruction due to frequent cyclones, and a special package should be offered to address the situation.
Khan also demanded a revision of the royalty given to the state for coal and other mining products, claiming that the amount has not been revised by the Centre for the past 10 years. He also demanded the development of a rail network in the mining areas of the state.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha urged the government to allow optional joint filing of income tax returns, so that married couples with uneven incomes are not penalized.
He also demanded the restoration of full income tax exemption on disability pensions for all wounded soldiers and an end to penalty charges on bank accounts for not maintaining the minimum account balance.