Rajya Sabha members flag issues of spam calls, outward migration

Violation of people’s privacy by companies promoting products through unsolicited calls, migration of youths to other countries and the rising cost of private medical treatment were among the issues raised by Rajya Sabha members on Monday during the Zero Hour.

A demand was also made for the declaration of wild boar as vermin under the Wildlife Protection Act in view of incidents of human-animal conflict and crop damage.

Dr Fauzia Khan, an NCP (SP) MP from Maharashtra, said that while inward migration in the country is modest, the outward trend is alarming. Quoting Government records, she said that 2.25 lakh Indians renounced citizenship in 2022, 2.16 lakh in 2023 and 2.06 lakh in 2024.

She claimed that India is the largest source of international migration and nearly 18 million Indians live abroad. According to Khan, approximately 25 lakh Indians leave the country annually for education and employment because they are unable to access quality education, decent jobs and stable livelihoods in India.

“A nation can become Vishwaguru only when its youths see their future not in exit visas and foreign campuses but in classrooms, workplaces and opportunities within their own country,” Khan said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi raised the issue of unsolicited mobile calls made by various companies to people registered under the Do Not Call directory. She said this violates citizens’ privacy and urged the Ministry of Telecommunications to take action.

Another member, Javed Ali Khan of the Samajwadi Party, demanded that the Rashtriya Ekta Parishad, whose purpose is to provide advice to the Government on political and social issues of national importance, be “activated” as it has become “defunct”.

V Sivadasan, CPI(M) MP from Kerala, raised the issue of lack of access to internet facilities and said that 38 per cent of Indian citizens are outside internet coverage, preventing them from accessing several digital documents that grant important rights.

Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai, BJP MP from Gujarat, highlighted the danger of cyberattacks and the need to ensure the safety of critical institutions in India.

John Brittas, CPI(M) MP from Kerala, said that while the Wildlife Protection Act ensures a nature-centric approach, human beings, their lives, and livelihoods should also be protected.

“The rising human-animal conflict itself is an irony. There is no conflict; it is a unilateral attack on human beings,” Brittas said. He said animals like wild boar were creating problems for farmers and agriculture, and that even urban habitats in Kerala are under threat.

Brittas added that the Wildlife Protection Act has been amended several times and has become increasingly harsher each time. He said that 550 human lives have been lost in Kerala due to conflicts with animals and demanded the declaration of wild boar as vermin. He also sought amendments to the Act to grant Kerala the power to declare wild boars as vermin.

AAP MP Swati Maliwal highlighted the “rising” cost of private medical treatment and demanded nationwide implementation of the Clinical Establishments Act, which regulates hospital costs.

Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev demanded the setting up of a circuit bench or a permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court in the three districts of Barak Valley in Assam, saying that people in the region are unable to access justice as the valley is 350 km away from the High Court.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari sought an investigation into the operation of a PFAS chemical manufacturing unit in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district. He said PFAS is a dangerous chemical and alleged that when the Miteni chemical plant was closed in Italy following opposition, its machinery was sold to an Indian company.