MPs should debate and discuss instead of disrupting session: Vice-President

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar asked MPs to debate and discuss important issues in Parliament instead of disrupting and disturbing the session. He also stressed on the importance of innovation in contributing to the nation's growth.

Chennai:Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday asked parliamentarians to perform and discuss issues pertaining to national importance in Parliament instead of creating disturbance and disruption as it leads to the wastage of public money. Dhankhar said the Rajya Sabha should "act as a theatre of dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation" instead of turning into an arena of disruption and disturbance.

Discussing the role of students and parliamentarians at an interactive session after inaugurating the new facility of IIT Madras Centre for Innovation (CFI), Dhankhar said, "I want the MPs to perform, talk issues of national importance. I want the temple of democracy or the Rajya Sabha to be the theatre of dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation. I don't want it to be an arena of disruption and disturbance. If there is disturbance then crores get wasted away. For three years there was no disruption, but only debate in Parliament. The work of students is to engage in innovation and do research by exploiting their talent to the full potential".

He further said, "We should not allow anyone to spoil our pudding. No country in the world can claim what India achieved in the last few years. We have succeeded in vaccination, providing housing and drinking water facilities, creating world-class infrastructure. These achievements are not politics, but the work done by all. These are a result of a cooperative effort."

Dhankhar's statement comes in the wake of the ruckus created by the Opposition during the Budget session in Parliament early this month demanding a probe into the Adani Group's shares. Asserting the importance of innovation in nation building, Dhankhar said funds are not difficult when one can conceive the idea. If nation has to change it has to be changed by good ideas generated by the young minds, he said. He asked students to generate an ecosystem and create the suitable environment. India has been the land of innovation, he added.

Dhankhar asked students to speak out their minds on the social media and follow the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi in their lives. "Don't fear about failures and avoid tension and stress. Don't hesitate to make mistakes. Remember, failure can never be a hindrance. The greatest threat to humanity is to have a brilliant idea and not implement it for fear of failure. Never be afraid of taking chances", Dhankhar said.

The newly constructed Sudha and Shankar Innovation Hub is dedicated to supporting and encouraging Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) activities of the students and researchers. The Sudha and Shankar Innovation Hub has been constructed with the support of alumnus V Shankar, who was a 1981-batch student of B Tech Mechanical Engineering and founder, CAMS Private Limites. IIT Madras conferred him the distinguished alumnus awardee for his exemplary commitment to excellence in the finance industry and the entrepreneurial ecosystem

Among the oldest academic bodies, the CFI is a pioneering student-led ‘tinker lab’ involving about 10 per cent of the students, making it the largest such activity on campus. Since its seeding by the 1981 batch, CFI has grown to host 15 Hobby Clubs and six competition teams with additional teams providing support on branding and engagement, finance and web-ops/coding.

The competition teams work on futuristic and cutting-edge themes, including hyperloop, electric vehicles for racing, solar-powered cars, autonomous ground vehicles, sounding rockets, and space rovers. The Hobby Clubs are dedicated to themes that students are passionate about, including astronomy, mathematics, analytics, bioinformatics, 3D printing, techno-art and Blockchain. CFI teams have won national and international accolades.