"Coal Minister Shri Ajit Panja informed Lok Sabha that an Enquiry Commission, headed by a former High Court

judge, would enquire into the New Kendy Coal mines accident which took place on January 25. He said that action would be taken against officials found to be at fault. The Commission is to submit its report within 3 months. Enquiry about the safety conditions of most of the underground mines of Coal India and Singareni Colieries has been completed and time bound remedial measures would be taken. Coal Companies have been directed to give highest priority to safety of workers in underground mines who are compulsarily required to carry safety equipment.

The minister said that out of 55 workers 18, whose bodies are yet to be recovered, have been declared dead to enable their families to claim benefits and compensation. Members were not satisfied with safety measures in mines and demanded that Rs.1 lakh should be paid as compensation to workers killed in mine accidents.

"President's address does not reflect governments resolve to face the new challe~lges of moral values facing the world which are even more serious than the problems being faced within the country. Achievements in the field of science, technologjr, communications, atomic power etc., have led to a race for acquiring material wealth. On the other hand, there is also a race for acquiring destructive weapons. The wealth being spent on acquiring weapons could have been better utilised for eradicating poverty and unemployment.

The third world countries, faced with problems of poverty and development, have been looking towards India to provide leadership for meeting these challenges because they felt that India, being neither capitalist nor communist, was nearer to them."

"It has to be considered whether the proposed policy of privatisation of industries and services would be in consonance with the thinking of Gandhiji and would benefit the peasants and the villages, especially in the event of agriculture being developed as an industry. According to Gandhiji, a nation could achieve peace and universal prosperity only when the individual and the village were made the primary units of development. Gandhiji believed that individuals are motivated by human values and sentiments and are easily capable of helping each other. However the state or government does not have the humanism. Rather they represents organised violence. Therefore, they are incapable of serving the poor in true sense.

"Last october, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) imposed restrictions on advertisements of Capital issue which depict known personalities and historical and such other things and contain extraneous information. This measure has not been welcomed by many who feel that they are being prevented from talking to investors in a language understood by them. Companies and advertisers are planning business promotion publicity as a separate exercise from public issue advertisements. They are also making individual and direct contact to canvass for their issues and helping them in subscribing for the issues"

"In the present system of education students are burdened with too many books and have to study too many subjects even at the nursery classes. Later on also, although emphasis has been given to extra-curricular studies in the new education policy yet, in practice, emphasis is more upon the teaching of science and mathematics. Even the students getting hlgh percentage of marks are unable to get admission to professional courses of their choice. They have to join special coaching classes for entry into Career Courses after school. The education system does not bring about all round development of the student and serves only as a means of getting a job."

"Nations came into exsistence out of man's need to exist as a social entity for survival and progress which is bound to lead to the emergence of the world as one nation. This leads to the concept that societies with varied characteristics can exist in one nation. In this sense a nation is like a family whose members share a common sense of responsibility despite of apparent differences. Due to our past slavery, we have only cared for our rights, overlooking our duties, as members of the same family. We have to be united and realise our responsibility to the nation in the present context."