Rajya Sabha members raise concerns on education, gig workers and sugar

Members on Friday raised issues in the Rajya Sabha, including the deteriorating quality of India’s higher education system, the reduction in sugar recovery rate and the plight of gig workers.

BJP leader Ryaga Krishnaiah expressed concern during the zero hour over the deteriorating quality of India’s higher education system, warning that graduates are increasingly finding themselves unemployable.

He highlighted the mismatch between demand and supply in the job market, noting that even highly educated graduates face widespread unemployment due to their inability to meet industry standards.

The BJP member stressed that despite India having one of the world’s largest education systems, quantity has expanded at the expense of quality.

Karnataka BJP leader Iranna B Kadadi urged the Centre to reduce the recovery rate of sugar from 10.25 per cent to 9.5 per cent and raise the minimum selling price of the sweetener to benefit both cane growers and millers. Sugar recovery rate is the percentage of sugar extracted from sugarcane.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha demanded the termination of 10-minute delivery services offered by quick commerce players, terming the practice as “cruelty” towards gig workers who risk their lives to meet deadlines under extreme pressure.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Chadha said delivery personnel are not robots, but individuals who are someone’s father, husband, brother or son.

Rajya Sabha Nominated MP Sudha Murty urged the Government to set norms on the portrayal of children on social media platforms, as it is essential to inculcate a good value system among the younger generation.

Congress member Shaktisinh Gohil demanded that the Centre must intervene to ensure adequate compensation for Gujarat’s farmers who suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rains during the Diwali period.

Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde of the BJP requested the Government to establish more hospitals to treat heart attacks and also set up “dedicated stroke units” in districts.

Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju, BRS, demanded that the central Government should approve the Hyderabad Metro Phase II project. Mahendra Bhatt of the BJP raised the issue of rising human-animal conflict in Uttarakhand, leading to the deaths of many people.

AD Singh of RJD expressed concern over the increasing number of suicides in the age group of 15-29 and called for a coordinated national suicide prevention strategy.

BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya urged the Government to protect the ancient Adinath Hindu temple in Malda district, West Bengal, and declare it a ‘ticketed monument’ and ensure the protection of the artefacts at the site.