A 16th day meeting of the eleventh regular session of Second Pyithu Hluttaw was held yesterday morning at Pyithu Hluttaw building in Nay Pyi Taw. At the meeting questions raised were answered and a motion discussed and decided upon.
Question and Answer session
U Win Win of Minbu constituency raised the first question on when and at what rate cash support will be provided for crops damaged by natural disaster in Minbu (Saku) Township. Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Hla Kyaw first replied that Ministry of Planning and Finance had already agreed on using emergency fund for this matter. Of the 19,703 acres of crops damaged by natural disaster during 2018 June in Minbu (Saku) Township cash support will be K 5,000 per acre for sesame, mung bean and winter peanut, K 10,000 for vegetable and corn, K 50,000 per acre for summer sesame, K 30,000 per acre for raining season peanut, K 100,000 per acre for paddy nursery and K 250,000 per acre for summer rice. Cash support will be provided in coordination with the Magway Region Government, said the Deputy Minister.
U Kyaw Aung Lwin of Sedoktara constituency questioned how silting inside Mone Dam in Sedoktara Township will be handled. Deputy Minister U Hla Kyaw replied that the dam had a storage capacity of 114,100 acre-ft and when silting was measured in 2015 February there were only 21,600 acre-ft of silt consisting of about 19 per cent of the storage capacity. This is within the design capacity for a dam that was already 12 years old when the measurements were taken. The silting is within the design limit and is not affecting the discharge and distribution of water as well as generating of hydro-electricity explained the Deputy Minister.
Replying to a question raised by Daw Ni Ni Dun of Paukkaung constituency on measures taken for the top earthen portion of South Nawin Dam subsiding due to an earthquake Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Hla Kyaw said repair works will be conducted before the raining season. At the moment Japanese technicians from Technical Institute of Rural Development Committee are conducting surveys and inspections and measures will be taken so that there is no effect to the livelihood and properties of the people said the Deputy Minister.
U Myint Ngwe of Kyaukkyi constituency raised a question on whether there is a plan to conduct embankment protection in Kyaukkyi Township, Thaungle Village tract, Doetan and Nwetan Villages before the start of 2019 raining season. Deputy Minister for Transport and Communications, U Kyaw Myo replied that Nwetan Village is on the outer rim of the bend in the Sittoung River and due to silting in the opposite bank, about 800 metre. of river bank on the village side was found to have eroded. Total cost of the embankment protection work was estimated to be about K 530 million. As the embankment protection work for this particular place was not included in the 2018-2019 budget permitted for Bago Region Government, funding request will be made to Bago Region Government’s general excess fund and work conducted accordingly said the Deputy Minister.
Similarly, questions raised by Daw Ni Ni May Myint of Taungup constituency, Daw Khin Than Nu of Mindon constituency and U Aung Sein of Dawei constituency were answered by Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Hla Kyaw and Deputy Minister for Transport and Communications U Kyaw Myo.
Motion discussed and decided
After the question and answer session a motion tabled by U Sein Win of Maubin constituency urging the government to retain reserve crops, paddy, rice and food in storage to resolve and counter the effects of climate change were discussed and supported by Tatmadaw representatives Maj. San Win Naing and Maj. Min Min.
Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Hla Kyaw responded to the motion and discussion by explaining that the government had already kept reserve rice in store with the aims of providing emergency food supply in time of natural disaster for the people and to stabilize the rice price for the farmer.
It was conducted under the signed agreement of ASEAN member countries plus three (ASEAN+3). As the government was already conducting what the motion proposer had proposed, the Deputy Minister explained to the Hluttaw to put the motion on record only.
As the motion proposer still wanted the Hluttaw to approve the motion the matter was put up for voting and there were 150 for, 201 against and 3 abstaining. Announcement was then made for the Hluttaw to put the motion on record only.
The 17th-day meeting of eleventh regular session of the Second Pyithu Hluttaw will be held on 25 February.
By Aye Aye Thant (MNA)
(Translated by Zaw Min)
