
## The Parliamentary Debates

# Official Report In The Hundred And Thirty Second Session Of The Rajyasabha

Commencing on *the* 17th *January,* 1985/27 *Pausa,* 1906 *(.Sdka)* 
 

## Rajya Sabha

Thursday, the  17th January,  1985/27 Pausa, 
1906 (Saka) 
The House met at thirty minutes past twelve of the clock, Mr. Chairman in *the Chair.* 

## Members Sworn

1. Shri    Shantinaoy   Ghosh    (West Bengal) 
2 Shri     Purushottam     Kakodkar 
(Nominated) 
3. Shri H. L. Kapur  (Nominated) 
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS—Laid         **        on the Table SECRETARY-GENERAL: Sir, I beg to lay on the Table a copy of the President's Address to both the Houses of Parliament assembled together on the 17th January, 1985. 

[TEXT OF THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS IN HINDI] 


6. Indira Gandhi has joined the ranks of the immortals of world history. The saga of her life will inspire generations to come. Every moment of her life was devoted to the consolidation of the unity of India and to the strengthening of the Indian people in all spheres. No memorials can fully capture the magnificence and radiance of her personality. The best homage that we can pay to her memory is to follow the path she illumined till her last breath. 

7. Disturbances and violence in Delhi and 

## [Text Of    The    President'S    Address In   English]

HONOURABLE MEMBERS, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to in some other parts of *the* country, following Indira Gandhi's assassination, resulted in loss of life and property. Stern and effective action was taken to control the situation within the shortest possible time. My Government extend their deepest sympathy to the families which suffered during the violence. Rehabilitation of the affected persons is a priority task to which both the Central and State Governments are attending with a sense of urgency. 

this first session of the Eighth Parliament. I felicitate the members of the new Lok Sabha and trust that they will make a significant contribution to the nation's progress. 

8. Government express their, deepest 
2. For India, 1984 was a year of trial and tribulation. But in the midst of sorrow and anguish, there was also hope and strong affirmation of the principles the nation has chosen and cherished. 

sympathy with those families which were victims of the gas tragedy in Bhopal. Rehabilitation of families which halve lost their bread-winners is being attended to. Action is also being taken to secure compensation for the affected families. 

3. In the earlier part of 1984, subversive Government are undertaking a thorough examination of the location policy and safety measures of industrial establishments with a view to preventing the recurrence of such disasters. 

9. The maturity and strength of India's democratic system were demo nstrated by the smooth and orderly election of Shri Rajiv Gandhi as the new leader of the Congress 
(I) 
Par and anti-national elements stepped up their activities in Punjab. The process of dialogue was frustrated. A serious threat to the unity and integrity of the country was posed by extremists and terrorists. The Army had to be called in aid of the civil authorities. The series of events which compelled the Government to use the Army to deal with the threat to India's unity and integrity have been chronicled in the White Paper issued  on July  10,  1984. 

liamentary Party. 

Elections to the 
4. On October 31, 1984, our beloved leader Lok Sabha were promptly called. Tho fair and peaceful manner in which and Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated in an act of perfidy. 

they  were  held,  is  a  tribute  to  the democratic  genius  of  our people. 

10. The elections of 1984 mark the 
5. A Commission of Inquiry headed by resurgence of Indian nationalism, transcending all barriers of com munity, caste and region. 

The un Justice M. P. Thakkar has been appointed to enquire into the facts and circumstances leading to the assassination. 

precedented mandate received by the 
 
ruling party under the leadership ol 
15. The price situation has shown considerable improvement During the Shri Rajiv Gandhi shows the over--whelming concern of our people for the unity and integrity of the nation and their desire for a strong and -Stable Government at the Centre. 

11. The unambiguous -verdict of the current year till the end of December 1984, the 'wholesale prices rose by only 4.8% as against 7.7 per cent in the corresponding period of 1983. The annual rate of inflation as at the end of December 1984 was 5.4 per cent as against 10.7 per cent at the end of December,  1983. 

people is also for continuity of the basic policies which have given strength to our country with dynamic responses to changing situations. 

16. The success in containing in 
12. The economy has made significant flationary pressures was due to the efficient management of the demand and supply position. 

Efforts were made to check the pace of monetary expansion and also to restrain gover nment expenditure. 

On the supply side a number of initiatives were taken to increase availability of essential commodities. 

Larger production in xesponse to Government policies 
°* 
providing remunerative prices and of progress during the last five years. The average growth rate in the Sixth Plan period is likely to hit the target level of 5.2%. Foodgrains production rose from 109.7 million tonnes in 1979-80 to 151.5 million tonnes in 
1983-84, exceeding the year's target by as much as 9.5 million tonnes. Agricultural production in the current year is expected to maintain its buoyancy. The enterprise and hard work of our farmers and agricultural workers have written a new chapter of high supply of key inputs, adequate im ports of essential commodities where ver needed and the building up of achievement of which all of us can be proud. The most noteworthy feature of the accelera tion in agricultural growth is the spread of the Green Revolution to the Eastern and the Central regions of the  country. 

 
. 

large buffer stocks of foodgrains have helped in   this  process.    The    public distribution system has played a key     role in maintaining price stability. 

13. Industrial production during the Sixth 
17. The external payments posi tion has continued to improve. It may be recalled that the Government had voluntarily given up the balance part of the Five Year Plan has also recorded an increase of nearly 24% upto 1983-84. In the first six months of the year a growth rate of over 7% has been recorded. This will give a strong thrust to the economy. The working class, in accordance with its traditions, has made a notable ontribution to the increase in production. 

14. There has been a remarkable improvement in the performance of SDR 5 billion available under the IMF arrangement after drawing only SDR 3.91 billion. The reserves position has since been further streng-htened. Foreign exchange reserves increased from Rs. 4265 crores at the end of 1982-83 to Rs. 5498 crores at the end of 1983-84. They increased further to Rs. 6250 crores at the end of December 1984. However, this is an area in which there can be no room for complacency. 

18. Through the 
20 
Point Program me, vigorous efforts continued to be made for the alleviation of poverty. In the first four years of the Sixth Five Year Plan the Integrated Rural Development Programme covered 
4.7 
Snfrastructural industries during the Sixth Plan period. By the end of 1983-84 coal production had increased by 32.9% and electricity generation by 32.6%. Production of crude petroleum had registered a growth of 121%. Production of fertilizers and cement have also registered increase of 52.3% and 53.6% respectively. During the current year these sectors have registered  further  growth. 

million families belonging to the Scheduled Castes  and Scheduled Tri-I    bes and 7.9 million families of econo-    mically weaker     sections  comprising United Nations Charter, commitment to nonalignment and stout opposition to colonialism, old and new, and racial discrimination. 

23. As Chairman of the Non-aligned various     other     communities.     This together with an additional 19.45 lakh families covered  during  the   current year up to November. 1984 bring the totall  number   of families     covered under the Programme to 
14.5 million. The     National     Rural Employment Programme   (NEEP)     and the Rural Landless      Employment      Guarantee Programme   (RLEGP)   have   substantially expanded   employment   opportunities    for the    rural     poor.      In implementing these programmes special emphasis has been given to benefiting women and minorities. 

19. Under the rural drinking water 
.   supply  programme,   out  of  2.31   lakh Movement, India has worked together with other nations to build a just world order and helped to reduce tensions and resolve conflicts between member States. The single most important challenge today is the threat of nuclear war. Last year, Leaders of Argentina, Greece, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania and India collectively called upon the nuclear-weapon States to delare a nuclear freeze and to substantially reduce nuclear stockpiles. In a few days from now, the leaders of these six countries will meet in New Delhi to consider what further action they can take to contain the nuclear peril. 

problem villages 1.52 lakhs had been covered till March 31, 1984. During 1984-85), nearly 
42,000 more villages will  have  been covered. 

24. We welcome the resumption of talks in 
20. 

Additional irrigation potential of 
11.5 
million hectares is expected to Geneva between the USA and the USSR and hope that they would lead to meaningful disarmament measures. 

25. Government attach high priority to be created during the Sixth Plan. The total irrigation potential of the coun- try by the end of the Sixth Plan is expected to be of the order of 68 million hectares against the ultimate potential of 113 million hectares. The multi-purpose development of Narmada  
developing close relations with all our neighbours. We are keen to see progress in the South Asia Regional 
 
Cooperation  
Valley  has  been taken up. 

framework. 

21. The all-round progress of the 
26. The militarisation of the Indian Ocean economy in the Sixth Plan testifies to the soundness of the strategy of plan ned development and is a tribute to the dynamic leadership provided by Shrimati Indira Gandhi. 

Government are now formulating the Seventh 
- Five Year Plan in the light of the .Approach is contnuing. This bring tensions and the possibility of conflict close to our shores. Government are committed to the objective of demilitarisation of the Indian Ocean so that the tensions are removed from this region and the littoral State, which are mostly developing countries, can devote their resources, attention and energy to .the all-important tasks of development. 

 
27. The induction of sophisticated armaments in our neighbourhood is a matter of grave concern. 

We hope Pakistan will respond positively and constructively to the several initiatives taken by Government. 

Paper. The priorities in the Seventh Plan were summed up by Shrimati Indira Gandhi as "Food Work and Productivity'. The country has now to make disciplined and vigorous efforts  to  reach  a    higher stage of development in which the imperatives of technological advances and social justice reinforce each other. 

28. The ethnic violence in Sri Lanka is a 
22. 

The new Government have inherited a coherent and principled fomatter of deep concern to us. We are convinced that use of force cannot reign policy from Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. 

The continuity 
, and wide acceptance of our foreign policy rests on our firm adherence to the principles  and purposes  of   the lead to a solution. A political process, in which all the concerned parties are involved, can alone result in a just settlement. 

Conditions must be created in Sri Lanka to enable the return of the large number of refugees who have been forced to take shelter in India. 

the Burma Socialist Programme Party. All these exchanges have helped in (further promoting friendly ties and cooperation between India and these countries. Leaders of 
102 countries were in New Delhi in early November to attend the funeral of Shrimati Indira Gandhi, bringing to us the sympathy of their peoples in our hour    of sorrow. 

29. Our relations with Chinahave shown improvement. We shall persevere in seeking a solution to 
35, I now turn to future tasks. The Prime 
30. Our friendly relations and cooperation Minister has already expressed Government's determination to find solutions to the problems in Punjab and Assam. 

with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries continue to develop. 

$1. We welcome the increasing cooperation in economic, scientific cultural and 
136. Government are committed to a clean public life. They intend to initiate wideranging discussions on electoral reforms wth political parties and would welcome .their cooperation.  
educational fields with the United States of America. 

37. In consonance with the objective of a 
32. We have noted with satisfaction the healthy political system, Government intend to bring forward in this session of Parliament an anti-defection Bill. 

38. Government will pursue vigorously the uninterrupted development of our bilateral relations with countries of West Asia, South- East Asia, and the Pacific region, East Asia, Afriea. Western Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbeans. 

33. We are distressed at the unprecedented reforms of the administrative system in order to make it more efficient and responsive to the people's needs and aspirations. 

39. Textile industry is in a poor state of health and this problem needs immediate attention. Government will formulate and announce a new policy for the  industry. 

drought and famine in parts of Africa. We have contributed 1,00,000 tonnes of wheat for famine relief and have offered medical help. The world community must come to the aid of the African nations in distress. 

40. Comprehensive reforms will be 
34. During the past year, I 
paid State visits to Argentina, Mexico Mauritius, the People's Democratic introduced in the educational system and a new National Education Policy will be formulated. 

Republic of Yemen  and the Yemen 
41. Our judicial system has an important 
. Arab Republic. The late Prime Minister visited the USSR, Libya and Tunisia. We also had the privilege to host visits by the King of Bhutan, the Amir of Qatar, the Presidents of Sri Lanka and Yugoslavia, the Federal Chancellor of Austria, the Prime Ministers of Czechoslovakia, Japan, New Zealand and Vanuatu, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the role in upholding the Constitution and in protecting the fundamental rights of the people. Some aspects need attention. The underprivileged eectioa of society must have easier access to judicial remedies. Speedier justice has to be ensured. Government intend to introduce measures for fulfilling these objectives. 

Chairman of 
42. Government will accord high 
47. These are some of the priorities of priority to the social, economic and national effort. Our duty as representatives of the people is to canalise the tremendous upsurge among the masses into cooperative and disciplined endeavour to accelerate development and to prepare the country for the 21st century. I wish you success in this great and exciting task. 

cultural  development of women.  An      
important step in this direction will be the provision of free education for girls up to the end of higher secondary stage. Government will frame a new national programme for women. 

In both the formulation and implementation of this programme, voluntary organisations will have an important role. 

Jai Hind. 

43. 1985 is being observed as the Year of the Youth. Our youth have already shown great promise in pro moting national integration, undertak 

## Resolution   Re.   The   Sad    De- Mise    Of    The   Former   Prjme Minister,       Shreviatl       Indira

ing social work and achieving excel 

## Gandhi

lence in all fields of human endeavour. 

 The need of the hour is to let the youth come MR. CHAIRMAN: It is with deep anguish forward to participate enthusiastically in nation-building. Appropriate programmes in this regard will be implemented. 

that I rise to propose the following resolution on the sad demise of our beloved former Prime Minister, Shrimati Indira Gandhi, on the 31st October 1864. 

44. Government have constituted a separate Department of Forests and Wild Life in recognition of the vitally important national task of conserv ing and developing our forest wealth. A new forest policy will be announced soon. 

A 
Waste Land Development 

Board is being set up to give new impetus 
to 
afforestation 
as 
a 
people's 
movement.   Steps are being taken to 
. deal effectively with the problems of air and 
water pollution. 
"This House mourns the loss of one of the greatest Indians of the twentieth century. Future genera-tions, rising above the cumult of our timeg will look with love and gratitude on the magnitude and splendour of Indira Gandhi's achievements. Her vision and tireless energy brought India into an era of self-reliance. She breathed new life into the concept of a united, modern] India. Today we walk upright with pride and confidence, pride in what India is and confidence in what we shall do for ourselves and the world. 

Indira Gandhi did not belong to India alone; 
, 45. My Government are establishing a Central Ganga Authority to stop the pollution of the Ganga. The Ganga is no ordinary river. With it are bound long memories of our past, our song and poetry and our search for Truth. A cleaner Ganga is thus a matter of the deepest satisfaction to our people. 

46. Government attach high importance to she belonged to the entire suffering humanity. Her voice was the voice of the hungry, the weak, the anguished, the maimed and the disabled. She laboured so that bitterness and strife may cease and justice prevail among nations. She fought relentlessly against all forms of oppression. With characteris-tice devotion, she espoused the cause the preservation of our cultural heritage. Equal importance will be given to promotion of creativity in the arts. Encouragement of science and technology and the application of scientific knowledge for solving the problems of the people will continue  to  receive  high priority. 