Parliament Watch: No data on farmers deaths, reproductive tech bill, violence against journalists [Day 3 roundup]

The third day of the winter session of the parliament saw responses on issues ranging from data on farmers' death during their protests, the violence against journalists and a bill moved by the Health Minister on assisted reproductive technology..Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya moved the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulations) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha.The bill provides for regulation and supervision of assisted reproductive technology clinics, and prevention of misuse of reproductive technology services. The bill was introduced was even as sloganeering and the protest by 12 suspended MPs of the Rajya Sabha continued near the Gandhi statute outside the parliament building The Bill was moved with amendments suggested by Members of Parliament during the debate.On a question by Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge about a significant reduction in crimes against Scheduled Tribes reflected in corrected NCRB data, the Home Ministry said,"In respect of data on crimes against STs in Uttar Pradesh (UP) reported for 2019, the State had informed that there was an error in data entry and the same was rectified accordingly."On another question by Kharge, about the increasing cases of violence against journalists, the Home Ministry said, "The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) does not maintain specific data with respect to attacks on journalists.".The most notable revelation was in an answer to a question about the deaths of farmers during their protests in the capital, to which the Central government said: "The Ministry of Agriculture of Farmers Welfare has no records in the matter of deaths and hence the question of compensation does not arise."To a question by A Raja in the Lok Sabha, the Electronics and IT Ministry said that currently "there is no proposal with the Ministry for a stand-alone law" for cyber-security.