Members again allowed to read out special mentions in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: With the 16th Lok Sabha virtually boasting of a record number of first timers, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today re-started the practice of allowing members to raise special mentions to enable them raise urgent issues of public importance.

Mahajan said special mentions under rule 377, which were for many years being laid on the table, will now be allowed to be read out by the members so that they could raise matters regarding their constituencies in the House. She said the mentions would be from the text approved by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Mahajan said it has been done as a large number of members are first timers and such a practice would help them to put their point across well in Parliament.

Making special mentions, members raised a variety of issues ranging from NCP member Tariq Anwar's demand for development of backward Katihar district in Bihar to RSP member N K Premchandran's plea for a fair deal to the cashew industry.

Shashi Tharoor (Cong) made a strong plea for more allocations to the National Solar Mission to help villages not so far covered by the power grid to get electricity.

Rabindra Kumar Jena (BJD) expressed concern over the growth of human trafficking. He thanked the Speaker for re-starting the practice of reading out the special mentions.

Till sometime back, members used to read out special mentions under rule 377.

Under rule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, members are allowed to raise matters which are not points of order or which cannot be raised under any other rule. Members are required to give notice for raising a matter under this rule in a standard form.