Mae pobl bod yn hollu ar y cwmru yn gwneud o'r pwnghwyl a'r pwnghwyl datblygu, eich fawr i'r ffwyl ac i'r fawr i'r bwnghwyl, a'u fawr i'r fawr i'r bwnghwyl a'r bwnghwyl, gan eich bwm mwyaf i'r pwnghwyl a'u cyffredinol, a'u cyfleidol, cefnwyr, yn gweld i'r bwnghwyl. Ie, maen nhw yr fawr y cwmru. Mae Gweinol yn rhywbeth yw'r pwnghwyl brifwyl Llywodraeth y Llywodraeth has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an assessment of the impact of short-term let licensing on the rural economy. I regularly engage with colleagues on a variety of issues affecting our respective portfolios. In relation to short-term let specifically, the Scottish Government published seven impact assessments to accompany the licensing legislation, including a business and regulatory impact assessment and island communities impact assessments. The licensing scheme offers considerable flexibility to local authorities on how it is implemented. We recognise the challenges that are facing businesses at this time, which is why we have also extended the deadline for existing hosts to apply for a licence by six months, so extending that from 1 April this year to 1 October. We remain committed to monitoring the implementation of the scheme and will be undertaking a review in 2024. The Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development has found that 77 per cent of operators feel their business is threatened by the new licensing scheme. Rural businesses are struggling to keep afloat and these regulations are making things worse. How is the Cabinet Secretary supporting owners of rural businesses who fear they will have to close as a result of the legislation? I thank the member for raising that important point. Obviously, this is something that is being led by my colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, and I will be happy to pick up those issues with her specifically and get back to you with a response on that. That is where I think that it is all about trying to get the balance there, making sure that that is flexible and something that is ultimately up to local authorities to implement and do in their own way. That is where, of course, the monitoring of the implementation and how that is being rolled out is vitally important. That review that will take place next year is going to be critical in that too, but, again, I am more than happy to raise those issues with my colleague. It is a number supplementary. It would be great if it could be as brief as possible first, Alasdair Allan. Let's have contributed positively to our tourism industry, but high numbers of them can make it harder for people to find homes to live in. Data indicates that house prices in the Western Isles, for instance, rose 135 per cent over the last 18 years. Given that those increases are likely to price young islanders out of an area that retains a large number of second homes, does the cabinet secretary share my view that it is crucial to address those concerns? It is absolutely crucial. I thank the member for raising that point. It is certainly an issue that is raised with me whenever I am out and about visiting more rural parts of Scotland as well as visiting our islands. I think that local areas need to have those tools and the powers to take action to address issues where there is that imbalance between tourism, second homes and residential housing that is causing problems for local communities and economies and affecting the sustainability of public services. In addition to providing more than £43 million over this parliamentary term to support the delivery of affordable housing in the Western Isles, we also agree that action needs to be taken on second homes. That is why we are currently exploring proposals with COSLA to give powers to local authorities to increase council tax for second homes, too. Rachel Hamilton. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding— Ms Hamilton, it is not a supplementary on question 2. Sorry. No. I am going to call Willie Rennie.  I would welcome the details of the plans on the second homes, but I have been critical of the licensing scheme. I think that it has been particularly burdensome, but I am a strong supporter of the short-term-let control areas. My frustration is that Fife Council says that it has to wait before the licensing scheme is in place, but also that it wants the local development plan to be developed in tandem with the implementation of the control areas. Can she and her colleagues have a discussion with Fife Council to encourage them to move a little bit faster? Yes, I am more than happy to take that forward and raise that with colleagues. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding the implications for the food and drink supply chain in Scotland to the national farmers union petition on improving food security. I fully agree with the importance that the national farmers union places upon our food security and the need for the UK Government to have plans in place to deal with the UK's security of food supply. I have raised repeatedly with the UK Government the critical issues that are impacting on the sector and the need for them to intervene to provide more support to the food and drink sector. I have also set up a food security unit within the Scottish Government to monitor supply chain vulnerabilities and to ensure that we can strengthen food security and supply here in Scotland. Rutherl Hamilton. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Given the critical importance of food security in the current climate, will the cabinet secretary use that as an opportunity to revisit the benefits of genetic technology that will enable Scotland's farmers to sustainably grow food, lower their emissions, reduce risks of poor harvest and improve the health of the nation? I am sure that the member is aware of our position in relation to that. I think that what I have talked about here in relation to the immediate concerns and some of the immediate issues that we face are really important and the actions that we have taken in setting up the food security unit within the Scottish Government that is going to monitor the on-going supply chain vulnerabilities that exist to ensure that we are not caught out again in future should further challenges exist. We have already been through the pandemic, we have seen the exit of modern Ukraine and seen the impact that that can have on our food supply, so we want to make sure that we have that resilience going forward. A couple of brief supplementaries first, Jim Fairlake. To quote Martin Kennedy, we have a UK Government that wants to blame everyone except themselves for the current and impending food shortages. The speech at the NFU conference highlighted three areas that threaten to jeopardise the industry—labor shortages and uncertainty posed by phasing out of direct payments and so on—and energy prices. All those issues sit outside the remit of this Parliament, so does the cabinet secretary share my view that if the Tories want to discuss food security, a good place to start would be getting the DEFRA secretary in front of the Rain Committee? I know that that will ultimately be a decision for the committee to take as to who they invite to take evidence from. It is not for me to obviously account for the actions of the secretary of state, but I absolutely do agree that the food and drink sector has been beset by a wide range of issues arising from some of those that I have just mentioned, such as the pandemic Brexit and the conflict in Ukraine now having further impacts. That is where, again, it is really important here to focus on the action that we have taken in Scotland to try to mitigate some of that. I have established together with industry a short-life food security and supply task force in March of last year. The outcome of that work was a report that we published in June, in which we recognised that the UK Government ultimately holds many of the levers to help address the cumulative issues that are impacting the sector, exactly as the member has mentioned, whether that is labour and skill shortages, rising costs, energy costs—they are some of the most significant. I have written repeatedly to the UK Government to highlight the need for it to intervene, to provide vital support for the industry, and only this week received a response, so we are still waiting for that meaningful engagement in action to be taken. Other than writing to the UK Government, giving it largely down to the cabinet secretary responsibly, what has the short-term food security task force delivered or what is expected to deliver? I do not think that the member could really disagree with me on the fact that the issues that I have talked about today are ultimately up to the UK Government and some of the biggest risks, ultimately some of the biggest risks that are facing the sector at the moment—energy costs, labour shortages—are all the responsibility of the UK Government. Now, we recognise in Scotland that we need to take action. That is why I set up a task force. If the member had been listening to the response to the previous question, he would have heard me saying that we have established a direct outcome of that work, has been the establishment of a food security unit within the Scottish Government, and if we look to the recommendations of the report, of the task force that were published in June last year, all of them have been completed. Can the cabinet secretary advise what impact Brexit has had on the food and drink supply chain most recently with the shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables? We know that there have been weather challenges in other parts of the world that have affected fruit and veg in the supply chain during the winter period in the UK, but, of course, that has been exacerbated by the UK Government's approach to Brexit, where Scotland's food and drinks sector lost many of the benefits that we once had when we were trading with the EU and being part of that single market. It is also really clear and evident when you look at the figures. Many of our Scottish food industries continue to suffer from lower exports to the EU. We have seen a 49 per cent fall in fruit and veg exports and a 15 per cent fall in dairy and egg exports in the first nine months of last year compared to the same period in 2019. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government for an update on when the response to the agriculture bill consultation will be published. The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a new agriculture bill to Parliament this year, a public consultation on the bill seeking views on proposals to assist in delivering the vision for agriculture and a legislative framework required to replace the current common agriculture policy from 2025-26 onwards, closed on 5 December, so we are carefully considering the diverse range of views that are provided and aim to publish responses in the spring. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. We will no doubt hear more about the plans for agricultural reform during this afternoon's debate, but without pre-empting, what the cabinet secretary might have to say on this in a few moments' time, can she confirm whether the Scottish Government has made any assessment of the potential for existing proposals within the agricultural support package to reduce food production on productive land in favour of carbon secretion measures? If not, does she accept that a failure to do so could jeopardise our nation's food security? We are not jeopardising our nation's food security. I think that we need to be really clear here that what we are looking at in terms of what we are introducing in the future and our future framework is that it is not a choice between food production or taking actions for nature and climate. It is ultimately about making our food production systems more resilient to some of the changes that we know are going to come down the line and making our businesses more resilient. I am really fortunate in this job that I get to travel the length and breadth of Scotland to meet our different farmers and producers and to see the action that they are taking on the ground—producing food but doing it in a way that works with nature and works for the climate—and ultimately is helping to make them more sustainable, resilient and profitable businesses. That is what we are keen to enhance and ensure that we are enabling going forward. Mr Carson, please assist from the comments across the front benches. Emma Harper has a brief supplement. We have heard repeatedly from industry how important it is that we get this right, given the importance of the bill and the Scottish Government's commitment to listening to the sector. Co-development, co-design, discussions with farmers and crofters are fundamental to this approach. Contrast this with the shambles that the environmental land management schemes are happening south of the border. I would be interested to know if the cabinet secretary shares my views that it is right that we take our time and that we need no lessons from the Tories when it comes to safeguarding the interests of farmers and crofters and growers in Scotland. I will try to be as brief as possible. It is important to remember that it was vital that we had committed to that period of stability and simplicity and that we delivered on the commitment to that to ensure that our farmers and crofters and land managers were continuing with direct payments. The work that the member touched on is vital. As we look to develop our future policy, we want to make sure that we do it right in a way that works for the industry, for our farmers and crofters, so ensuring that we bring them along with us, that they help us to develop those policies is absolutely critical. That takes a bit more time, but it is vital to ensure that we get this right. Joe FitzPatrick To ask the Scottish Government when it will last engage with the UK Government regarding support available through future budgets to support agriculture in Scotland, including the replacement of the EU agricultural funding. EU exit means that we no longer have that long-term certainty of funding. HM Treasury has provided yearly allocations for the current UK parliamentary term, but there is no funding commitment from 2025 onwards. The UK Government promised full EU replacement funding and collective engagement on future funding, which was reaffirmed by previous secretaries of state. Scottish ministers raised the issue of replacement funding for the rural affairs and islands portfolio prior meetings of the inter-ministerial group for environment, food and rural affairs, as well as directly. We continue to make representations to the UK Government that should fulfil its commitments. Joe FitzPatrick Thank you for your response. Last Wednesday, the rural affairs and islands committee heard from members of the ARIOB. Evidence given to the committee highlighted the long-term nature of the agricultural sector and concerns regarding the post-brexit inability for business to plan ahead. Does the cabinet secretary share my view that the Tory UK Government is completely failing our farmers, crofters and growers, and will she continue to advocate for active farming and food production, and will she commit to continuing engagement with a view to securing some clarity for the industry? Yes, I will. I know how important that future funding certainty is. Again, it is one of the biggest issues that I hear directly from farmers, crofters and other businesses is that ability to plan for the future and know what funding is in place. Unfortunately, we are not in a position where we can provide that because of the reasons that I outlined in my initial response. We really share that frustration that we have seen expressed by our stakeholders over the lack of clarity, the lack of collective engagement on future funding and the impact that that has on the development of future policy. That is before we even look at the impact of trade, migration and the threats that are posed by the UK Internal Market Act and Subsidy Control Act. I remain committed to supporting active farming and food production in Scotland with direct payments because that provides that certainty to industry and we will deliver on our commitments. 5. Willie Coffey Thank you to ask the Scottish Government how it supports agriculture in Ayrshire. The Scottish Government provides access to agricultural support from a number of payment schemes open to eligible farmers, crofters and land managers. We have committed to support active farming and food production with direct payments to provide certainty to industry and we brought forward the 2022 cap payment day in order to provide support to businesses with immediate cash flow challenges. 5. Willie Coffey I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. She will be aware that Ayrshire plays a prominent role in farming in Scotland and the quality of our beef, sheep and dairy sectors is amongst the best in the world produced to the highest standard. With significantly rising costs affecting production, our farmers are facing an extremely challenging task to simply keep pace. Can the cabinet secretary outline what the government's plans are to help them to meet that challenge, to increase local food production in Scotland and to encourage everyone to buy Scottish farming produce in support of our local farmers? I cannot agree more with the member when he talks about the fantastic produce that comes from his region and had the pleasure of visiting a farm with him a wee while ago, but it was a dairy farm that we visited together. The Ayrshire agricultural sector is hugely important to Scotland and we have provided around £31 million in support payments for the various schemes that I talked about over the course of the last year. However, the member also raises some really important points that I think we can all look to do more to encourage. That is about the importance of buying and supporting local, supporting that local production. We have set out a local food strategy and also I took the Good Food Nation Act through the Scottish Parliament last year, which is about Scotland being that good food nation, ensuring that people in Scotland have access to the food that we produce in this country, strengthening those local food supply chains. Of course, we are looking to do all that we can to encourage that and encourage people to buy and support local. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding how it will ensure that the needs of the rural economy are considered in its plan for the decarbonisation of transport. I regularly engage with my ministerial colleagues, including the cabinet secretary for rural affairs and islands on transport matters, for example through the island strategic group that met last week. This Government's ambitions for future transport investment priorities for the whole of Scotland are included in the second strategic transport projects review that was published in December of last year. They have the potential to decarbonise transport and transform the way that we travel in rural areas. The recommendations focus on active travel, bus priority and the safety and resilience of the transport network, all of which will support the rural economy. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but she will know that our rural areas have been left behind when it comes to transport and the decarbonisation of transport. We have a huge opportunity here. I wonder if the cabinet secretary recognises this opportunity on the things such as the main material routes of the 75 and 77 A9 to connect them up with that sort of electric and hydrogen super highway that will bring a rural economy up to the standards that we are looking at in urban areas? Will the cabinet secretary accept that that investment is required? I very much recognise the sentiment of Mr Whittle's question. It is worth saying that there is a lot of cross-government work that is on going on this matter. For example, last week, I alluded to in my first response, the island strategic group met. As a request for me, as transport minister, transport will now be a standing item agenda on that committee. I think that it is really important that we have that cross-government approach to transport, particularly where there is a connection across portfolio areas. The second thing that I would point to is, of course, the convention of the Highlands and Islands will be in the western isles next week. Again, transport will feature on that agenda. There are undoubtedly challenges in rural Scotland that do not exist in other parts of the country. In relation to electric vehicles, I think that the member makes a fair point. It is worth pointing out that we have the most comprehensive public charging network in Scotland outside of London, but of course there is more that we need to do working with our local authority partners, particularly in rural areas. Ferries are integral to the transport of livestock, fish and aquaculture produce throughout Shetland and for export, but our inter-island ferries are responsible for a significant contribution of Shetland's carbon emissions. How will the Scottish Government assist island communities to decarbonise ferry transport while meeting their economic needs? I thank the member for a question. She may be aware that I met with Shetland Islands Council yesterday to discuss this very matter in relation to the sustainability of Shetland's inter-island ferries. Of course, that work is on going with the local authority, and we absolutely need to focus on the decarbonisation of the fleet, which at the current time of course is the responsibility of the local authority. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Carbon neutral islands demonstrate Scottish islands and their economies are at the vanguard of innovation, leading the way on the journey to net zero. Can the minister advise how the experience of delivering carbon neutral islands specifically in relation to transport can be applied to other parts of Scotland, both rural and urban? The carbon neutral island project is really intended to benefit all of Scotland, not only those included directly as part of the project, but that will be, of course, through knowledge exchange and sharing of good practice. The project is very soon to release the community climate change action plans developed by island communities, which is hugely important, and we look forward to analysing the content of such plans and working closely with our delivery partners. To ask the Scottish Government what its initial assessment is of the potential impact of the Windsor framework on the food and drink supply chain in Scotland. First of all, we need to be clear that the dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol was of the UK Government's own making, threatening what would have been a catastrophic trade war with the EU in the middle of a cost crisis. While the Scottish Government broadly welcomes the Windsor framework agreement, Scotland did not vote for Brexit, which has brought nothing but harm to people, communities and businesses in Scotland. The UK Government must also clarify policy on Northern Ireland to GB trade and the impact on devolved responsibilities. That includes physical checks on food safety and animal and plant health and on associated infrastructure, such as a border control post at Cairnryan. I thank the minister for her answer, and indeed Scotland is the only constituent nation of the UK to have its vote on Brexit comprehensively ignored, threatening our food security in the process. NFUS president Martin Kennedy described significant and costly disruption to long established trading arrangements between Scotland and Northern Ireland. Does the minister agree that Scotland must be given similar dispensation as Northern Ireland has in the Windsor framework so that our food and drink sector can have access to the economic security of access to the EU's single market? We have repeatedly called for the UK Government to find a negotiated solution to this entirely avoidable dispute with the EU. The Scottish Government unequivocally supports the Good Friday agreement and we welcome the new agreement that has been announced on the Northern Ireland protocol. However, Scotland did not vote for Brexit, and yet we continue to suffer the consequences of it, including exacerbating the current cost of living crisis. The member is quite right in what she is talking about there, because while Northern Ireland has now been given that preferential access to the huge European single market, Scotland, which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, has been ignored by the UK Government and subjected to the full damage of that disastrous hard Brexit. Brexit has brought nothing but harm to people, community and businesses in Scotland, and the Scottish Government remains committed to realising Scotland's potential as an independent nation within the European Union. I am glad to see that the Windsor framework will enable the resumption of trade in seed potatoes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which NFUS has called a significant breakthrough. I can ask the minister to confirm what assessment the Scottish Government has made on the impact that it will have on Scottish Farming. I would say that that is one element of the framework that we would broadly welcome, because that was a trade that was switched off overnight that we have not been able to get access to. However, all of that could have been avoided in the first place. Again, while we broadly welcome it, we did not need to be in this position in the first place. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding supporting sustainability of the rural economy in areas such as Argyll and Bute. I am in regular contact with my ministerial colleagues regarding supporting the sustainability of our rural and island communities and economies. We actively worked together to support the rural economy, including through different forests such as the island strategic group, the convention of the highlands and islands and the convention of the south of Scotland. Jenny Minto. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. In the last few weeks, I have met farmers and fishers in my constituency of Argyll and Bute. Both groups raised the importance of investing in local infrastructure. Can the cabinet secretary advise how the Scottish Government is ensuring that the local knowledge and good practice of rural and island communities is fully harnessed? The member raises a really important point there, and I think that if we want to deliver on our ambition for referer Scotland, that has got to start at the local community level. Our infrastructure investment plan and islands programme sets place-based investments that reflect the needs of our communities and delivering the Government's priorities of a net-zero place-based wellbeing economy. Our planned investments for Argyll and Bute's transport infrastructure, for example, include solutions to address the landslip risks on the A83 and the SNP. I know that the transport minister continues to engage with local stakeholders via the A83 task force meetings and the most recent meeting was held on 25 January this year, which was of course chaired by my colleague. Again, it is getting that local engagement and listening to our local communities, which is vital. I refer members to my register of interests that I am a member of a farming partnership. Farmers often play really important parts in keeping rural businesses open and trading during times of bad weather. They often open up the roads. Will the cabinet secretary speak to local councils about the importance of providing equipment to help farmers to do that such as snow plows? I am more than happy to raise that with local government colleagues or to raise with COSLA. That concludes the portfolio questions on rural and rural affairs and islands. There will be a brief pause while the front bench has changed and we will move on to the next portfolio. We move on to the next portfolio, which is health and social care. If a member wishes to ask a supplementary, I invite them to press the request to speak buttons during the relevant question. Question 1 is withdrawn. Question 2, Willie Rennie. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recruitment of breast cancer oncologists in NHS Tayside. NHS Tayside cancer services are currently operating at a stable level with mutual aid from other health boards for systemic anti-cancer therapies for breast cancer. The health board is actively recruiting and has recently seen positive developments that will be shared with the public if and when confirmed. It is frustrating that we have not got any more detail. I have heard reports of positive recruitment, but that has been going on for some time. The indications were that hundreds of people have had to go outside NHS Tayside for treatment. We are still way short of the number of consultants that we need. Some of them, the posts have been advertised and vacant for 900 days. When can we expect some real positive news for the people of NHS Tayside and in fact Fife as well, because it has been going on for far too long? As I said, we will share the positive news for the public as soon as we possibly can, but I have to reassure patients in Tayside that the oncology service is now able to offer the majority of breast cancer treatment to patients wholly in Tayside and only a small number of people are required to travel to other special centres. I think that that is single figures every week. We understand well the impact that that has. You are talking to a rural MSP. I understand well both from my constituency inbox but also from my friends and families, the challenging situation that that provides to patients who are having to travel for care. We do have hopeful signs of recovery both in terms of international interest, in terms of recruiting senior clinicians. Dialogue is on-going, but we also are fairly certain that we have managed to develop a pipeline of clinical oncologists to take up posts as soon as their training is completed. The reality is that a large part of the oncology department in Tayside has gone and previous vacancies, as we have heard, have proved impossible to fill. Does the minister think that it is acceptable that women in Tayside must travel miles from home for breast cancer treatment? Can she tell us what the threshold is for those arrangements to come to an end? As I said, I understand absolutely how difficult it is for individual women to have to travel for breast cancer. I know how difficult that situation is because I represent a rural constituency and I live in a rural constituency and many of the women in my area have to travel long distances to seek specialist cancer treatment. What I am absolutely certain of is that that historical situation in Tayside, which has been so difficult for all the people living in Tayside and certainly for all the people working in that department, I am very certain that we are seeing green shoots of recovery there and that that situation is going to improve. I look forward very much to the day that I, or my replacement, can update the Parliament on that good news. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that over 600,000 people are on a hospital waiting list. We have already had a huge effort by our NHS to clear the backlog caused by the pandemic. The total number of patients waiting more than two years for an outpatient appointment was reduced by 60 per cent in six months. The majority now of inpatient day-key specialities have fewer than 10 patients waiting more than two years. We have also progressed significant immediate long-term solutions to support boards to clear that significant backlog that remains. In addition to the targets introduced last year, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery supporting boards to maximise their capacity and increase theatre efficiencies. Of course, four new treatment centres will open later this year. I thank you. Patients across Scotland agree with Kate Forbes about the use of disastrous handling of Scotland's NHS. Evidence of its incompetence was laid bare in a recent BBC disclosure investigation, but medics say that they were banned from speaking to the BBC and every mainland health board refused the BBC access to hospitals despite this being routine elsewhere in the UK. Will Mr Yousaf reveal if his Government had any involvement in blocking media access to the NHS and if it did not, in his final days as health secretary, will he put an end to this secrecy culture? I am not sure if that relates to hospital waiting list, but I will invite the cabinet secretary to respond to his question. No, of course, it is politicising the health service. That is what is very important. What I would urge Russell Findlay to do is take off that tinfoil hat that he wears so often in this chamber. There is no conspiracy and nobody in government is trying to silence anybody in the health service—in fact, quite the opposite. I have had a number of conversations with our whistle-blowing champions who I encourage to raise concerns directly to management that staff have raised before. As for incompetence, maybe I should listen to Russell Findlay, because he is certainly an expert in that. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the cabinet secretary advise how waiting times in Scotland compare to England, where Mr Findlay's party is in power, and indeed Wales? Does the cabinet secretary agree that the shortage of health professionals is due to the rapid rise in demand since the pandemic, which this Tory Brexit, enthusiastically backed now by Labour, has only exacerbated? I can hear the Conservatives shouting at giving my job. I will tell you one thing, none of you will be getting a job because you will be sitting in opposition for a long, long time to come. He is absolutely right. The Tory Brexit backed by the Labour party has had a detrimental effect not just on health services but on social care services up and down in this country. It makes health workers and social care workers sick to the stomach to listen to a Prime Minister, to extol the virtues of the Northern Ireland protocol while denying that very same right to the people of Scotland who have voted against Brexit. In terms of the comparisons, of course, some of those comparisons cannot directly be made because of the way data is recorded, but it is worse saying that data to December 22 shows that, in Scotland, there were 114 patients waiting per 1,000 of the population—that is for TTG and new outpatient appointments. That is fewer than in England, where 127 patients per 1,000 are on the RTT waiting list. Of course, in Wales, where that figure is 237 per 1,000. Question 4 has been withdrawn. Question 5, Colin Beattie. To ask the Scottish Government what impact increases in prices and energy costs have had on the ability of NHS boards to deliver capital projects. The Scottish Government has been notified of significant increases in the cost of capital projects by NHS boards due to inflation. Increases in energy costs have an effect at all points in the construction supply chain. They are contributing to the overall increases in construction costs and, of course, we are reviewing the projects that are currently under way. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. It is clear that the increases in prices and energy costs have had an impact on all budgets. Can I ask the cabinet secretary if the Scottish Government has undertaken any assessment as to the risk of delay and implementation of future capital projects? Colin Beattie, of course, is right. Those high inflation costs, those high energy costs are having an impact on capital projects right across the entire Scottish Government, including our health capital projects. Of course, we are having this budget announcement from the UK Government. The UK Government could have taken action to drastically reduce energy bills that it has chosen not to do. That will impact capital projects right across the UK, including health projects. To Colin Beattie, I would say that we are continuously reviewing those capital projects because of those inflationary pressures. If there is a specific project that he is concerned about, I am more than happy to hear directly from him. Last week, it was announced that Aberdeen's new bird and anchor hospitals would be delayed yet again. Three years later, more than double their original budget, can the cabinet secretary give an update when those two hospitals will be open? The member raises that question without any self-awareness of the inflationary pressures that are caused by his Government, his party's economic vandalism, which has caused those high energy costs and those high inflationary costs. He also knows, of course, that Covid did impact a number of our capital projects in terms of the bird and anchor very important project. Indeed, which I am pleased, John Swinney stood up to confirm additional funding for, I will write to the member in the latest on timescales for opening. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Shetland needs a modern hospital fit for the 21st century. In the last time I asked the cabinet secretary for health about Shetland's hospital, he said that he would update me on the situation when the Scottish Government was able to make further progress on that particular site. That was in November, and I recognise other things have cropped up in the cabinet secretary's diary. However, how is the Scottish Government assisting NHS Shetland in developing a new facility, alongside supporting it through rising energy and construction costs? I will work closely with the health board and I will ensure that if the member did not get a response, I will make sure that she did. Forgive me if that response was not forthcoming. I have made the point already that our budget and capital budget in particular is extraordinarily stretched because of those high inflationary costs, because of those higher energy costs. Therefore, we have committed under our current capital programme to a number of projects right across the country. She knows that replacement hospital in Shetland is not one of them that I am able to give absolute certainty and confirmation of, but I recognise having visited Shetland myself not too long ago that there is a strong case for a replacement hospital in Shetland. Stuart McMillan. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary will be aware that I have been campaigning for a new replacement Port Glasgow health centre, because the current facility is ageing and very much in need of replacement of engagement with NHS get the Glasgow Clyde and also with the cabinet secretary on this. Can the cabinet secretary therefore provide an update on the potential proposals to deliver a new Port Glasgow health centre? I will write to the member with the detail, but, of course, the questions rightly raised by members across their constituency areas demonstrate the pressure that we are under. There is a significant pressure on a capital health project delivering a number of projects right across the country. We will take each one case by case, so I will give an update to the member in writing around where the business case is for the Port Glasgow health centre. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, the national treatment centre scheduled to be built at St John's hospital in Livingstone has doubled in price to £184 million, while the replacement for the Edinburgh iPavelion has increased from £112.5 million to £123 million. This additional capacity is essential to tackle the waiting list for treatment across the Lothian region. Both sites have a projected operational date of 2027, so what reassurance can the cabinet secretary offer to those suffering while waiting for treatment that they are indeed a priority of his? Are you waiting until 2027, too? I say to the cabinet secretary that we are very sorry that the UK Government's economic vandalism has meant that the price of that particular project has risen so highly due to those inflationary pressures that Sue Weber might want to think about doing the same for the constituents that she represents. I support the national centre programme, the delivery of that new iPavelion, but, of course, we need to review the investment programme so that it remains affordable, particularly given the high levels of inflation. The very large inflationary increases may mean that some NHS projects have to be delayed, but I am urgently reviewing the new treatment centre in Livingstone. Of course, when we have gone further through the process of the full business case review, I will ensure that the member is kept updated. Question 6. I would like to ask the Scottish Government if it will provide an update on on-going work with the NHS Golden Jubilee to make additional capacity available for elective operations in order to minimise pressure on waiting times. The national eye centre at Golden Jubilee ran 18 months of weekend cataract sessions over and above standard provision to December last year, supporting the treatment of 1,251 patients in 2022. The facility is on target to deliver over 11,000 cataract operations through core activity in the year to March 2023. The board's endoscopy plan will also provide capacity for over 7,500 patients in 2023-24. Question 7. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. I would like to pay tribute to the staff at the NHS Golden Jubilee hospital for their valued work that they do in providing the highest quality treatment and care for NHS Scotland patients. As elected members, we are all aware of cases where referral for treatment at the Golden Jubilee for cataract surgery has reduced the prospect of potentially lengthy waiting times by a significant number of weeks or indeed months. Does the minister agree that redirection to the NHS Golden Jubilee eye centre is having a significant positive effect on local health board cataract waiting lists? I cannot understand for life of me why there are mumbles and groans from the Conservative benches when co-cab stear is rightly raising concerns and praising the staff at the NHS for the phenomenal work that they have done in order to make sure that people get the cataracts on time. I am grateful to the NHS staff. I absolutely applaud all of our NHS staff, particularly those in the Golden Jubilee, who have managed to phenomenally increase the volume of cataract procedures that are undertaken per session, supported by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. That will provide sustainable improvements. That is the value of our national treatment centres. They are national. The clue in the name and the four that are opening up later this year will support people right across Scotland. The only grumbles that he is hearing is from Kate Forbes from yesterday. Increasing capacity requires staff to do the operations. Does the cabinet secretary welcome the UK Government's removal of the lifetime limit for pensions and a 50% increase to the annual limit? That will allow senior consultants to come back to work to do extra. Will the cabinet secretary now actually do his bit for the NHS pensions? Let me remind Dr Sanders Gohanny, of course, that the only nation in the entire UK not to have lost a single day to NHS workers going on strike in Scotland under, of course, my leadership. What would the Conservatives, who have ignored, who have stone walled, who have completely and utterly treated our NHS workers with contempt? Whereas this Government, of course, has made sure that they remain the best paid staff in the entire UK, and that is the record that I am very proud of. Further supplementary, but I would again remind members to try and keep the supplementary relevant to the initial question. Edward Mountain. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I wonder what the cabinet secretary would like me to tell my constituent, who was told in November that she could join the catrack waiting list in July of this year. Does he think that that is acceptable? Again, I am happy for Mr Mountain to raise that case with me directly. He will know that, of course, because of the impact of the Covid pandemic, there has undoubtedly been an increase in backlogs. However, I go back to Cokab Stewart's original question. We have a fantastic facility in the NHS Golden Jubilee. It has increased its capacity. The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is working right across health board areas to see what more we can do to increase capacity. Of course, I am really looking forward to the opening of the treatment centre at NHS Highland 2. Question 7 has been withdrawn to question 8, Jillian Mountain. To ask what the Scottish Government is doing to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The Scottish Government is committed to preventing the harm caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy and to supporting those impacted by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The clear message from the chief medical officer on alcohol during pregnancy remains no alcohol, no risk. The message features in Ready Steady Baby and on NHS Inform, where there is information on why women should avoid alcohol when pregnant or trying to conceive. All pregnant women in Scotland are asked about their drinking habit as part of their booking appointment with maternity services. If required, they are also provided with an alcohol brief intervention, a short conversation that aims to get them to think about their alcohol consumption and how they may cut it down. I thank the minister for that answer and I also thank him for the reply that he sent to my office today with my constituents' concerns on this issue. It is estimated that 3-5 per cent of people may be undiagnosed with FASD and it is the most overlooked neurodevelopmental condition in Scotland. Could I ask the minister what has been done to ensure that health providers have the tools to diagnose cases and provide the support for those who have very complex needs as a result of their FASD? The Government has provided over £1 million in funding over the past four years to the fetal alcohol advisory support and training team FAST, based at Edinburgh University. That supports the delivery of training to improve knowledge, attitudes and confidence in professionals working with individuals with FASD, which includes training on diagnosing FASD. The FAST team has devised a tiered approach to training and in November and December of 2022 delivered their fundamentals of FASD for health and social care practitioners training to over 300 health and social care workers with more dates organised for 2023. That will increase the knowledge and skills of those practitioners to be able to better support those with FASD. Diagnostic training for professionals commenced in December with 34 participants from across the country. That course will enable those professionals, which include clinical psychologists, pediatricians, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, to have the knowledge and skills to be able to support and diagnose FASD. That course also includes information about how to translate assessment findings into meaningful indications of what post-diagnostic support is required. In the answer to his first question, the minister referred to something called ready, steady baby. I would be grateful if he could tell me what that is. Not only will I ensure that all members get information about that, we will send copies of ready, steady baby to Mr Finlay and others so that he can peruse it for himself. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have a devastating impact on the lives of children impacted by alcohol in the womb. What further action will the Scottish Government take to raise awareness of FASD among prospective parents to reduce the number of children born with this debilitating syndrome? We all have a part to play in highlighting FASD and it is one of those areas that the public at large are not completely and utterly aware of. I pay tribute to Siobhan Brown for recently having a member's debate on what I think is a very important subject. I know that Mr Gibson has raised that on many an occasion too. I think that we will need to look and see what we can do with our marketing budgets to see whether we can promote FASD more and to highlight the real difficulties that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause to babies while they are in the womb. Minister, that concludes portfolio questions. It is time to move on to the next item of business.


Bemidji baseball fighting for their playoff lives against Detroit Lakes. This one was an end-out. Alex Lazzella with the bases loaded. They'd be loaded no more. Three-run score on single and the error to make it 7-0. Next inning it's 7-1 now. Casey McNamara with 2-1. RBI single to left scores both. Bemidji gets the win by a score of 18-2. They'll take on Fergus Falls on Tuesday.


Each and every day, we're not here to teach how to be a corporal, we're teaching how to be a leader. A small unit there. They happen to wear the ring of corporal. We bring back the basics. We try to motivate them. Motivation is contagious. And that's what I saw throughout this three-week period. They're different Marines than they checked in on day one. We took them to play paintball, to exercise on the practical application that they received in their more fighting classes. To do the high tower. So that was cool. And to see people that have a fear of heights or fear of water face their fears and how much we all cheer each other on. They also ended with a culminating event where they got to go through a form of incompetence sharing in the field. The advice I would give to a junior Marine that is looking at doing this course. That we are responsible for creating the image of what it is to be a Marine.


Today, I am so excited to talk with David Lawn. He's an entrepreneur, musician, engineer, and he has brought something that's really unique and really valuable to help everybody achieve better health and more happiness. So I want to welcome you, David, to be on the show. Thanks, Joy. Glad to be here. I'm so intrigued because you are the inventor of what's called cheek oil. So when I heard you talking about it, I just thought, OK, everybody can benefit from this. And I read some reviews online about your product. Some people's pet were getting great benefits and it just wonderful. So you named your device cheek oil. And you're also a martial artist, right? So can you tell me a little bit about how you came up with cheek oil? I was chronically ill with a digestive disorder that was incurable. And I was searching for 10 years for a solution. I tried everything. And I almost gave up. And I couldn't hear myself. I was suffering every day. Then I was experimenting with some frequency technologies. I created my own device because all the other devices out there were really hard to use and they didn't work there that well. Initially, I just wanted something to help me get into deeper states of meditation. What I got was not just deeper state of meditation actually healed myself in 90 days. To my surprise, I said, well, when I first turned it on, I felt something in my gut. I never felt before with anything else I did. So I stopped all the medications. I stopped all the other therapies I was doing. I just did frequency therapy. That's all I did. So I got to get my dad to use this. I got to get my family to use this. My mom had a stroke a couple of years back. And the moment she used the cheek oil in five minutes, the pain went down 6 to 80%. And then she was able to walk a lot better. And you tried other devices, the other PMF devices before cheek oil? Yeah, I was trying different devices. I would try some similar devices to PMF therapy. So then after you designed your device, I'm sure you went back to compare with other PMF devices. What was your impression? Yeah, afterwards I started using some mats, PMF pads, and things like that. And there's just no comparison, right? Cheek oil is not just PMF. There's about five different technologies inside the cheek oils. There is PMF. There's a variety of frequencies, which we have 10,000 of them, 10,000 programs. There's also crystal resonance therapy. And there's also sound therapy. So we combine many different modalities. What we have is something that's contactless. You don't need to make any contact. You can simply put it on a desk in front of you when you work and you're receiving the therapy. You can simply put it on your coffee table and the people around your living area will be receiving the therapy. It's very compact. You can carry with you. You can't bring a mat with you to go to the gym or do yoga or go for a walk. But these ones you can put in your pocket, put it in your purse. Yeah, and what's the range? How far away can you be from the device and still receive benefits? Yeah, it depends on the size. So starting with our minis, we'll go about three feet. And all the way up to our maxes, which is about 20 feet. So we'll cover a whole room. I think energy medicine is along with stem cell therapy. I think it's the future of medicine. I do think stem cell therapy, in a way, is energy therapy because DNA is the most energy-dense substance in the universe. And when we give people cells that contains DNA, the intelligence, which is energy itself, the intelligence contained is going to bring about profound change. And energy medicine, I think it's just becoming to be truly recognized because I think more and more people are accepting that we are energy beings. I think ancient people have recognized that, which came about, you know, we're talking about the device called Qi Coil. And Qi, of course, is the energy and essence in Chinese. And we have something called the Yin and Yang effect. So you look at some of the coils, they go in different directions. So this one is a Yin. And then the other one that goes in the other direction, we have it over there, see on the shelf. That one is Yang. And if you meditate and if you're sensitive, you can feel the difference. So the Yin would be expansive and opening and the Yang would be focusing and energizing. So when you use them together and you're in the middle, you'll feel this really profound balance, that really profound balance and calmness. So if the person wants to get the Yin and Yang, I mean, they have to get both, right? To stay balanced? It would help. If you use the Yin, most people will use the Yin. That's what you would use most of the time because I think most people are just stressed out and in tension all the time. So they need to relax and they need to expand and meditate. So the Yin helps you do that. The Yang is good for focus, for intense focus. So if you're exercising, you want to get into a weight loss program, you want to get more from your physical exertion, then you would use the Yang, right? If you want to really get into the zone for meditating and you use both at the same time. And you have a range of products. So I know there's one that's very large, it's good for covering the entire house. Yeah, you see this one here. It's called the Auric Oil Med Bed System. This is actually the 14 inch. We actually have one twice as big as that. And that would cover the area of a whole house or you can put it under a bed and you would basically turn any bed into a med bed. So you hear about these med beds that people spend like 20 or $30,000 to get. Well, now you can just spend a fraction of that and turn any bed into a med bed. And I know you've developed this really cool app that actually that's how the Qi Coil is used, right? It's connected to your phone and then you can play a different app. Can you talk a little bit about how the app works? Yeah, so the app, there's two apps right now. One is called the Qi Coil app. It looks like this. These will have what we call the quantum and higher quantum frequencies. So the other one is called the Rife app. It looks like this and these have Rife frequencies. But basically they are just way more dimensions. Like, let's say you listening to just one note. This would be like listening to a whole symphony orchestra playing at the same time. How does somebody know whether or not to use the quantum program or the Rife program? You can use both. The Rife program has 10,000 different frequencies. So if you have any kind of issue that you wanna deal with, 10,000 different programs you can search. So for example, if we type sleep, there'll be about six programs that you can use. Now the Qi Coil one, people say is more of a spiritual type of app because we have frequencies for remove negative energy, frequencies for enlighten, meditate, and abundance. There are also some very special frequencies in here. For example, there's supplements and substances like DMT and that are not on the other app. And how we made that, we actually take the molecular structure of DMT and then we calculate all the angles and all the different molecular width weights and then we convert it into a frequency. So you're combining all these different technologies. I've seen hundreds and hundreds of reviews, glowing reviews about your device online. What kind of benefits have you seen that's stuck in your mind about what people have noticed? I think a lot of people get the coil for many reasons. Number one is sleep, anxiety, and stress. Some kind of mental health that they need to improve. And this works really well for that without any mitigation. And then there's the healing aspect or the wellness aspect.  And I just needed that extra kick that would get me into the positive instead of keeping me in the negative. Yeah, that's so wonderful to hear. And how often should a person use the device? I mean, basically is there a threshold and a recommended frequency to use? So we use the term dosage when we take medicine, right? There's a similar kind of dosage when you use the coils. A higher dosage would mean just using it longer or a higher dosage would mean just turning up the power. So increasing the strength of the magnetic field. Depending on how sensitive you are to electromagnetic fields, then you'll need a stronger or lower dose, okay? So that's different for everybody. It's it, if you're trying to help a particular area of the body, is it better to just put it on that part of the body? Yeah, you would do that, right? So let's say you have some shoulder pain. You would put it in your shoulder and you'd leave it there. You have a stomach ache and you put it on your tummy and pain. Every time my dog, let's say spring in his leg or something like that, I would use this and then just put it near him where he's sleeping and then they recover a lot faster. We don't need any antibiotics or painkillers and things like that. The coils are just like a lifesaver and a money saver when it comes to pets. Amazing. What a nice thing to have as a tool. So when you were designing this device, how were you inspired as far as the shape and how did you come up with the different shapes? This is called a toroid. You see, there's a lot of research done into fusion reactors. For example, there's a fusion reactor called the tokamak and it's shaped like a toroid. And they use that shape specifically because they found that that shape is able to generate unlimited energy. We look at the shape of the Earth's magnetic field is also in the toroid. If you measure the shape of the magnetic field of your heart or your body, it's also in the toroid. So this is a natural shape that occurs for electromagnetic field. So I decided why not create something that mimics what nature has already. So you did testing that whatever sound or frequency was sent through, you found that it was magnified through this device. Well, okay, you see, there's people that make electromagnetic devices, but they don't make it like this. What they'll do is they'll probably use a big, there's a flat pancake to create a field. And when you do that, your field will be about like 50 to 100 times less amplitude. Just by using this shape, this creates a very focused magnetic field that's much higher than two-dimensional design. What kind of advice do you give to people as far as choosing a good device for themselves?  So as I mentioned before, they're just different in size and different in the strength of the magnetic field.  So the step up from there is the 2S, which is three inches. So about a little bit smaller than this one. And that one is like the standard model and it has about eight to nine feet range. And then after that will be this one, which is the 3S. And this one will have about 11 feet range. And also this one has the crystals inside. There's three quantinium crystals.  So that's the crystalline argon. There's actually holes here where we insert those crystals. They'll have those crystals. And the reason we have crystals in there is because these crystals can hold memory. Just like your computer chips hold memory, all crystals actually hold resonance and hold vibration and frequencies. So even if you're not powering the coils, after you use them, you would have program these crystals with whatever frequencies you're using. And then the next level up will be the max, which is five inches. It's a lot bigger. They have two layers of winding instead of just one. So these can go up to 20 feet. So a small room will be good. The only thing is that they're pretty big, so not portable. Yeah, that's wonderful. So I mentioned earlier that there's mental health and then there's like health conditions, but there's also the meditative and spiritual aspect.  You'd actually be able to activate your pineal gland inside of your brain.  So it actually produces a molecule that is attributed to intuition, attributed to dreams, having more creativity, more spiritually speaking. It opens your third eye. It actually helps you to be more psychic, more telepathic, if you believe in that stuff, right? Sometimes when you're thinking of a song and then that song starts to play, or sometimes when you're thinking of a person and that person text messages you, what you'll find is that by using these, you start to have more awareness. Awareness starts to expand. So really that's like been infused with Qi, with life force, right? I think there are some of the benefits that I heard about from Qi Gong, because growing up in China, people started talking about using Qi Gong and how that enhances every aspect of their lives, including spiritual awakening. So that's literally what you were describing. Exactly. And people have thought of Qi as just some kind of esoteric thing that doesn't really exist, or just based on imagination. But now I actually have a technology that you can measure. It's empirical. You can see the results. You switch the frequency and the person gets sleepy.  It's like a speech. So when I tell people, it's like, what was Qi Gong? I can sum it into two things. Number one, it is like a wireless charger for your body. You know how phones can charge wirelessly and just put it on a plate and then it charges? Same thing. It's like a wireless charger at a party.  You get more energy. The second way is like the Spotify for your mind. You know what it's like? So like Spotify, you choose your mood, right? Oh, I want to listen to some relaxing music. I want some like workout music. I want this and that, right? Yeah. Same thing. So you can use our app. You can choose whatever emotion and whatever feeling, whatever spiritual enlightenment you want. You turn on the coil and now it's like Spotify for your mind. You can choose whatever you want. You have, you can regulate your mood. You can regulate your spiritual experience with the technology. Yeah, this is wonderful. And I'm so excited. I'm just showed it. So I just got this today in the mail. I'm really, really excited to try this. You know, who doesn't need enhancements, right? Yeah. So I thank you so much for coming on the show. I think you provided, you know, wealth of information and you're going to help so many people. So thank you for your tenacity and for you using your creativity and talents to bring this into the world. You're welcome. And I'm looking forward to helping you and helping all your audience to transform their lives and become the most that they can be. Wonderful.


Are you working? Yes, sir. These days? Yes. Connection and probation in the Indian Postal Service. Okay. Good. Recently, Pakistan has taken some action against one of the terrorists. What action have they taken? Sir, the terrorist that we are talking about is the Chief of Lashkarate. Lashkarate. Jamal Dabadi. And he was arrested for involving in terror financing. And Pakistan arrested him based on his previous records from the pressure of FATF. Now, he has been, what sentence has he been given by the court? Sorry sir, not the sentence. Has he been convicted by the court in Pakistan for his actions in India? Sorry sir, I am not aware of the court connection. Now, another man whose name has been coming up is Basu Nagar. Who is he? He said he was the one who was involved in the Mumbai blast that took place in 2008. That was the Lashkarate guy. Basu Nagar was Jai Shev Mohdman. What has Pakistan said about him? Sorry sir. Okay. Now, you mentioned that due to pressure of the FATF, the courts have taken action against the LED Chief. So, what is this FATF? Sir, FATF is Financial Action Task Force which was established in 1989 by G7 countries. And the main purpose of FATF is to control money laundering and terror financing. And it acts through a multilateral body. And it places countries in gray lists and black lists based upon their activities that they are taking upon. So, initially when it was formed, was terror financing a part of the chapter or not? Sir, initially it was money laundering. Okay. Subsequently, terror financing was also involved in this. Now, what were the grounds of which Pakistan was put on the gray list? Sir, India has put its viewpoint in FATF that Pakistan is involved in proxy wars in India. And it has been giving safe events to terrorists in its own territory. And draining them and sending to India. So, this has been one of the grounds on which it was put on gray list. So, it was put on gray list last year. Now, currently the FATF meeting is going on. I think today is the last day. So, has any decision been taken yet on Pakistan? Yes, sir. The review committee has given that Pakistan should stay in gray list. Correct. For up to June, they have been given time. Yes, sir. There are certain points which were given against which Pakistan had to take action. So, some of them have been covered by Pakistan. But not all of them. Look, the government has been trying to give a fill-up to sports. And they had started something called the Kelo Games. You haven't done it, sir? Now, another series is now to be held called the Kelo India Youth Games. What is this? You are not exactly aware of Kelo India Youth Games. Right. What was the early ones were? Kelo India program that... That's right. Last year they had Kelo India School Games. And now, they have moved up, you know, about 17 and above. So, they are now at Kelo India Youth Games. They are going to be held. I look into it. Yeah. In the global issue. Okay, now, you know, have you heard of the Bodo Accord? Yes. What is the Bodo Accord? Sir, it was recently signed among the parties of Indian government, the Assam government and the Bodo groups. What would you say is the most important achievement of this accord? Sir, it stopped the militancy in those areas and has given a window to preserve the country. Yeah. It has the militant groups. Insurgent groups have given up the demarcated state. That is what is the main mission. Resurgency revives again. That's for us to see. Okay. Thank you. Tell me, what do you think are the main issues in which the country should focus? Sir, there are few issues which we should continue. First is ensuring sustainability in agriculture. And because a lot of our workforce is dependent on agriculture, so we need to make it profitable and shift most of them into manufacturing and services. Fair enough. Yes. Sir, secondly, though we are currently fifth-largest economy in the world, but there is a lot of income inequality and economic inequality in our country. Yes, it is. Our capital is $2,000. Yes, it is nothing. Yes, sir. So we need to address the income inequality. Sir, third is that we need to concentrate... Income inequality or no income scenario of about 20 crore people. Poverty. Poverty. Yes, sir. So, I mean, it's an economic handle of reducing inequality as well as addressing poverty. Sir, third is our investment in manufacturing sector and also in developing startups in our country, because that will create wealth in the country and which will further promote overall development. Okay. Fourth, sir, we should concentrate on our national interests. Incidentally, the startup program, has it done any good at all to date about four years, I think, at all? Yes. What has happened? You heard of good startups doing well, four years is enough time for a startup. Sir, we have some unicorns in our Indian startups, like Dream11, Flipkart, OU. It has nothing to do with this program, right? I am asking about this program. Sir, in this particular program, I am not aware of the evaluation part of it. Nothing much has happened. Okay. Now, what do you think? Is Ayodhya Temple a government affair or a private affair? Sir, it's a private affair and government has tried to intervene in the beginning. However, we got a Supreme Court-mediated solution later. But now government has nothing to do with this? Sir, in the Supreme Court judgment, the Supreme Court asked the government to establish a trust to build a temple and also allocate five acres to the Muslim group so that they can build their mosque in the... No, that solution is over, accepted by both sides. What I am saying is, is the government still involved? Does it need to get itself involved now? Sir, in order to maintain a communal harmony, the government should try to work on those lines. Supreme Court has maintained communal harmony. I don't think they are fighting now at the government. Yes, sir. Right? Because I am asking these questions to those paper articles with the photographs that the Prime Minister is meeting these people today. Does the Prime Minister have time for all this? You know, because you said poverty and this and that, startup, nothing has happened. So, why does he need to meet them? Sir, it sends off a very good message and as a symbol it acts that the Prime Minister of India has all communities and he has, in his mind, interests of all communities of the country. That he has said many times. Yes. You really need to meet people. Sir, but it is... You think it is necessary? Yes, sir. If you were Prime Minister, you would have met. Yes, sir. Is that so? Yes, sir. Because it will send a very good message. What message? No, message. Taptu, Sankaratkar, yes, you will meet. Yes, sir. How many will you meet? Sir, because... Yes, sir. I know. Prime Minister is coming. Sir, you think Prime Minister is meant for this? Sir, it is one of his duties to maintain peace and law and order in the country. State, subject, we have law and order. Law and order is not a central subject. U.P. Chief Minister is there for that. Although U.P. Chief Minister also has no role in this, but if there is law and order, he should try to do it. Okay, very well. That's all. You are interested in watching TED Talks. What are TED Talks? TED Talks are a platform where people from diverse backgrounds give talks on their work and it is maximum 18 minutes that they get and they present their ideas in a very innovative way. And the range, the field range from technology, entertainment, design, science, religion... Have you given any TED Talk? No, not yet. I would love to give one. Why not? I would love to give one. What does TED Talks stand for? Yes, sir. It is technology, entertainment and design. Okay. Okay, now you are from Teningana and there is a scheme known as Ridae. Are you aware? What was the scheme? Ridae scheme is for... Heritage, city development and... I am not aware of it. ... augmentation goals now. Thank you. What is being done in this scheme? No, I am not exactly aware of what the Teningana government is doing in this. But we have certain heritage cities like Badrachalam temple and... What about Badrangal? Yes, ma'am. That is in Teningana? Yes. Hyderabad? We are very close to Hyderabad district. We have a thousand pillar temple. Yes, thousand pillar temple, so it is for there looking after these spaces. Because we already have a smart city project. Yes. So to look after the heritage cities, this was initiated. You are from Hyderabad. Tell me something about Hyderabad. Ma'am, Hyderabad is a cosmopolitan city. This is up in Christ? In Hyderabad, we can see Charmina. We have Tangand, that is a necklace road. Which is a famous recreational place. And we have Chilkur Palaji Temple. Who is known as Visabhava. Because people come there for... Yes. They do service there. What else? We have various technological paths. Where we have companies like Google and Amazon, setting up the headquarters here. And apart from that ma'am, we have a lot of very good food culture in Hyderabad. So we have a lot of food chains to visit. Now there are some very interesting skills of the Teningana government. Can you mention any of them? Yes ma'am. Which are doing good work? Yes ma'am. Few are the Raikubandu scheme. What is this Raikubandu? It is an investment guarantee scheme to the farmers. To the farmers, yes. They are given 5000 rupees per season. And they have the full autonomy to use this money in the best interest of their feed. And it is seen as a very good move because it gives the farmer the autonomy to decide about his feed. But the Kaliya scheme which is an Odisha, it also includes the landless labor. But Raikubandu doesn't. Doesn't, yes ma'am. That scheme also includes the agricultural laborers and also it provides livelihood opportunities. Where the Teningana scheme is only for the farmers with land purpose. So what are the other schemes? Ma'am, the other one is the Kaleshwaram project which is a multi-purpose project. But there is a lot of controversy about the Kaleshwaram project. Yes ma'am. How many trees will be cut down? How many trees which are in the extinct species will be cut down? Yes ma'am. So they will end up with some lefunias in implementation. And the project hasn't reached its timeline yet, deadline yet. And also there are cost warrants in the scheme. So we have some concerns with the scheme. And some water schemes like the Kaliya and the Pagirata scheme. Yes ma'am. Mission Kakatiya is for regenerating the lakes that were built by Kakatiya rulers. It is about desilting and regenerating the surface water. Whereas Mission Pagirata is about providing water supply. So what is the water supply given to all the households now? Ma'am, currently the tap connections are given. But the water has been released in phased manner. Which is not 100% yet. But it is in a series. You've done mechanical engineering. What is the difference between robots and drones? Ma'am, robots are any instrument that performs activities in a mechanical way, in an automated way. And drones can be said to be one form of robot, which generally fly in the air and they use for surveillance and capturing images for such purposes. Okay. Now, my last question since when the postal services should our postal services be privatized? Ma'am, before privatization we need to first corporatize the postal system. And we have recommendations from TSA Subramanian committee that What are these recommendations? Yes, because the recommendations are based on the activities of the postal department because it is involved in banking, insurance, e-commerce and mail operation. So, the committee recommended that each of these units should be first set up as business units. They have to corporatize these units. And then we can also offer IPOs in the future. So, first step has been taken in the direction by establishing the India Post Payment Bank. All right. Thank you. Give me an example of a set of all sets. Give me an example of a set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Now, you are from Tehran. Can you tell me something about the Disha Act? Yes, sir. Disha Act has been passed by the AP Legislative Assembly because after the incident that has happened in the Hyderabad about rape, victim got sorted. So, the Disha Act has mostly catered to speedy trials of the rape cases within twenty-one days by establishing separate courts and by employing separate staff in order to look after such cases. Over the years, there have been many acts that have been brought at this central level or at this state level to curb crimes against women. Have they been effective? And do you think the Disha Act will be effective?  Sir, however, we can see that the crimes against women, according to the data we see, they are increasing. And we have also set up near Beha Fund in order to get one-stop centers, but those implementation has also not happened, the satisfactory limit gets. What is the purpose of the Disha Act? What shall be used? Nine percent. What are the areas for which the assistance can be given under the Beha Fund? Sir, for all three, main three purposes are the legal assistance, the medical assistance and the judicial, the process that takes place. Most important, safety and security, particularly in transport. This year, we are going to be 75 years old. One of the objectives which is contained in the Disha Act is equality of human beings. Now, to put the text into the same, it has been achieved. Sir, we can say it has been a mixed response in the sense that all countries have achieved equal status in terms of voting, that is political equality you can see internationally. However, if you see the income inequality, that is the economic inequality or the social inequality that exists between the countries and between intra-country inequality has been addressed. So, we can say we have reached a good status but not the desired status. So, access to health care and food, etc. Now, which is the principle order of human which is based in the area of equality of human beings to bring about equality of human beings? Sir, human rights commission. That is for human rights. Economic inclusion comes up. Which major foreign companies have set shop in Hebron? Sir, there are few companies like Google, Amazon, Ikea and Uber. So, these are some connections. Is Walmart also there? I am not up for that. Now, what do you think of this Ikea and Amazon and Walmart? These are also, they have their, well, not two of them had their physical stores but mostly they are selling online. What do you think of them coming into India? Is it a healthy thing? A correct thing for Indian economy and Indian consumer? Yes, sir. If you see from the consumer's perspective, then definitely it brings a lot of competition to the market and innovation in the market place and also for affordability of the consumer increases. However, there are some concerns like dealing with the small hawkers or the traditional retail shoppers which have expressed their concerns regarding these shops. So, we can look it as a, if you look at the economic angle, then definitely we can call it as a creative destruction because whenever a new idea comes into the market, then the old ideas are replaced by that. So, we need to take concerns of these hawkers and retailers in our mind and take measures accordingly, sir. What concerns we can take? Either you allow them to prosper and satisfy your customer, bring a lot of FDI or you as into a shop and then the hawkers thrive. You can't have both. Someone will have to go. Sir, for a country, what is LDA? Sir, in the near future we have to, at least in the short term, we have to take the concern, sir. Like Amazon as a market place it provides platform for all retailers in that sense. So, they can integrate it into the system instead of either or. We can have a middle part where we can integrate them into the e-commerce system and as far as hawkers are concerned so we can provide them alternate markets so we can provide them some skill so that they can also be updated in their... It is not hawker who is crying. It is this RSS-backed people brick-and-mortar-stored fellows. Yes, sir. Hawker is not affected by that. He is selling something else. We have such examples in the past also. If you want to prosper then the line is very clear. You allow them to continue. Let those brick-and-mortar they should also become efficient as these are... Yes, sir. It will improve the competition. So, that will happen through promoting competition but not by restricting any one of them, sir. So, who is restricting? Sir, like the... Yes, the concerns are that from the retailers they have to constraint the big giants. CCIA started as a university and what happened to that? Sorry, sir. No. High court has put a stop to it. Yes, you know. You give us a reason why you are starting this industry. High court is not the best. I am looking at it. Is the Postal Department an ailing department? Sir, in terms of revenue if you see then we have incurred losses over time. But as such, Postal Department is along with business development it is also the universal service obligation that is to serve the underserved and unserved areas of the country with mail operations and banking facilities. So, if we judge it and learn that terms then definitely Postal Department is doing good. Is there water scarcity in Hyderabad? Yes, sir. In some areas there is water scarcity. And water is supplied by tankers or what? Yes, sir. Some areas are supplied by tankers. So, is the government doing something about it? Yes, sir. What are the specific steps have been initiated? Sir, one is about regenerating the lakes in Hyderabad city. Which ones have been the regenerated? Sir, the works are still on but the main one is the Ghandipet Lake and the necklace road that the Moose River flows through those areas. So, those are the main lakes that have been regenerated in the city as of now. They have been regenerated. I am sorry. They are still in the phases of not yet fully coming. They are still thinking as well now. Yes. The works have begun but the processes... Is there a Nobel Prize for Maths? No, sir. Not a Nobel Prize. But we have Fields Medal and Abel Prize. Which of them is considered the bigger one? So, Fields Medal is the most famous. Which country awards it and who got the last one? Sir, it is awarded by Canada and last year it was given to Akash Incotation. He is from Australia. Okay. Is game theory a field of mathematics? It can be seen as a mathematics application in economics. How will you define it? Game theory. So, game theory deals with the strategies that need to be employed when different parties are fighting or different parties are demanding one particular resource. Then we can use it in policy. How does it do it? What does game theory do? What is the purpose of this game theory? Sir, it gives the best strategy to go about in fields like war. By doing what? By studying what? By studying the other person, the opponents. Studying the patterns. I can see. Patterns. And then outlines a strategy for the future. Supreme Court Supreme Court's powers are defined in Article 141 and 142. What are these powers? So, we close the interview and give you feedback. How do you think you have handled the interview? It could have been better. There are some gaps. No, I think you have done very well. You have handled most questions nicely. Now, we feel that most of the questioning will be based on the pilot. Till and till, you are in a poster survey, some questions on poster surveys. Then mathematics. Mechanical engineering. And finally, current affairs. Like you were asked about Keno India, photo, Raidu Bindu, etc. Some questions on foreign policy. These are the areas where you should prepare yourself. That Tilangana has some problems and some good things are there. Like it has been able to progress economically. Human development index is also improving. But then there are also some problems like reservation for Muslims for short term by the judiciary. And not the farmers who said so. Go and look at this. These are some of the problems. Then current affairs and constitutional issues. Like what is good governance concept, what is basic structure concept, you know, certain things. You were asked a question about incomes. Income rising, income inequality. You are confusing it, raising the income. Are you trying to say that you should rob the poor rich and fill the pockets of the poor? That is the impression you are giving by linking it to raising. Instead, productivity must increase. Don't have so much on it. Income disparity. When you were corrected also, then you again came back to income inequality. As if you will take away from the rich and give it to the poor. That was not the point. You will prove that. Then you were asked a question about Prime Minister, you know, holding these meetings of Tehran and all. You should be at this one, you should be absolutely clear. Secularism doesn't permit this. India's secularism. This is all wrong. You should, if anyone asks you, most probably nobody will ask you in it. If anyone asks you, you say leaders have no business doing these kind of things. We should remain above these religious activities and religious symbols. If at all they ask that Indian forms of secularism is different from that of western secularism. What is the Indian forms of secularism? Protection of all religions equally. Why doesn't he wear a Muslim garb, why doesn't he set up a foundation that is known for mosque? He is doing it only for Hindus. So isn't this a discrimination? Can I say that in an interview? No, you don't have to say, I am meeting your point. He is ostensibly giving an impression that he is a Hindu leader. Which is wrong? So in the interview, they ask such questions? No, it is wrong. I consider it totally wrong. A leader must not keep himself away from religious symbols or religious activities and show a neutral stance completely. Okay? Don't forget to like, share and subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon to never miss an update.


The Nollywood actress, Messy Ibe, has fired back at those accusing her of snatching another woman's husband, saying her husband is entitled to more than one wife. The actress, who stated that her ex-husband Larry Gentry and current husband Kazim at Deity, were never friends, said her popular Yoruba filmmaker husband is a Muslim and is entitled to more than one wife. While this is Ibe's third shot at marriage, it is Kazim's second marriage. Kazim is also the father of four. His wife, his first wife, Funcho, lives in Minnesota, U.S. and is a notable fashion designer.