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Lok Sabha passes Personal Data Protection Bill

Once the bill was passed after an hour-long discussion in the House, the Congress-led Opposition staged a walk out….reporsts Asian Lite News

Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, amid noisy protests by the Opposition, which later staged a walk-out after their request for raising a point of order was disallowed.

The point of order was on the allegations levelled by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Congress party and Rahul Gandhi.

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tried raising the point of order along with other party members, but Kirit Solanki, who was adjudicating the proceedings, did not allow it.

Even Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab could be seen expressing his displeasure over the lack of order in the House when the bill got passed.

He was heard saying that bills cannot be passed when there is no order in the House, and if this is the manner in which bills are to be passed, then the House should pass all the bills.

Once the Digital Personal Data Protection bill was passed after an hour-long discussion in the House, the Congress-led Opposition staged a walk out.

Minister for IT and electronics Ashwini Vaishnaw while piloting the bill, said that it has all the provisions to ensure protection of public’s data.

He said that it is framed in a simple language, is gender sensitive, and based on the principles of legality.

Vaishnaw further said that the bill also ensures data minimisation, accuracy of data and time limit on data storage.

During an almost hour-long discussion on the bill, in which eight MPs across parties participated, concerns were raised on lack of independent regulator, with Mahtab even saying that the bill was more about data processing rather than data protection.

Vaishnaw allayed the fears of the members, saying that the government has introduced certain “legitimate causes” where the government and private entities can process citizens’ data without explicit consent.

It will also impose restrictions on platforms on processing children’s data, he said.

The bill also mandates that India have its data protection regulator in the form of a Data Protection Board. The bill says the chairperson and members of the board will be appointed by the Union government.

Apart from that, the bill also has provisions that give wide exemptions to the government. The proposed law says its provisions will not apply in respect to the processing of personal data when notified by “instrumentality of the state as the central government may notify”.

In the Monsoon Session of Parliament last year, the Union government had withdrawn the Data Protection Bill with the aim of bringing a comprehensive legislation.

Vaishnaw had said that the joint parliamentary committee, which went through the original draft, suggested 88 amendments to a bill of 91 sections, which led the government to decide that there was “no option” but to withdraw the original Bill completely.

In November, the government brought another draft of the Digital Data Protection Bill and put it for public consultation.

The focus of the Bill is to protect internet users from online harm and create a safe and trusted digital ecosystem as India is a digital economy powerhouse today.

The reintroduced draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, proposes six types of penalties on non-companies to companies. To prevent a personal data breach, a penalty of up to Rs 250 core was being proposed in the draft bill.

Besides, failure to notify the Board and affected Data Principals in the event of a personal data breach and non-fulfilment of additional obligations in relation to Children may attract Rs penalty up to Rs 200 crore.

Non-fulfilment of additional obligations of Significant Data Fiduciary under the sections 11 and 16 of the Act may attract Rs 150 crore and Rs 10 crore fines, respectively.

Further, non-compliance with provisions of this Act other than those listed in (1) to (5) and any rule made thereunder will attract penalties up to Rs 50 crore.

Regarding the transfer of personal data outside India, the Bill says the central government may, after an assessment of such factors as it may consider necessary, notify such countries or territories outside India to which a Data Fiduciary may transfer personal data, in accordance with such terms and conditions as may be specified.

In a major exemption, the central government may, by notification, exempt from the application of provisions of this Act, the processing of personal data by any instrumentality of the State in the interests of sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, maintenance of public order or preventing incitement to any cognizable offence.

During the drafting of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, the Centre said the entire gamut of principles was widely debated and discussed. These include rights of individuals, duties of entities processing personal data and regulatory framework, among others. (with inputs from agencies)

Panel recommends adequate representation in judicial appointments

Noting lack of reservation, Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice recommended for adequate representation of various sections of Indian society in the judicial appointments at High Courts and Supreme Court level to strengthen the trust, credibility, and acceptability of the judiciary among the citizens.

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi presented its 133rd report on the subject “Judicial Processes and their reform” to both the Houses of Parliament on Monday.

Raising points in its Para 12 of the report that our higher judiciary suffers from a “diversity deficit”, the Committee mentioned that the representation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), women, and minorities in the higher judiciary is far below the desired levels and does not reflect the social diversity of the country.

In recent years there has been a declining trend in representation from all the marginalized sections of Indian society, said the Committee.

“Though there is no provision for reservation in the judicial appointments at High Courts and Supreme Court level, the Committee feels that adequate representation of various sections of Indian society will further strengthen the trust, credibility, and acceptability of the Judiciary among the citizens,” said the Committee in the report’s Para 13.

In the report’s Para 16, the Committee also mentioned that “while making recommendations for appointments to the Higher Judiciary, both the Supreme Court and the High Court’s Collegiums should recommend an adequate number of women and candidates from the marginalized sections of the society including minorities.”

“This provision should be clearly mentioned in the Memoranda of Procedure (MoP), which is presently under finalization.”

Further, as of now, data related to the social status of High Court judges are available from 2018 onwards, the Committee, in the report’s Para 17, recommended the Department of Justice find ways and means to collect such data in respect of all judges presently serving in the Supreme Court and High Courts.

“For doing this, if required, necessary amendments may be brought in the respective Acts and service rules of the judges,” pointed the Committee in the report.

This report concerns the higher judiciary of the country like Supreme Court and High

Courts wherein the committee examined issues and suggested six reforms that included Social Diversity in the appointment of Judges in the High Court and Supreme Court, feasibility of Regional Benches of Supreme Court, exploring the possibilities of increasing the retirement age of High Court and Supreme Court Judges, vacations in the Supreme Court and High Courts, mandatory declaration of assets by the Judges of the Supreme Court and High

Courts and preparation and publication of Annual Reports by the Supreme Court and High Courts. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Parliament readies for launch of 2024 Lok Sabha campaign

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Parliament readies for launch of 2024 Lok Sabha campaign

The 2024 campaign is about two different paths for India during coming decades. Another term in office is essential for Prime Minister Modi to complete the work he began in 2014, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat

Parliament will witness the start of the campaign by both the ruling as well as opposition parties for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections next week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a hat-trick by securing a BJP majority in the next Lok Sabha, on the lines of the previous two. As for his likely opponent, a lower court found the Congress Party’s de facto Prime Ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi guilty of criminal defamation and imposed the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence. As a consequence of the judgement, Rahul was disqualified from being an MP.

The Gujarat High Court concurred with the lower court view, only to have the matter stayed by the Supreme Court, thereby ensuring his return to the Lok Sabha. Had Rahul Gandhi used his immense influence over the previous government to consign the colonial-era law relating to criminal defamation to the trashcan, he would not have had to go through the temporary inconvenience of being deprived of his Lok Sabha seat. A criminal defamation law belongs only to a colonised and not a free people. It is to be hoped that it will be removed from the statute books by the present government in the same way as so many other colonial-era laws and regulations have been since PM Modi took over in 2014.

Several of the laws passed in the present Monsoon Session of Parliament have a transformative nature, such as the legislation relating to ease of business. This de-criminalises several business practices that are legal elsewhere but were banned in India. In the US, the second largest democracy in the world, with rare exceptions, financial misdemeanours are punished with fines rather than with imprisonment. As a consequence, the exchequer gains revenue rather than incur the additional cost of yet another person joining the penal population of the country.

In the US, where business is concerned, prison time is given in rare cases of deliberate and substantial fraud, and not otherwise. During his tenure, especially in the second 5-year term, considerable distance has been covered by PM Modi in making India a destination where an official or a business mistake made in good faith is not used as an excuse to prosecute and ruin a person. Should Prime Minister Modi return to his current office after the coming polls, a clearing away of the web of enterprise and initiative stifling (where businesspersons and officials are concerned) laws and regulations is likely to continue. If the BJP were to lose the polls, the policy path that will be taken by the opposition alliance in such a matter is unclear.

The 2020s are an era of decoupling, and not merely from China. As a consequence of ageing populations, large numbers of Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese SMEs and MSMEs are relocating from their home countries to nearby destinations which are lower cost and have a relative abundance of young and skilled talent. Where India is concerned, it needs to be remembered that some of the ASEAN members are emerging as potent competitors, especially for relocating SMEs and MSMEs, both sectors which are significant job creators. Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia have improved the availability and standard of their educational institutions, thereby providing a sufficient pool of manpower for foreign companies seeking to relocate not just from China but from their own shores.

The opposition parties’ meet in Bengaluru. (Photo IANS)

Ensuring that India is able to out-compete such countries in attracting external investment will need several more reforms, which is why the nature, leadership and composition of the next Union Government will be of overwhelming importance to the fortunes of youth in particular. On the matter of key elements of economic policy, as yet the stand of the I.N.D.I.A coalition is not known, and neither is the likely composition and direction of its government, were the group to emerge the victors in 2024. During the 1950s until the mid-1980s, it was considered the divine right of government to expropriate private property, a tendency still present in the form of numerous efforts by various state governments to seize private properties “for the good of the people” when they lack title to them, nor has the transfer been agreed to by the owners.

Fear of the courts is not a limiting factor in such property grabs, as the legal system is clogged with tens of millions of cases, and the laws so framed that substantial delay is commonplace, except in relatively rare cases of rapid intervention by a High Court or the Supreme Court. Redressal is often delayed for such a long period that often the owners pass away or lose interest in spending more and more time and money fighting cases that have lasted for decades. Justice sans delay is central to attracting investors, and the expectation is that the Supreme Court will put in place measures that have this effect.

PM Modi with BJP President J.P. Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah during BJP Parliamentary meeting in New Delhi. (Photo Qamar Sibtain IANS)

CONSEQUENTIAL ELECTION

The attitude towards court judgements often has an impact on the popularity of a government. After the courageous Shah Bano got a verdict in her favour in 1985 through the Supreme Court, rather than stand by her, the government of the day passed legislation that nullified the verdict. From that time onwards, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s political fortunes began to slide downhill. The error of believing that a small group of religious exclusivists accurately represents a vibrant community that now numbers close to 200 million has been repeatedly made. In Rajiv Gandhi’s case, several so-called “modern” minds of different faiths convinced him to pass the legislation that he did, rather than side with his own minister, Arif Mohammad Khan, who supported the Shah Bano verdict and urged its implementation.

As the welcoming reaction to recent measures such as the abolition of the practice of Triple Talaq has shown, those who look to the future rather than remain tethered to the past are overwhelmingly in the majority in our country. In the case of the abolition of Article 370, Kashmir has benefitted from a measure that nullified a provision that was implicitly based on the discredited Two Nation theory. Hindus and Muslims are a single nation, Indians together. Equally welcome would be the passage of a Uniform Civil Code that ensures privileges to women that some long-established modes lack would be welcomed by all communities. Mary Roy, the mother of activist Arundhati Roy, fought and won her case relating to inheritance rights for women in the Christian community.

Rather than change the law as happened in the case of Shah Bano, the government accepted the verdict, as did the Christian community. Those who had warned of the verdict’s severe disruption and turmoil within a community that has inter alia set up a large number of educational institutions across India were proved wrong, as would those be who predict a doomsday scenario were a Uniform Civil Code to become the law of the land, just as it is in the US, Europe, and several Muslim-majority countries. The good news in India is that women in particular are making their presence and ability felt in several fields, as are young people. They deserve good governance, they deserve an enabling environment for their brighter futures.

Where the reforms needed for that to happen are concerned, much will depend on which group of parties emerge victorious in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The difference between a continuation of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an alternative government made up of the 26 coalition partners is likely going to be substantial. The differences between the two cut across the fields of foreign, economic and domestic policy. The 2024 campaign is about two different paths for India during coming decades. Another term in office is essential for Prime Minister Modi to complete the work he began in 2014, the fact that is what makes the coming Lok Sabha election so consequential.

Prime Minister Modi has made central to his campaign issues such as the anti-corruption drive, the refusal (as witnessed at Galwan in 2020) to allow more land grab by the PLA, and showing that “PM Cares” is not just a slogan but a reality in terms of practical policy. Those who have brought forward the No Confidence motion will seek to disprove that such is actually the case. What the people of India will expect to hear during the 8-9 August debate on the motion and the Prime Minister’s reply on 10 August as to what the future that either side is planning for India, and how that future is to be made a reality.

The policies favoured by the two sides and the different futures they result in are what is of concern to the voter. It is important for both sides to show in detail what the difference is, so that an informed choice can be made while voting. What is expected are clarity and completeness in the alternative road maps presented by the two opposing sides for going on the path to the future of India. Such is what the people expect from the leaders speaking on the motion on both sides. More and more voters are becoming aware that the 2024 polls are on track to being the most consequential where their lives are concerned, and that the debate that will take place in Parliament on the motion before it will give a pointer to what is in store if one side or the other wins the 2024 contest for the Lok Sabha.

In the case of the government, the record of Prime Minister Modi is open and substantial. The parties seeking to overthrow the present government need to show what the alternative offered by them is, not in flowery poetic expressions but in real-life prose, and who the individuals are who will carry out the promises made. Thus far, neither has been revealed to the public.

ALSO READ: India’s ASEAN outreach grows with Myanmar rail link

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Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership restored

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi’s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark…reports Asian Lite News

Lok Sabha Secretariat on Monday restored the membership of Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court on August 4 stayed his conviction in the ‘Modi’ surname remark case.

The Congress leader who was disqualified from the lower house in March 2023 was reinstated as the Wayanad MP.

 “In continuation of Notification No. 21/4(3)/2023/TO(B), dated the 24th March, 2023, the Supreme Court of India has passed an order on 04.08.2023 in Special Leave to Appeal (Crl.) No. 8644/2023, staying the conviction of Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala, which was ordered by the judgment dated

23.03.2023 of the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat in C.C./ 18712/2019,” an official notification issued by Lok Sabha secretariat read.

“In view of order dated 04.08.2023 of the Supreme Court of India, the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, notified vide Gazette Notification no. 21/4(3)/2023/TO(B) dated the 24th March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, has ceased to operate subject to further judicial pronouncements,” it added.

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi’s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24.

Soon after Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership was reinstated on Monday, Congress leaders began celebrating the occasion.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and other party leaders exchanged sweets on the occasion.

The celebrations also began outside the residence of Sonia Gandhi, where party workers were seen dancing.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge welcomed the move by Lok Sabha secretariat and said that it brings relief to the people of India.

“The decision to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as an MP is a welcome step. It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad. Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders,” Kharge tweeted.

On the restoration of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi says, “Speaker took the decision today. We followed the legal process, and immediately after receiving the Supreme Court’s order, we restored it.”

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi’s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24. (ANI)

ALSO READ-SC Puts a Hold on Rahul Gandhi’s Conviction Over ‘Modi Surname’ Remark

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LS Speaker withdraws suspension of 4 MPs

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Indian Antarctic Bill 2022 amid sloganeering by the opposition MPs which forced the adjournment of the House…reports Asian Lite News

The Lok Sabha Speaker withdrew the suspension of four Congress MPs on Monday after the Opposition assured that they will not bring placards into the House.

Speaker Om Birla gave the ruling and asked the members to respect the sanctity of the House. The proposal for the withdrawal of the suspensions was moved by parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.

The four Congress MPs — Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, Jothimani and T.N. Prathapan — were suspended last Monday for the entire Monsoon Session ending August 12 for holding protests with placards inside the House. Speaker Om Birla had earlier warned them to behave and not to wave the placards inside the House if they wanted to protest.

As the proceedings began in the Lok Sabha last Monday after the swearing-in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu, the opposition members started sloganeering on the issue of price rise and hiked GST rates. Some MPs were seen holding placards and banners and some Opposition MPs reached the well of the House.

Antarctic Bill passed in RS before adjournment

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Indian Antarctic Bill 2022 amid sloganeering by the opposition MPs which forced the adjournment of the House.

The Lok Sabha had given its approval to the bill on July 22.

The Indian Antarctic Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh. The bill was passed with a voice vote after a brief discussion amid protests by the opposition members.

The bill seeks to protect the environment of the Antarctic along with dependent and associated ecosystems and to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty. India has two active research stations in the Antarctic — Maitri and Bharti.

The bill proposes to prohibit Indian expedition to Antarctica without a permit or written authorisation of another party to the Antarctic Treaty. It also provides for inspection by an officer appointed by the government and for a penalty for contravention of certain provisions of the legislation.

The Upper House also listed the widely-demanded price rise issue for discussion on Tuesday. Both the Houses witnessed repeated adjournments on Monday amid protests by the opposition members.

Trinamool MP bites raw brinjal in Lok Sabha

Trinamool Congress member Lok Sabha Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, participating in a debate in the house on Monday. pulled out a raw brinjal and bit it to show the plight of common people due to hike in the prices of LPG (cooking gas) cylinders.

“Do they want us to eat raw vegetables,” she said, targetting the government in a debate on price rise initiated by Congress member Manish Tewari.

Dastidar said that the cost of LPG has risen from Rs 600 to Rs 1,100 per cylinder which has disturbed the budget of a household.

Beginning the debate, Tewari had said that during the past 14 months, the inflation rate has been in double digits, making it the highest in 30 years.

He also noted that GST has been increased on daily items like rice, curd, paneer and unfortunately, even the children have not been spared as stationary prices have also gone up. Speaking in Hindi, he concluded the debate with a Punjabi couplet saying that since demonetisation, the country’s economy is on a downward trajectory.

Defending the government, BJP’s Nishikant Dubey said in the neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the inflation is rising and so is unemployment, but “despite such a bad situation in India, the poor are still getting two-time meal for free…”

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Family Court Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha

However, the opposition is slamming the government, alleging that it is not willing to hold discussion and is trying to corner the opposition…reports Asian Lite News

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Family Court Amendment Bill.

The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 18, 2022. It allows state governments to establish Family Courts, and the Central government is empowered to notify dates for the Act to come into force in different states.

Speaking in the Parliament, Law Minister Kiren Rijuju has expressed concern over the pendency of cases which are reaching 5 crore despite fast disposal of cases.

He said the rate of disposal is also high but the cases are being filed as well.

The Minister also that the government does not interfere in the appointment of judges but it can’t appoint anyone as it has also the process of due diligence and the government has every right to do that.

The Bill seeks to extend retrospectively the Act to the state of Himachal Pradesh, with effect from February 15, 2019, and to the state of Nagaland, with effect from September 12, 2008.

The establishment of Family Courts in both the states will be retrospectively valid from these dates. All actions taken under the Act in both the states, including the appointment of judges, and orders and judgments passed by the Family Courts, will also be deemed to be valid from these dates retrospectively.

Meanwhile, the Central government seems to be in a confrontation mode in Parliament and has alleged that the opposition is not willing to let the House run, hence the decision to suspend ‘unruly’ MPs.

The government on Tuesday again emphasized that it is ready for discussion and will hold it as soon as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovers from Covid-19.

Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, Piyush Goyal, said, “We are ready for discussion but despite that the opposition members are repeatedly disrupting the House proceedings. We have been saying that we are hopeful that as soon as the Finance Minister comes the discussion on price rise will take place.”

However, the opposition is slamming the government, alleging that it is not willing to hold discussion and is trying to corner the opposition.

Trinamool Congress MP Mausam Noor, who was one of the suspended MPs, said, “The suspension is very unfortunate, and the MPs only wanted to have discussions on inflation.”

She alleged that the “government does not want to have a discussion and this is the reason we have been suspended, we will continue the protest outside Parliament”.

A total 19 MPs were suspended as the government was in no mood to relent. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “With the suspension of Opposition MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, it is abundantly clear that Modi Sarkar is in no mood to allow the Opposition to raise Real, URGENT issues being faced by the people of our country in Parliament.”

The 19 members include seven from the Trinamool Congress, six from the DMK, three from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), two from CPI-M and one from CPI.

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Lok Sabha begins discussion on climate change

Trinamool Congress’ Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that this is an important issue for all human beings…reports Asian Lite News.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday took up the discussion on climate change under Rule 193.

Speaker On Birla said this is an important subject for all human beings, and it is a matter of great pride that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated the conservation of the climate on all international forums.

Initiating the debate, DMK’s Kanimozhi cited the excessive flooding in recent weeks in south India and how Chennai has badly affected again, as she stressed that the government needs to act on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

BJP’s Sanjay Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Modi has initiated a series of steps in this direction soon after he took over in 2014 and equally voiced his concerns on all international forums. Even in the Glasgow summit, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had widely praised him a lot for his pro-active role played for climate change, he added.

However, Leader of Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the time has come when we need to think globally but act locally. India has the lowest rate of emission at five percent only compared to other countries of the world, but climate change was “the most under-reported failure of the Modi government”. “The assault on climate began as soon as Modi government took over in 2014,” he added.

Trinamool Congress’ Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that this is an important issue for all human beings.

“In India, we cannot put on a mask all the time. Some rich people use air fresheners in their rooms but poor people cannot and they are forced to inhale the polluted air,” she said.

She also said that one should not plainly blame the farmers for burning the stubble as they have been doing it for ages. “We should teach them alternate ways first.”

She noted that unplanned development, not in keeping with the sustainable development goals, is causing Climate Change.

“The area of Sunderban in Bengal is under constant threat as the water level in the Ganga is rising and the sea level is also rising due to the melting ice in Antarctica.

“We need to certainly think on the issues… We need to reduce the carbon emissions, we need electric vehicles. The frequency of the cyclone has increased substantially in recent times.

“We need to have renewable energy as Denmark has 100 percent renewable energy. Solar energy could be a substantial replacement but 80 percent of the energy in India comes from fossil fuels,” she said.

She also suggested that the MPLAD funds can be used for setting up solar panels in rural areas, hospitals and other places and the government should amend the law to allow this.

Dileswar Kamait of the Janata Dal-United said that unplanned development of the cities, the impact of climate change can be seen in every part of the world but this is more seen in India. For infra projects, around 69 lakhs trees have been cut in recent years, he added.

BSP member Ritesh Pandey said that we need to be serious about climate change and economic development and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

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