Parliament Watch | Opposition stages walkout in RS over no permission for border-conflict debate, Lok Sabha passes the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019 

Monday, December 19, marked the beginning of the third working week of the Winter Session of Parliam

Monday, December 19, marked the beginning of the third working week of the Winter Session of Parliament. Opposition members today continued to raise concerns about the clash between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh in both Houses. While adjournments overshadowed the pre-lunch session in the Rajya Sabha, members debated Appropriation Bills in the latter half. The Lok Sabha, meanwhile, managed to transact significant business as it passed two Bills while the Law Ministry also introduced the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022, which seeks to repeal over 60 obsolete laws, including one enacted 137 years ago. 

The House passed the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019, which would enable Indian authorities to take action against piracy on the high seas and was to be on the lines of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Before being introduced in Parliament this time, the Bill had been sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee and reintroduced with some of the incorporated changes. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar replying to the debate on the Bill today, stated the amendments moved as part of the bill put forth a range of punishments depending on the gravity of the offence and culpability.

Mr. Jaishankar also responded to DMK MP Kanimozhi, rejecting her assertion about the treatment being accorded to fishermen from Tamil Nadu. He said that rather than a step-motherly treatment, Tamil Nadu was being given a good-motherly treatment when compared to Gujarat. He laid out figures that enumerated since 2014, 2,835 fishermen have been released from Sri Lanka whereas 2,165 have been released from Gujarat.

While member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from the Opposition Congress supported the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, he also flagged concerns about the recent border conflict with China. Mr. Chowdhury also demanded a discussion on the issue of civilian killings in Jammu and Kashmir in Zero Hour. Referring to the recent killings of two youths in militants’ firing outside an Army camp in Rajouri, he said innocent citizens were losing their lives.

Besides, the Lower House also debated and passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 that seeks to include the Betta Kuruba community in the ST list of Karnataka as a synonym for the Kadu Kuruba tribe. As in the previous discussions on such Bills, members raised concerns about why the government was not tabling a consolidated bill but bringing in amendments in parts. Responding to the same, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda stated the house was also discussing the issues and demands of varied tribal communities and the endeavour was to ensure discussion specific to communities of each state.

As for replies tabled in the House, the Finance Ministry informed that the gross Non-Performing Assets of public sector banks had peaked to Rs 8,95,601 crore (Gross NPA ratio of 14.58 per cent) in 2018 but assets transparently recognised as NPAs had since declined to Rs 5,40,958 crore (Gross NPA ratio of 7.28 per cent), as on March 31, 2022.

In another reply, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed that as per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, public sector banks had recovered ₹4,80,111 crore, including ₹1,03,045 crore from written-off loans, during the last five financial years.