Reply to issues raised during Zero hour and special mentions

Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu Monday asked the concerned ministers to reply to members on issues raised by them during Zero as well as through special mentions within 30 days.

Naidu said the Leader of the House, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and he himself have been watching and also receiving feedbacks from the the members that they subsequently are not getting replies of Zero Hour Submissions and Special Mentions made in the House.

"You need not give instant replies on the same day. But, sometimes when the Minister is there and if the matter is so important and the minister is familiar with the matter, I give the permission and the Minister responds to that," the Chairman said in Rajya Sabha.

Otherwise, the practice is that the minister should respond in writing to the members, he noted.

"So, I suggest to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs as well as to the Leader of the House to discuss with the concerned ministers and see to it that hereafter the replies reach Members within a period of thirty days," Naidu said.

Otherwise, it will be taken note of and then "we have to think about the alternatives, etc. That is very important", he added.

To this, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan said he will convey the directions to the concerned ministers and request them to reply to the members who have raised the issues.

Naidu also asked the members to confine to the particular issue which they are raising. "Allegations, counter allegations will not serve the purpose," he said.

The Chairman also agreed to a suggestion of senior Congress member Anand Sharma for a short-duration discussion on the acute water scarcity and the fears of the drought in the country.