CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Bhatia used the Monsoon Session to seek detailed responses from the Centre on a range of public policy issues, including women’s empowerment, education, employment, agriculture, financial inclusion, MSMEs, cooperatives and renewable energy, while drawing attention to their implications for Haryana.Through a series of parliamentary questions, Bhatia sought updates on the implementation and outcomes of flagship schemes, with the replies highlighting progress on key national indicators and state-specific data.The Union women and child development ministry informed the House that the sex ratio at birth under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign had improved from 918 in 2014-15 to a provisional 929 in 2025-26. Girls’ gross enrolment ratio at the secondary level also increased from 75.51% to 83.4% during the period. The ministry said multiple departments were jointly implementing programmes on education, nutrition, health, career guidance, self-defence and gender equality.Replying to Bhatia’s questions on education and employment, the education ministry said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was strengthening industry-academia linkages through internships, apprenticeships and skill-based courses. It also cited the Budget 2026-27 proposal to establish five university townships near major industrial and logistics hubs to improve employability.On agriculture, the consumer affairs, food and public distribution ministry said foodgrain stocks in the central pool remained above buffer norms as of April 1, 2026. Wheat procurement in the 2026-27 rabi marketing season rose to 357.57 lakh metric tonnes, benefiting over 34.82 lakh farmers through the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism.The cooperation ministry said 38,138 new cooperative societies had been registered nationwide under the Sahkar Se Samriddhi initiative till July 15, 2026. Haryana was also expanding primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), dairy and fisheries cooperatives to improve farmers’ access to credit, storage and marketing.The finance ministry said 58.77 crore Jan Dhan accounts had been opened across the country till July 15, including 32.75 crore belonging to women. Haryana alone had 111.39 lakh accounts as of May 2026. It added that no minimum balance was required and account holders were eligible for overdraft and accident insurance benefits.On MSMEs, the government said SIDBI had opened 71 new branches and expanded credit support through ECLGS 5.0. Responding to another question, the ministry of new and renewable energy estimated India’s floating solar power potential at 102.18 GW and said feasibility studies were underway in several states, including Haryana.
