Inform me if ministers skip Parliament duties, says PM

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today again cautioned Union ministers against skipping their roster duties in Parliament and said he should be given names of all absentee ministers the same evening, sources said.

PM Modi's displeasure over the issue of absence of ministers came at the BJP's weekly parliamentary party meeting. This is not the first time the PM has expressed unhappiness over absence of ministers and MPs from Parliament while the session is on. During the tenure of his previous government as well as at the beginning of this session, he has cautioned members on the issue, making it clear that the party was keeping a watch on their attendance in Parliament.

Linking it to promotions, he said he went through attendance records and performance “to rank everyone and decide who will make it to his council”  Opposition members have raised the issue of absence of ministers, the sources said. There have been instances when Cabinet ministers or their deputies scheduled to be present in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha were absent, they said.

The PM said the ongoing session could be extended, if need be, to pass the government's legislative agenda. So far, the extension of the session, scheduled to end on July 26, is not on the government's agenda.

Modi also asked MPs to take up a social cause or an issue of human interest like water conservation as a "mission”. Apart from carrying out duties as MPs, he said they should do work they are remembered for, advising them to liaison with the local authorities for development of respective constituencies.

With water shortage emerging as the major crisis, he told MPs to find solution to problem and come up with at least one innovative idea for his or her constituency. He also asked them to sit with officials and listen to people's issues related to water shortage.

“First impression is often the last impression,” he told the first-time MPs, asking them to help in eradicating disease like leprosy and TB. The PM also noted that India has fixed a deadline of 2025 for eradicating TB against the global deadline of 2030, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said quoting him. He also asked MPs to associate themselves with animal welfare. 

Meanwhile, BJP working president JP Nadda briefed him about the party's ongoing membership drive, with Modi asking MPs to join the campaign. 

Modi directs MPs to...

• Find solution to alarming water crisis
• Liaison with the local authorities for developing constituencies
• Associate themselves with animal welfare
• Work on war footing to tackle diseases such as TB

Extended session? 

The Prime Minister said the ongoing session, scheduled to end on July 26, could be extended, if need be, to pass the government’s legislative agenda