1984.pdf

## The Parliamentary Debates Official Report

ls THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINTH SESSION OP THE RAJYA SABHA 
Commencing on the 23rd February, 1984/4 *Phalguna,*  1905 *[Saka)* 
 

## Rajya    Sabha

Thursday, the 23rd February,  1984/4 
Phalguna, 1905 (Saka) 
The House met at thirty-eight minutes past twelve of the clock Mr. 

Chairman in the Chair. 

## President'S   Address—Laid   On The Table

MR. CHAIRMAN; I have never seen a fuller House. 

Secretary-General to lay on the Table a copy of the President's address. 

SHRI 
LAL 
K. 

ADVANI 
(Madhya Pradesh): On a point of order. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL: 
Sir, I 
beg to lay on the Table a copy (in English and Hindi) of the President's Address to both the Houses 
°f Parliament assembled together on the 23rd February, 1984. 

[Text  of *the President's* Address in Hindi] 


| 
the poorest rural communities. 

A 
centrally sponsored scheme for assisting smalland marginal farmers was also launched in  1983-84. 

4. The recovery of the industrial economy and the improvement of the infrastructure have maintained good tempo. 

Coal production has shown steady improvement after September and the output during 1983-84 will be close to 
140 
million tonnes. 

During 
 
(Text  of  the   President's   Address   in English). 

Honourable Members, the first nine months of 1983-84, power generation has grown by about 5 per cent over the previous year. The production of crude oil, which was 10.5 million tonnes in 
1980-81 
and 
21.06 
It gives me pleasure to welcome you million tonnes in 1982-83, fc expected to increase further to 
2G 
million tonnes in 
1983-84. 

Special efforts have been made to maintain railto this first session of Parliament in 1984 and to extend to you my best wishes for the successful completion way freight at a level higher than of the budgetary and legislative business ahead. 

the previous year's. 

Port eapacity is being expanded and Ihe total 
2. In the current year the economy traffic handled by the major ports has made impressive recovery and in 
1983-84 
is expected to be an progress overcoming the adverse all-time-high of over IOI million tonnes. 

effects of widespread failure of rains. Agricultural production is expected to 
5. The growth of the industrial sector, which was sluggish in the first grow by 9 per cent as against a decline of 4 per pent in the previous years. The production of foodgrains is likely to half of the year, improved in the second half and an overall industrial growth rate of 4 5 per cent is likely in 1983-84. Tlie manufacturing sector has performed well; 
textiles, engineering exceed the target of 142 million tonnes, compared to the actual production of 128.4 million tonnes in 1982-83 and the previous best record of 133.3 million tonnes: 
The buoyancy in agricultural and cement industries have shown substantial improvement. 

production  reflects  the  soundness    of the strategies and programmes follow- 
6. The industrial relations situation ed over the years. 

The irrigation potential, which increased by 
2.34 
also continued to be satisfactory durin" the year, in spite of various stresses and strains in different parts of the million' hectares in 1982-83, is expected to increase further by 
2.37 
million country. 

The common worker has hectares in 
1983-84. 

Special efforts responded to the Government's call to maintain the momentum in economic development, which is reflected in have been made to improve the utilisation of the potential so created. The high-yielding varieties programme has increased production. 

7. The growth rate of GNP this yamcontinued to expand and the 1983-84 coverage is expected to be 52 million hectares. 

Fertiliser consumption during 1983-84 will be wel! above the Plan target 
3. Special attention is being paid to dryland farming; 
4,246 
micro-wateris expected to be fi to 7 per cent, as copared with only 1.8 per cent in 198?- 
83. In the first four years of the Sixth Plan, the average growth rate of GNP will be about 5.4 per cent. The country can take legitimate pride in this achievement. 

sheds have been identified for adoption of new technologies  which will help 
8. The price situation has caused us 
11. Vigorous implementation of the Twenty-Point Programme, with its emphasis on. anti-poverty measures, is transforming the condition of the rural poor. 

Under the Integrated Rural Development* 
Programme, 
9 
anxiety. On January 7, 1984, the annual rate of inflation reached 10.4 per cent. The inflationary pressures on the economy largely reflect the low growth of output in 1982-83 due to the drought. A number of measures to counteract these pressures and to bring down inflation have been taken. These include incentives for increasing production of foodgrains, oilseeds and pukes; the expansion and strengthening of the public distribution system; a vigorous procurement drive; 
timely marginal augmentation of domestic million rural families, including 3.2 million families belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, have been assisted in the first three years  of  the Sixth Plan.    The  total outlay on this programme during the first three years has been Rs. 22,530 million. In the current year another 3 million families are being helped. 

Targets to generate additional employment under the National Rural Employment Programme were fully achieved during the first three years of the Plan and the progress during the current year is satisfactory. A new Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme was launched on 
.supplies through imports incentives for increasing industrial production; and enforcement of fiscal and monetary discipline aimed at the reduction of excess liquidity in the system. The record crop of 1983-84 and the continuing improvement in the infrastructure and the industrial sector wiH help ir. bringing down the rate of inflation in the months ahead. The Government have also taken several steps to curtail expenditure while maintaining the stimulus to production, efficiency and full utilisation of capacity. 

August 15, 1983. Rs. 6000 million have been allocated for it. There has been excellent response also to the new programme of providing self employment to the educated unemployed. A target of assisting 2.5 lakh educated, persons has been set for 1983-8-V 
9. The situation regarding our exter- 
12. Honourable Members of Parlianal payments has improved. The trade gap is expected to decline for the second successive year. During April- October 1983, exports (excluding oil) grew by 9.9 per cent compared to the same period of 1982^83, and the value of imports (net of oil exports) declined by 2.5 per cent. The policy of building production capacities in critical sectors and reducing bulk imports has yielded . dividends. Another encouraging factor in the substantial improvement in the flow of funds from Indians abroad. 

10. As our foreign exchange reserves ment are aware of the achievements of Indian Science in 1983-84. On April 17, 1983, the Rohini satellite was Placed in a near earth orbit. INSAT-IB was, successfully launched on August 30, 1983. Since October 15, 1983 it has been serving our telecommunication, television, radio and meteorology programmes. A large expansion of television services has been planned ' to increase the coverage of population from 23 per cent in 1983-84 to 70 per cent by 1984-85. India has signed the Antarctic Treaty and has become the fifteenth consultative member state. So far three expeditions to Antarctica have been organised and a regular station established. For the first time women scientists have gone to that continent. We have registered ourselves with the International Sea-bed Authority for a pioneer area for extensive survey of polymetallic nodules in the  central  Indian Ocean.    The first have increased, the Government have decided voluntarily not to make any further drawals under the Extended Fund Facility with the International Monetary Fund after the current year. Out of the total SDR 5 billion we are utilising only 3.9 billion, thus making SDR 1.1 billion available to the IMF to assist other developing countries. Our people can be proud of the success of our external adjustment policies. 

up  for the  development of our book industry. 

unit of the Madras Atomic Power Station, which was designed and 
16. The country can achieve sustainfabricated indigenpusly, attained criticality on July 2, 1983, and has been operating at power levels up to 200 
MW. 

13. Parliament has recently approved ed progress only in a climate of harmony and determination to resist any threats to its unity and integrity. "We can ill afford to ignore the harm done by this disruptive activities of Communal and secessionist elements, the National Health Policy which lays stress on preventive, promotive and violent agitations and systematic rehabilitative aspects of health care. 

efforts to denigrate the many-sided The core of the policy lies in community participation and the provision of health services through primary achievements of our people. Together, these trends in our body politic are weakening national cohesion. 

Some internal as well as external forces are at work to undermine Indian political and social stability. 

health centres to millions of families in the far-flung rural areas. Vigorous" measures are being pursued for control of tuberculosis, leprosy and blindness. India's efforts in family planning 
17. In today's complex international received international recognition when our Prime Minister was given the United Nations Population Award at a special *ceremony* held on September 30, 1983, in New York. An all-timehigh rate of around 25.9 per cent has been achieved in couple protection. 

The number of acceptors of various family planning methods has increased by 15 per cent in April—December 1983 over the corresponding period of the previous year. 

w - 
14. In education the focus of attensituation, it is essential to intensify our vigilance to preserve our economic and political independence. Every patriotic citizen must cooperate with the Government in putting down forces that seek to divide the people on the basis of caste, creed, region or language. At .the recent meeting of the National Integration Council there was a heartening consensus, cutting across differences of political outlook and ideology, that the fabric of national unity must be strengthened and the sense of Indianness promoted. There is agreement amongst most parties tion continued to be on universalising elementary education in the age group of 6—14, with emphasis on girls education, and on eradicating adult illiteracy by 1990. Taking advantage of the growth of television and radio, a vigorous programme of non-formal education has been planned. In higher education, it has been our effort to improve the functioning of universities and institutions of higher technology. The work of the two commissions set up to study the role of teachers has made progress. 

against the use of violence in support of agitations and the harbouring of anti-social elements in religious places. The use of places of worship by criminals affect their sanctity and harms the interests of the nation, apart from bringing a bad name to religion. I urge Honourable' Members to covert his growing feeling into a national programme to bind different parties in the country and different sections of our people into a strong and vibrant national entity. 

«^-- - 
18. In Assam, the State Government 
15. A National Council of Arts has been established under the chairman- " ship of the Prime Minister which will formulate policies to improve the national endeavour in various fields of cultural development and conservation of our heritage. 

A 
National Book Development Council has also been set have made strenuous efforts to promote peace and stability. This endeavour has been widely supported by the public who have realised that violence leads only to social and economic dislocation on a large scale. T)$*unals have started working to facilitate a resolution of the foreigners' issue. Firm measures have also been taken to tiations have not registered any procheck illegal immigration. 

I 
trust gress.    The   talks  between  the   USA    and the Soviet Union on the limitation of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Honourable Members will help in the process of reconciliation. 

19. Punjab has witnessed tragic have been suspended.   The prospect of    
redressing      economic  disparities      is violence against innocent persons. 

,    equally bleak. 

Some forces have sought to weaken 
24. The security environment in our the centuries-old fraternal bonds between communities. 

It is hoi own region has worsened. The militarisation of 
. 

the Indian Ocean area       continues. 

The     induction heart-warming that the majority of the people, irrespective of the community of       highly       sophisticated   weapons in our neighbourhood causes to which they belong, have refused to be misled by the sinister propaganda of hate let loose. It is imperative to restore normalcy and peace in that State. 

The Government have always been anxious 
"that the problem in concern. "We prefer to spend our scarce resources on development, but we cannot afford to be blind to our defence requirements.   In spite of this build-up all around us, we have preserved in our policy of seeking friendship with Punjab  be  solved  through   dialogue between all concerned. 

all our neighbours. We should like the Government of Pakistan to respond 
20. A distressing development is the positively to our desire for better relations and our proposals for friendship, peace and cooperation and to take recent spread of communal violence to Haryana. I hope that peace will soon be restored in the affected areas. 

steps to curb the propaganda directed 
21. The Government have been against us. The ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, in which Indian nationals and seriously concerned over the accelera- 
Tamils and others of Indian origin suffered heavy casualties and loss of tion of the activities of communal and anti-national elements which constitute property, naturally caued deep concern a serious threat to the security and integrity of the country. The dastardly assassination of an Indian diplomat in the United Kingdlom. 

by a gang of terrorists who claim to represent a to the entire country. It is gratifying that the Sri Lanka Government accepted our offer of good offices to facilitate a viable political settlement. We hops that the All-Parties Conference will secessionist movement in Jammu 
& 
lead to a lasting and satisfactory solution. 

Efforts aimed at the normalisa- 
Kashmir has emphasised the need for vigilance and preparedness on our tion of relations with China, including the settlement of the boundary quespart.' The wider repercussions of such developments should be kept in mind. 

tion are continuing. 

A 
number of 
 
visits have been exchanged and dis- 
22. Our polity has sufficient strength and resilience to overcome these difficulties. The health of our democratic cussions held with the countries of the region with a view to resolving outstanding problems and further improvinstitutions is sound. 

The Indian ing bilateral relations. 

A 
positive development was the launching of an people have time and again shown their determination to protect their hardintegrated programme of South Asian Regional Cooperation. "We were priviwon freedom and unity. It is up to us to harness their unbounded energy and idealism for the strengthening of the nation. 

leged to have the King of Bhutan as our chief guest on Republic Day this year. 

23. An event of high significance in 
23. The international situation ls 
1983 was the Seventh Conference     of disturbing. 

The arms race has conti- 
Non-Aligned Countries in New Delhi 

I    The Conference reaffirmed the continu- 
ed relevance and validity of the policy nued unabated with the global expenditure on armaments exceeding $ 600 billion annually..  Disarmament nego- 
Denmark, Norway, Austria, Cyprus and Greece. She also met the President of France in Paris. 

In addition to the of non-alignment. The Prime Minister, as Chairperson of the Movement, has already taken a number of initiatives participation of Heads of State/Govto promote peace, disarmament and ernment at the NAM* 
Summit and economic cooperation. The most significant initiative was the organisation CHOGM, we also had the privilege of playing host to a number of distinof informal consultations at summit guished visitors from abroad. 

Queen Elizabeth II combined a State visit to India with the opening of the CHOGM. The President of Bulgaria, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, the President of the Republic of Maldives and the Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia were other distinguished gues*s. 

These visits have level in New York at the time of the UN General Assembly. These consultations were widely acclaimed as having contributed to a useful process of dialogue on some of the critical issues of the day. Another step was the sending of a non-aligned ministerial group to West Asia in connection with the developments within the Palestinian Libehelped to strengthen the friendly ties ration Organisation. 

The Government and cooperation between India and these countries. 

29. Honourable    Members,    the Republic is passing through a period of stress. Important national tasks require firmly adhere to the principled policy of extending every possible support to the PLO and to liberation movements in Southern Africa and Namibia. We also played host to the Commonwealth Heads 
°f Government Meeting in November. 

It brought together steadfast devotion on the part of its public servants and people's represen- 
Heads of Government belonging to tatives. 

We must give more to the industrialised as well as developing countries and gave new support to initiatives for peace and international cooperation. 

26. The tradition of friendly coopenation than we take from it. A rededication to national ideals is. needed so that all of us may give of our best to the cause of national unity and progress. 

30. I wish the Honourable Members all success in their strenuous endeavours that lie ahead.   JAI HIND. 

SHRI LAL K. ADVANI: Mr. Chairman,  in  respect of this...................... 

MR.  CHAIRMAN:   Later. 

ration with the Soviet Union and 'he Socialist countries is growing. We were deeply grieved at the parsing away of Mr. Yuri Andropov, the General Secretary of the CPSU and President of the USSR. The Prime Minister flew to Moscow +o convey India's sympathy to the Soviet people in their sorrow. She had a useful meeting with Mr. Konstantin Chernenko, the new General 

## Obituary Reference

Secretary of the CPSU, at which the desire to strengthen mutual relations was reiterated. 

MR. CHAIRMAN: Hon. Members, I 
refer with profound sorrow and grief 
27. The Prime Minister had a useful exchange of views with President Reagan in New York. 

Preparation to the passing away of Mr. Yuri Vladimirovich   Andropov,   President       and leader of the great Soviet people. 

under way for the holding of Festivals of India in the United States and President Andropov, as hon. 

Members France. 

Our relations with the countries of Western Europe were further strengthened by various high-level are aware, had not baen well for quite some time and he      passed away on February 9, 
1984. 

He was a true friend visits in both directions. 

28. I paid State visits to Czechosloof /India and he took personal interest to promote and expand the bonds of friendship and understanding existing vakia, Qatir and Bahrain.   The Prime Minister   visited  Yugoslavia,   Finland, between our two countries. 
1984