The Rajya Sabha today held a discussion on Motion of Thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind's address to both the Houses of Parliament. Participating in the discussion, Seema Dwivedi of BJP said, India has successfully administered crores of doses of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also said, free food grains have been provided to over 80 crore people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Highlighting the role of Kisan Rail, she said, the government has taken several measures for farmers to raise their income. She said, 50 thousand kilometers of road network have been built during the last seven years. She criticized the opposition parties for making false allegations over the government's steps for the welfare of the people.<br />'' <br />'' Congress MP Anand Sharma termed the President's address disappointing as it is far from ground realities and does not reflect the challenges posed before the country. He said, the growth achieved by the nation is not a result of the last eight years but a result of the last 75 years. He also raised the issue of unemployment saying 42 crore people are unemployed in the country. Mr. Sharma said, the gap between poor and rich and continuously widening. Dr. Fauzia Khan of NCP said, basic amenities have not been provided to the soldiers as per the CAG report. She said, CAG has asked to investigate the matter as procurement of defence items has been delayed by four years. Former Prime Minister and JDS leader HD Devegowda said, budget allocation for the agriculture sector has disappointed the stakeholders. Sanjay Singh of AAP asked the government to check the incident of discrimination on the religious line in the country.  Binoy Vishwam of CPI raised the issue of disinvestment saying that the government is selling the profit-making PSUs. Sukhram Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party demanded the government to conduct a caste census and create an Ahir regiment in the Army. Ahmad Ashfaque Kareem of RJD stressed the need for the development of rural areas. V Vijaysai Reddy of YSR Congress demanded to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh.  <br />'' <br />''Highlighting the various welfare measures of the government, Prakash Javadekar said, the speed of development works increased during the present government. He said the government has taken measures including the installation of WiFi facilities at 10 thousand Railways' Stations. He said, an outreach of the food security scheme has been increased by implementing it in all States. Intervening in the discussion, Minister of State for Social Justice, Ramdas Athawale highlighted several government measures for the welfare of SC and STs in the country. Rakesh Sinha of BJP said, this government has removed corruption and commission. He criticized the opposition for continuously questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi on different issues. Mr. Sinha also talked about different measures taken by the government for the development of the country. Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe of BJP said, India has achieved new heights in the different sectors under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Criticizing the opposition over adopting a narrow mindset towards the government's welfare programme, he said, people know the truth. K. Ravindra Kumar of TDP,  Jaiprakash Nishad of BJP, and others also spoke on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address.