opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3312 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Redeveloping C-class Suburban Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAMACHANDRAN MULLAPPALLY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.3312 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## REDEVELOPING C-CLASS SUBURBAN STATION

## 3312.  SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Railways  has  decided  to  redevelop  C-class  suburban stations in the country; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the development plan prepared for the same?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a): No, Madam.  Recently, Indian Railways has advertised its plan to offer  'A-1'  and  'A'  category  stations  for  redevelopment  by  inviting proposals  from  interested  parties  with  their  designs  and  business ideas.    However,  Memorandum  of  Understanding  has  been  signed recently  with  Ministry  of  Urban  Development  to  redevelop  railway stations falling  in  smart  cities  and  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) cities.  The railway stations are yet to be finalized in that scheme and C-class suburban stations may appear under that scheme.

(b): Stations of C-class are not identified as yet.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3311 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Counsels for Filing Cases
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: MANOJ RAJORIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 3311

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 22 nd  March 2017

## Counsels for Filing Cases

## †3311.   DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government appoints a panel of counsels for filing cases in the courts on behalf of various Ministries/departments and representing the said offices in the courts;
- (b) if so, the details in this regard; and
- (c)  the  qualifications  fixed  by  the Government for appointment of panel of counsels in various departments/Ministries?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY)

- (a) Yes, Madam, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of Rule 8 B of Order XXVII of the First Schedule to the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, Central  Government  appoints  Government  Pleaders  and  also  Central Government Standing Counsel in relation  to  any  suit  by  or  against  the Central Government  in  various courts and in exercise of  powers conferred  by  the  provisions  of  sections  24  and  25  of  the  Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, Central Government appoints public prosecutors, including  special  public  prosecutors,  in  Criminal  cases  on  behalf  of Central Government before various courts.
- (b) Central Government Counsels are engaged by the president on the basis of  their  experience,  professional  competence,  interest,  reputation  & standing at Bar.

Contd…

However certain Ministries/Departments viz. CBDT, CBEC, ED of Ministry of  Finance,  NCB,  NIA  of  MHA,  Ministry  of  Railways  and  CBI  have  been authorized to have their separate panels to file or defend their cases. They asses  the  competency  etc.  of  the  advocates  at  their  end  and  send  the proposals for approval of this Ministry before appointment.

- (c) The  required  qualifications  for  a  person  for  his  inclusion  in  the  panel  of Central Government Standing Counsel includes:-
- (i) he must be enrolled as an advocate;
- (ii) he should have  sufficient standing at the Bar and professional
- competence.
- (iii) he should be a person of integrity and honesty.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3309 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Affordable Justice to Poor
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

******

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3309

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNSDAY, THE 22 nd  MARCH, 2017

## Affordable Justice to Poor

## †3309. SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state :

- (a) whether the Government has put some system in place to provide justice to the poor who can not afford exorbitant fee of Supreme Court lawyers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, whether the Government proposes to put such system in place and the time by which it is likely to be done?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE  FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI P.P.CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to  (c)  Poor  and  marginalized  persons  are  entitled  to  free  legal  services under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.  The details of free legal aid services include payment of court fee, providing services of  lawyers  in  legal  proceedings.  The  Legal  Services  Committees  have been functioning at all levels of the judiciary starting from the Supreme Court to the courts at taluka level to provide free legal aid to all eligible categories of persons under the provision mentioned above.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3308 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Complaints regarding Catering Services
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3308 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## COMPLAINTS REGARDING CATERING SERVICES

†3308. SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

(a) the number of complaints received regarding catering facility and other inconveniences faced by the passengers in Rajdhani Express trains running in the country; and

- (b) the steps taken by the Government on these complaints?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) & (b):  2247 catering complaints have been reported in Rajdhani trains during  the  last  year  and  current  year    (i.e.  01.01.2016  to  28.02.2017). A total fine of ₹ 58,02,100 has been imposed and ₹ 53,92,100 has already been  recovered  by  Railways  during  this  period,  against  648  complaints. Improvement of catering services is an on-going process.  In its endeavour to  provide  quality  and  hygienic  food  to  the  passengers,  Railways  have developed and operationalized an institutionalized mechanism for monitoring  of  quality  and  hygiene  of  catering  services  through  regular inspections at various levels to address catering complaints.

Railways are doing cleaning of coaches in the trains at both ends. On Board Housekeeping  Service  (OBHS)  is  also  provided  to maintain cleanliness in

Contd...2/-

important long distance trains including Rajdhani Express trains. 'Clean My Coach'  service  is  also  provided  in  all  Rajdhani  Express  Trains,  in  which passengers can request for any cleaning requirement through short message service (SMS) on specified Mobile Number. The request/complaint is attended by the On Board Housekeeping staff promptly.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3307 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Logistic Development
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: PARASURAMAN K.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 3307 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## LOGISTIC DEVELOPMENT

## 3307.  SHRI K. PARASURAMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)     whether when compared to the other developed nations, the logistic development through railways is lagging in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor;
- (c) the measures taken/being taken by the Railways in this regard;
- (d) whether  through  public  private  partnership  mode  in  the  country,  the Railways plans to set up multi-modal logistic parks; and
- (e) if so, the details and the present status thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) to (c): Development of logistics and terminal infrastructure is an ongoing process on Indian Railways and depending on the type of traffic, quantum of traffic  and  the  origin-destination  flows,  capacity  of  existing  terminals  are augmented  or  new  facilities  developed.    Comparative  data  regarding logistics development in developed countries is not maintained. (d) & (e):   Setting up of Multi-Modal Logistics Parks (MMLP) through Public Private  Partnership  (PPP)  route  is  one  of  the  areas  identified  in  the  12th Plan.    The  Private  Freight  Terminal  (PFT)  Policy  envisages  setting  up  of freight terminals on private land as a multi user facility. The policy guideline was issued in 2012 and thereafter further liberalized in 2015. At present, 44 PFTs are already functional and approval for 39 more has been given by the

- Zonal Railways.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3306 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Singrauli Rail Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: GANESH SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3306 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## SINGRAULI RAIL LINE

3306. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether  the  Rewa-Sidhi-Singrauli  broad  gauge  rail  line  project has been approved to meet the demand of growing population of the region;

(b) if so, the details of proposed expenditure and the total length of proposed railway line;

(c) whether NOC has been obtained from forest department between Khajuraho to Satna for the above mentioned project;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether there is a proposal to construct railway halts between Jabalpur-Satna and Dhunkara-Satna-Rewa; and

(f) if  so,  the details thereof and the timelines to complete the new railway halts and commencement of operations?

ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) to (f):   A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3306  BY  SHRI  GANESH  SINGH  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  22.03.2017  REGARDING  SINGRAULI RAIL LINE

(a) & (b): Lalitpur-Satna,  Rewa-Singrauli  and  Mahoba-Khajuraho  new line (541 km) has been taken up at an anticipated cost of ` 5050 crore. Rewa-Sidhi-Singrauli is a part of this project. An expenditure of ` 1512 crore has been incurred upto March, 2016 and an outlay of ` 400 crore has  been  provided  for  2016-17  for  this  project.    Outlay  proposed  for 2017-18 is ` 300.50 crore.

(c) & (d): NOC from Forest Department for Khajuraho - Panna section (71 km) has been received.  Diversion of forest land has been taken up. Proposal  for  forest  clearance  and  diversion  of  forest  land  has  been submitted to Forest Department for Panna - Satna section (72 km).

(e): No  halt station is sanctioned between  Jabalpur-Satna and Dhunkara-Satna-Rewa sections.

(f): Does not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3305 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Payment of Fee under RTI
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: RODMAL NAGAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POST

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3305 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND   MARCH, 2017

## PAYMENT OF FEE UNDER RTI

†3305. SHRI NAGAR RODMAL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government for payment of fee under the Right to Information Act, 2005 through Electronic Indian Postal Order (E-IPO);
- (b) the number of people registered so far to avail such facility; and
- (c) the State-wise details thereof ?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) Department  of  Posts  is  facilitating  acceptance  of  RTI  fee  through  electronic  Indian Postal  Order  (e-IPO)  on  ePost  Office  Web  Portal.    Initially,  this  facility  was  launched  on 22.03.2013  only  for  Indian  Citizens  abroad  to  seek  information  from  the  Central  Public Information  Officers  (CPIOs)  under  the  RTI  Act,  2005.  Later  on,  in  order  to  facilitate  for obtaining  the  information  under  the  RTI  Act,2005  by  the  Indian  citizen  living  abroad  from Indian Missions/ Posts under Ministry of External Affairs, the facility of e-IPO  was extended to  176  Indian  Missions/Posts  on  27.09.2013.  e-IPO  facility  was  further  extended  to  Indian Citizens living in India on 13.02.2014 to facilitate them to pay RTI fee online.
- (b) Till 15.03.2017, 12484 people have registered since inception to avail this facility out of which 714 are from abroad.
- (c) State-wise details of 11770 people from India is attached as Annexure-'I'.

| State             |   No. of Users |
|-------------------|----------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    |            726 |
| Arunachal Pradesh |             10 |
| Assam             |            227 |
| Bihar             |            248 |
| Chhattisgarh      |            141 |
| Delhi             |           1183 |
| Goa               |             26 |
| Gujarat           |            537 |
| Haryana           |            506 |
| Himachal Pradesh  |            111 |
| Jammu and Kashmir |             41 |
| Jharkhand         |            201 |
| Karnataka         |            937 |
| Kerala            |            359 |
| Madhya Pradesh    |            328 |
| Maharashtra       |           1144 |
| Manipur           |              6 |
| Meghalaya         |             11 |
| Mizoram           |              5 |
| Nagaland          |             11 |
| Orissa            |            267 |
| Punjab            |            322 |
| Rajasthan         |            463 |
| Sikkim            |              4 |
| Tamil Nadu        |           1284 |
| Telangana         |            474 |
| Tripura           |             16 |
| Uttar Pradesh     |           1287 |
| Uttarakhand       |            153 |
| West Bengal       |            742 |
| Total             |          11770 |

**************************

## Annexure-'I'
Lok Sabha Question No. 3303 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Code and Conduct of Advertisement
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3303 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22/03/2017

## CODE AND CONDUCT OF ADVERTISEMENT

## 3303.  SHRI  ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE :

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is considering to implement a new code of conduct to control  the subject matter of the advertisements so that it could not cause  any type of adverse effect on children;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether this issue has been/is being investigated by the Advertising Standards Council of India;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the outcome of such study in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  INFORMATION  &  BROADCASTING [COL RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE (Retd.)]

(a) to (e):  Advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels are regulated as per Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 enshrined in  the  Cable  Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.  Appropriate action is taken against the channel, if violation of the said Code takes place. The Code adopted by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which is a self-regulatory body, has been incorporated in the Advertising Code  stipulated in Cable Television  Networks (Regulation)  Act,  1995  and  Rules  framed  thereunder.    Established  in  1985,  the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is recognized by industry, public and the government as the nodal expert body in India, which evaluates whether an advertisement is right or contravenes ASCI code. The overreaching goal of ASCI is to protect the interest of consumers by promoting ethical advertising and to keep out false, misleading,  offensive,  harmful,  irresponsible  and  unfair  advertisements.  ASCI  has  set up Consumer  Complaints Council (CCC) to consider complaints in regard to advertisements.  The  Act  does  not  provide  for  pre-censorship  of  the  advertisements aired on these channels. Rule  7(7)  of  the  Advertising  Code  of  Cable  Television Network Rules, 1994 (CTNR, 1994) provides that no advertisement which endangers the safety  of children  or  creates  in  them any  interest  in  unhealthy practices  or  shows them begging or in an undignified or indecent manner shall not be carried in the cable service.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3299 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Share of Contribution under AMRUT
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: R. PARTHIPAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3299

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MARCH 22, 2017

## SHARE OF CONTRIBUTION UNDER AMRUT

No. 3299              SHRI R. PARTHIPAN:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  difficulty being faced by municipalities to find their share of contribution under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT);
- (b) if  so,  whether  their  inability  to  raise  resources  to  ensure their stipulated contribution has affected the implementation of AMRUT; and
- (c)    if so, whether the Government proposes to release norms regarding local body contributions in AMRUT?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN

## DEVELOPMENT (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) to (c) :The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation  (AMRUT)  recognizes  the  varied  financial capability  across  Urban  Local  Bodies  (ULBs)  to  finance the  projects.  Accordingly,  the  Mission  provides  that  the States  shall  decide  the  sharing  of  the  fund  requirement

among  the  State  and  the  ULBs,  and  other  sources identified by the State (e.g. Market borrowings), over and above the Central Share. However, the State's contribution will not be less than 20 per cent of the total project cost. The States have not brought to the notice of the Government the  inability  of  ULBs  to  raise  resources  for implementation  of  projects  under  AMRUT.  The  Ministry has prescribed the Central share and there is no proposal to change norms regarding contribution of ULBs. ***
Lok Sabha Question No. 3296 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Real Estate Sector (Interest Rate)
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN  POVERTY ALLEVIATION
Asked by: RAMA KISHORE SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3296

TO BE ANSWERED ON MARCH 22, 2017

REAL ESTATE SECTOR (INTEREST RATE)

No. 3296 SHRI RAMA KISHORE SINGH:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether despite cut in interest rate, the demand in real estate  sector  has  seen  no  substantial  increase  and  is expected to fall further by 15 to 20 per cent;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reasons  therefor  along with of efforts being made to boost this demand;
- (c) whether there are nearly 8-10 million workers engaged in the  sector  who  face  uncertain  future  if  the  sector  does not revive; and
- (d) if  so,  the  details  of  the  plans  suggested  for  overcoming this  potential  crisis  and  the  steps  taken  to  reduce  debt burden of developers?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING & URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION

(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) to (d): Demand  in  real  estate  sector  is  market  driven  and depends upon demand and supply factors.

As per the Report of National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on 'Impact of Investments in  the  Housing  Sector  on  GDP  and  Employment  in  the Indian Economy' (April, 2014), the residential construction (housing sector) accounts for 1.24% of the total  output  of  the  economy;  1%  of  Gross  Domestic Product (GDP); and 6.86% of the employment.

Government of India has taken several steps to boost the real estate sector. Some of these are as follows:

-  The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016  is  likely  to  improve  governance  and  improve
- confidence of investors in the real estate sector.
-  In order to facilitate higher investment in affordable housing,  it  has  been  announced  during  Budget 2017-18 that Affordable housing be given infrastructure status.
-  During Budget 2017-18, it has been announced that under the scheme  for profit-linked income  tax deduction for promotion of affordable housing, carpet  area  instead  of  built  up  area  of  30  and  60 Sq.mtr.  will  be  counted.  The  30  Sq.mtr.  limit  will apply only in case of municipal limits of 4 metropolitan cities while for the rest of the country including in the peripheral areas of metros, limit of 60 Sq.mtr. will apply.
-  An  interest  subsidy  scheme  for  Middle  Income Groups (MIG) has been announced on 31 st December,  2016  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas Yojana  (PMAY)  (Urban),  which  contemplates  an interest subsidy at the rate of 4% for loans upto Rs. 9 lakhs for those having household income upto Rs. 12 lakhs, and interest subsidy at the rate of 3% for loans upto Rs. 12 lakhs for those having household income upto Rs. 18 lakhs.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3294 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Wi-Fi Facilities in Villages
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: RANJANBEN BHATT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3294 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND   MARCH, 2017

## Wi-Fi FACILITIES IN VILLAGES

## †3294. SHRIMATI RANJANBEN BHATT:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  there  is  any  proposal  to  connect  all  the  villages  of  the  country  with  Wi-Fi facility;
- (b) if so, whether the Government has taken any steps in this direction;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to provide Wi-Fi facility in the villages of Gujarat; and
- (e) if so, the number of villages and time by which they are likely to be provided with this facility and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (e) Telecom  Commission  in  its  meeting  on  14.12.2016  approved  the  revised implementation  strategy  of  BharatNet  project.  It  has  been  planned  to  provide  100  Mbps broadband connectivity to  all Gram Panchayats (approx. 2.5 lakh) in the country by using an optimal  mix  of  underground  fibre,  fibre  over  power  lines,  radio  and  satellite  media. The project is planned to be implemented in three phases: Under first phase of the project, 1 lakh Gram Panchayats  (GPs)  are  to  be  connected  by  laying  underground  Optical  Fibre  Cable (OFC) by March 2017. Under second phase, connectivity will be provided to remaining 1.5 lakh GPs in the country using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media, and provision of Wi-Fi Hotspots in all 2,50,000 GPs in the country including Gujarat which is targeted to be completed by December, 2018.

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