Questions around the state of economy and GST compensation, and the fate of migrant labourers and job losses dominated the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament. A total of 55 questions were asked to the Ministry of Finance by over 100 Lok Sabha MPs, while 31 questions were asked to the labour ministry by around 70 Parliamentarians.
The Lok Sabha MPs asked finance ministry about decline in imports and exports, to which the MoS Finance Anurag Thakur responded that 30.2% decrease in imports and 46.7% decrease in exports, during the months of pandemic compared to corresponding months in the previous year, was in line with the global trends. The MoS finance gave examples of the Rs 20 lakh crore Atmanirbhar package, faster clear of MSME dues, collateral-free lending programs and cash transfers under the Rs 1.70 lakh crore relief under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the poor, as examples of incentives given by the government to tackle the slump in economy.
Earlier this month, the government had announced that the country’s April-June quarter GDP had contracted by a massive 23.9% year-on-year (YoY), the first GDP contraction in more than 40 years.
Several MPs also questioned the government about the shortfall in GST collection and about the GST compensation to states. MoS Anurag Thakur said that as far as compensation to the state was concerned, ‘loss of revenue to the States shall be calculated and released at the end of every two months’ period. The government admitted that ‘private consumption spending fell by 26.7 per cent and Investment demand also declined by 47.1 per cent’ and expressed hope of reviving the economy through the special economic Atmanirbhar package.
As many as 10 MPs also asked the MoS Labour and Employment ministry for data on the number of deaths of migrant labourers who were returning to their home states after the implementation of the lockdown. In response to two separate questions, minister Santosh Gangwar said that the government did not have any data on the deaths of migrant workers. Various studies have come out with different estimates on the number of casualties of migrant workers as they desperately tried to reach their homes, dying on railway tracks, in road accidents, from police brutality, from exhaustion, suicides and out of starvation. Estimates vary from 200 to 400.
Santosh Gangwar was also asked whether there were incidents of migrant labourers being prevented from returning to homes. Gangwar claimed that ‘forced retention during Covid-19 has not been reported.’ Although there were reports of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa cancelling movement of Shramik trains and appealing workers to work in the construction sector. Many opposition leaders had called Yediyurappa’s treatment of migrant labourers in his state as “worse than treating them as bonded labour.”
The government was also asked to furnish the “number and details of migrant workers, labourers, daily wagers for whom the arrangement of job has been made”. Gangwar said that the government does not maintain such data.
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