Cong demands Budget session be curtailed in view of coronavirus

A Congress member in Rajya Sabha on Thursday (March 19) made a demand for curtailment of the ongoing Budget session in view of the outbreak of coronavirus but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said adjournment is no solution.

Through a Zero Hour mention, B P Bhattacharya said official business papers supplied to members every morning pose a risk to MPs as it is not known who has handled them and if they have been sanitised. “We have requested the prime minister to adjourn the House but unfortunately it is not being done,” he said.

He said, the House should be adjourned without any further delay. Naidu said “adjournment is no solution” and went on to state that hand sanitisers have been given to people dealing with papers.

Members are free to give any suggestions, he said. B Lingaiah Yadav (TRS) demanded the government give nod to setting up of a pharma city in Hyderabad at the earliest.

“Hyderabad is the pharma capital of the country with several USFDA accredited companies manufacturing drugs and medicines for domestic as well as export markets,” he said adding the state government has proposed to set up a pharma city in 19,333 acres of land, involving an investment of Rs 64,000 crore. “This will provide direct and indirect employment to 5.6 lakh people,” he said.

Sarojini Hembram (BJD) raised the issue of inadequate physical bank branches in rural areas of Odisha. She said out of 6,798 village panchayats, bank branches are present only in 1,875 panchayats only.

Prashanta Nanda (BJD) wanted the government to expedite work on development of National Waterway No.5 in Odisha and take up other five sanctioned National Waterways.