Ahead of Constitution debate, Rahul’s letter to LS Speaker seeking two-day discussion surfaces

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) After repeated disruptions and washouts of both Houses of Parliament since the commencement of the Winter Session, the Lower House is likely to witness ‘normalcy’ on Friday and see a productive discussion on the completion of 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution of India.

A debate on the historic milestone for the Constitution has been scheduled in Lok Sabha on December 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, a letter by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has surfaced ahead of the highly-anticipated debate in the Lower House.

In the letter dated November 26, 2024, the Congress MP demanded a two-day debate on the adoption of the Constitution.

“This historic occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly provides an invaluable opportunity for all the MPs to collectively reflect on the legacy of B.R. Ambedkar,” Rahul wrote and demanded that two days be allocated for a dedicated debate.

Citing precedents of previous debates on Balasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy, Rahul pointed out, “In 2015, both Houses held a two-day, 13-hour discussion on November 26 to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar. We also had discussions in both Houses on August 9, 2017, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement, and in 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s independence.”

The move is set to ignite a ‘credit war’ between the ruling BJP and the INDIA bloc as both would seek to take credit for ‘bringing the House to normalcy’.

Chaos and pandemonium have largely prevailed in both Houses, with the government and opposition taking potshots at each other on multiple issues. Both have pinned blame on each other for the repeated washouts. Both sides, a couple of days ago, had agreed on breaking the logjam with a two-day discussion on the Constitution.

Today, both the leading parties BJP and Congress issued a ‘three-line whip’ to all its Lok Sabha MPs, instructing them to mark their presence in the House on December 13 and 14, when it takes up debate on the Constitution.

If the House witnesses productive and prolonged debate, as scheduled, the Treasury and Opposition benches will pat their back with an intent to drive home the message that it was the other side that derailed the functioning of Parliament.

–IANS

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Man-Elephant conflict: TN Forest Dept to introduce thermal drones to track wild jumbos

Chennai, Dec 21 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is planning to introduce thermal drones for night-time surveillance to track wild elephants and prevent them from entering human settlements.

Officials believe this system will enable forest staff to monitor elephant movements from a safe distance and alert residents in advance.

According to officials, elephants often leave forests at night and venture into human habitation across the forest ranges, causing conflicts. With the new system, drones will detect elephant movements, and announcements will be made from Forest Department vehicles equipped with Bluetooth-connected speakers.

These vehicles will also emit loud noises to scare the animals back into the forest.

A senior official said that a few companies have already demonstrated drone operations and the department will soon finalise a vendor.

Currently, this system is being implemented in the Hosur Forest Division, where it has shown promising results.

The department is also planning to procure AI-enabled cameras to monitor elephant movements, further reducing human-animal conflict.

Recent data submitted in the Lok Sabha highlights the urgency of such measures. Over the past five years, 256 people have died due to human-elephant conflicts in Tamil Nadu, including 61 deaths in 2023-24 alone.

For instance, on December 17, a man named Chandran, 62, succumbed to injuries sustained during an elephant attack at Gajam Mudi Estate in Valpara.

The attack, which occurred on November 10, injured four people, including Chandran.

Meanwhile, the wild elephant population in Tamil Nadu has risen to 3,063, as per the latest synchronized census conducted between May 23 and 25, 2024, in coordination with neighbouring states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. This marks an increase of over 100 elephants compared to the previous census in 2023.

Officials have stated that Tamil Nadu’s forests can sustain an elephant population of approximately 3,000 to 3,500. Currently, the population is stable and healthy.

The Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and Coimbatore Elephant Reserve hosts the highest density of elephants among the five reserves in the state. The Forest Department hopes that the combination of thermal drones, AI-enabled cameras, and other measures will reduce negative interactions between humans and elephants, ensuring safety for both.

–IANS

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NHRC issues notice to Rajasthan govt over boy’s death in bore-well

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Rajasthan government after taking suo motu cognisance of a media report about the death of a five-year-old boy on December 11 after being trapped in a 150-feet-deep bore-well for nearly 56 hours in Dausa district.

The boy allegedly fell in the bore-well while playing in a field, the Commission said while seeking details of the action taken against the lax public authorities.

The Commission observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights.

“It seems that the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the Centre are not being followed by the authorities to prevent such unfortunate incidents/fatal accidents of small children falling into open/abandoned bore-wells and tube-wells. This apparent negligence not only amounts to dereliction of duty on their part but also tantamount to violation of the people’s right to life,” said the NHRC.

The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, calling for a detailed report in the matter within two weeks.

The NHRC said the report from the Chief Secretary and the police chief should include the status of the FIR registered in the matter, action taken against the responsible public authorities and compensation, if any, provided to the next of kin of the deceased.

According to the media report, carried on December 12, the minor was pulled out of the borewell with a rope in an unconscious state. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead.

In another case, the Commission took suo motu cognisance of a media report that a 10-year-old child was transfused with the wrong blood type while undergoing treatment at the JK Lone Hospital of the Sawai Man Singh Medical College (SMS), Jaipur.

The Commission has sought a report from the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, within two weeks. “It is expected to include the status of health of the victim child, FIR, action taken against the responsible persons and compensation, if any, provided to the aggrieved by the authorities,” the notice said.

The child is reported to be in a critical condition with ventilator support. Allegedly, the boy was transfused with two different blood types on December 5, 2024 and December 7, 2024.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the boy.

Reportedly, a 23-year-old patient lost his life at the SMS hospital, Jaipur only a few months back. Two reported cases of negligence in blood transfusion at the same government-run medical facilities are indeed shocking and are a matter of concern for the Commission, said the notice.

–IANS

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