Issues like request to provide armed security personnel to the Union Home Minister in domestic airlines, representation for Scheduled and Backward castes in higher judiciary, dolphins testing pollution levels in the Ganga and less people in rural areas using toilets, among others, were raised in the lok Sabha on Thursday.
Responding to a supplementary during the Question Hour, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said surviving of dolphins in the Ganga would test that the river has turned pollution-free as she said high-level of toxicity has blinded dolphins and they have developed other senses to overcome their loss of sight.
She said the return of river dolphins and gold fish in the Ganga aqua life system would be the biggest benchmark to prove that the river has rejuvenated.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said it received a request from the Home Ministry in September 2014 to allow armed security personnel to accompany Home Minister Rajnath Singh on domestic flights and has given its feedback in this regard.
“A request to allow carriage of weapons by the security staff accompanying the Home Minister during journey on domestic flights was received in September 2014,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha informed lok Sabha.
Union Minister Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi told members that despite having toilets in their houses, 4.4 per cent people in rural areas prefer to defecate in the open.
“As per Swachhata Status Report, 2015 published by National Sample Survey Office, in rural India the households having sanitary toilet percentage of persons using toilet was 95.6 per cent,” the MoS for Drinking Water and Sanitation said in a written reply.
Members in the House raised the issue of adequate representation to the members of SC/STs in higher judiciary to which law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said all efforts have been made in this direction with SC and OBC members holding the highest office in judiciary.