During the Zero Hour proceedings in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, members raised a wide range of public interest issues, including concerns over violations of personal privacy through unsolicited commercial phone calls, the growing migration of young Indians to foreign countries, escalating costs of private healthcare, human–animal conflict, cyber security threats, digital exclusion, and access to justice in remote regions.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi drew attention to the persistent problem of unsolicited mobile calls made by private companies to individuals who are registered under the Do Not Call directory. She argued that such practices amount to a serious breach of citizens’ privacy and questioned the effectiveness of existing safeguards. Urging immediate intervention, she called upon the Ministry of Telecommunications to take strict action against companies that continue to violate the Do Not Call norms with impunity.
Highlighting concerns related to migration, NCP (SP) MP Fauzia Khan said that while internal migration within India remains relatively limited, the scale of outward migration is deeply worrying. Citing official government data, she stated that 2.25 lakh Indians renounced their citizenship in 2022, followed by 2.16 lakh in 2023 and 2.06 lakh in 2024. She further noted that India has emerged as the largest source of international migrants, with nearly 18 million Indians currently living abroad.
According to Khan, around 25 lakh Indians leave the country every year in search of education and employment opportunities because they are unable to find quality education, meaningful jobs, and stable livelihoods at home. Emphasising the long-term implications of this trend, she remarked that India can aspire to become a “Vishwaguru” only when its youth envision their future within the country’s own classrooms, workplaces, and institutions, rather than seeking exit visas and foreign campuses.
Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan raised the issue of the Rashtriya Ekta Parishad, a body meant to advise the government on critical political and social matters of national importance. He demanded that the Parishad be revived and made functional, alleging that it had effectively become defunct and was no longer serving its intended purpose.
CPI(M) MP from Kerala V Sivadasan spoke about the lack of universal internet access in the country. He pointed out that nearly 38 per cent of Indian citizens remain outside internet coverage, which deprives them of access to digital documents and online services that are increasingly essential for exercising basic rights and availing government benefits.
From the BJP benches, Gujarat MP Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai highlighted the growing threat of cyberattacks and stressed the urgent need to strengthen cyber security frameworks to safeguard critical institutions and infrastructure across the country.
Human–animal conflict emerged as another major concern during the session. CPI(M) MP John Brittas argued that while the Wildlife Protection Act rightly adopts a nature-centric approach, it must also adequately protect human lives and livelihoods. He described the increasing incidents of animal attacks as a one-sided assault on human beings rather than a mutual conflict. Referring specifically to Kerala, he said animals such as wild boar were causing severe damage to agriculture and posing threats even in urban areas. He noted that the Act had been amended multiple times, becoming progressively harsher, and pointed out that around 550 human lives had been lost in Kerala due to animal-related incidents. Brittas demanded that wild boar be declared vermin and sought amendments to empower the Kerala government to take such decisions independently.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal raised concerns over the steadily rising cost of private medical treatment, stating that unregulated hospital charges were placing an unbearable burden on patients. She called for the nationwide implementation of the Clinical Establishments Act to bring uniform regulation and transparency to hospital pricing.
Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev demanded the establishment of a circuit bench or a permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court in Assam’s Barak Valley. She pointed out that residents of the three districts in the region face serious obstacles in accessing justice, as the valley is located nearly 350 kilometres away from the High Court.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari sought a detailed investigation into the operations of a PFAS chemical manufacturing unit in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district. Describing PFAS as a highly hazardous chemical, he alleged that after a chemical plant in Italy was shut down following public opposition, its machinery was sold to an Indian company, raising serious environmental and health concerns.
Together, the interventions during Zero Hour reflected a broad spectrum of socio-economic, environmental, technological, and governance-related challenges that lawmakers urged the government to address with urgency and accountability.
