opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 5118 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Container Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: R. VANAROJA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5118 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## CONTAINER TRAINS

5118.  SHRIMATI VANAROJA R. :

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways are considering to introduce container trains for export and import purposes;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Railways is also considering to move freight traffic on fast track mode; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a)  Yes,  Madam.  Indian  Railways  is  already  running  container  trains  for export and import cargo.
- (b)  Railways  has  been  running  export-import  container  trains  since 1989  when  CONCOR  was  created.  A  policy  for  running  of  container trains  for  export  and  import  purposes  by  private  container  train operators was  unveiled in the year 2006 for transportation of containerized  cargo.  Based  on  the  policy  of  Railways,  18  companies have now obtained license to run the container trains.

- (c)  Yes,  Madam.  To  ensure  freight  trains  are  run  on  a  definite  time schedule, Indian Railways has introduced time tabled container trains (Cargo  Express)  on  15.06.2016  and  time  tabled  automobile  trains  on 12.07.2016.
- (d) The time tabled container goods trains are running between:
- (i) Okhla (Delhi) and Whitefield (Bengaluru) (in both the directions),
- (ii) Okhla (Delhi) and Tondiarpet (Chennai), (in both the directions),
- (iii) Okhla (Delhi) and  Nagalapalle  (Hyderabad),  (in both the directions),
- (iv) Dadri  (Uttar  Pradesh)  and  Kathuwas  (Rajasthan),  (in  one direction),
- (v) Tugalakabad (Delhi) and Kathuwas (Rajasthan), (in one direction), and
- (vi) Dhandari  Kalan  (Punjab)  and  Kathuwas  (Rajasthan),  (in  one direction).

## The time tabled automobile trains are running between

- (i) Gurgaon (Haryana) and Nidvanda (Karnataka), and
- Kathuwas (Rajasthan) and Melpakkam (Tamilnadu).

******

- (ii) in both the directions.
Lok Sabha Question No. 5116 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: NAWADCO
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: RAMA KISHORE SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5116 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## NAWADCO

## 5116. SHRI RAMA KISHORE SINGH:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Government has established the National Waqf Development Corporation Ltd. (NAWADCO) for developing Waqf properties all over the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  NAWADCO  has  not  developed  a  single  property,  so  far  and  the targets set in this regard have not been achieved; and
- (c) if so, the reasons therefor along with the targets fixed by the NAWADCO in this regard during the last two years and the achievements made, so far?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

(a):  Yes,  Madam.  Government  of  India  has  incorporated  National  Waqf  Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO) under Companies Act, 1956 on 31 st Dec, 2013 with the objective of facilitating financial services to develop waqf properties.

(b) and (c): The Waqf properties are not owned by the Central or State Government or any individual. In many a case, there is a custodian/ Mutawalli/Waqf Institution who manages the property and the entire Waqf affairs are governed by the Waqf Act, 1995 as amended in 2013 with Rules made therein. NAWADCO had identified more than 100 properties having potential  for  development.  Of  these  properties,  based  on  preparedness  of  the  state agencies/waqf institutions, feasibility study/evaluation of 9 properties in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan has been undertaken.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5115 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: CCTV Cameras
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: NALIN KUMAR KATEEL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5115 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## CCTV CAMERAS

## 5115. SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that the Government has installed CCTV cameras on passenger coaches and suburban trains on a pilot basis and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has taken any steps to seek feedback from the train commuters about the implementation of the new initiative in the system; and
- (c) if  so,  the details thereof and the response of the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a):  Yes,  Madam.  The  Government  has  installed  CCTV  cameras  on  a limited number of coaches of passenger and suburban trains on a pilot basis.  The  work  has  already  been  completed  in  about  25  passenger coaches and 90 suburban coaches. In addition to this, 8 Humsafar rakes (176 passenger coaches) that have been turned out by Production Units of Indian Railways, have also been fitted with CCTVs.

- (b)  &  (c):  No,  Madam.  Feedback  from  train  commuters  has  not  been sought since it is a provision for improving the passenger security.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5113 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Improving Traffic Volume
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: INNOCENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5113

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## IMPROVING TRAFFIC VOLUME

## 5113. SHRI INNOCENT:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether during the last few years, Railways have been incapable in  coping  up  with  the  increasing  transport  demand  and  also raising/improving the traffic volume and  flows at lower unit cost of operation;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the scarcity of funds is hampering the ongoing and survey related projects and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Railways are short of funds for undertaking infrastructural expansion; and
- (e) if  so,  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Railways  to  increase revenue generation?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a)  &  (b)  No,  Madam.  Indian  Railways  has  been  able  to  cater  to  the existing demands of transport.
- (c)  &  (d)  Scarcity  of  funds  was  one  of  the  important  factors  that  had affected  execution  of  railway  projects  as  Railway  projects  are  highly capital  intensive  and  have  long  gestation  period.  The  funds  for  the Railway projects are allocated project-wise on yearly basis and is done

as per availability  of  resources  and  progress  of  the  project.  However, the scarcity of funds has never affected the survey work. But now, to improve the funding scenario of Railway Projects,  the  following  steps have been taken:

1. Making higher fund allotment for projects.
2. The  capital  expenditure  for  railways  has  been  increased  from ₹ 58,718 crore in 2014-15 to around ₹ 93,795 crore in 2015-16.
3. ₹ 1,21,000 crore has been provided in Budget 2016-17 and a plan size of ₹ 1,31,000 crore has been kept for 2017-18.
4. Institutional  financing  by  tying  up  loan  for ₹ 1.5  lac  crore  for assured funding of viable projects has increased Railway's capacity for committed fund provision for capacity enhancement projects.
5. (e) Railways' revenue enhancing measures, inter alia, include targeting progressively  higher  traffic  throughput,  effective  marketing  strategies to  capture  more  and  more  traffic,  creation  of  additional  capacity  and optimum utilisation of the existing rail infrastructure, enhancement in productivity and efficiency, improvement of passenger interface, periodic rationalisation of fare and freight rates and focus on increasing the share of non-fare revenue sources in Railways' earnings.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5112 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: National Network of Building Centres
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN  POVERTY ALLEVIATION
Asked by: GAURAV GOGOI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5112

TO BE ANSWERED ON APRIL 5, 2017

## NATIONAL NETWORK OF BUILDING CETRES

No. 5112 SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

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

- (a) whether  the  Building  Centres  which  are  set  up  under  the
- National  Network  of  Building  Centres  (Nirman  Kendras)  in India are still functional;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) If not, the current position of these Centres; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to revive these Centres?

## ANSWER

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

(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a)  to  (c):    Yes  Madam.    There  were  total  655  number  of  building centres (577 urban and 78 rural) established across the country.    Out  of  these,    442  (387  urban  and  55  rural) building centres are at various stages of functionality.

- (d):      Housing & Urban Development Corporati on Ltd. (HUDCO) has taken the initiative to set up a committee in February 2012 for  rejuvenation  and  strengthening  of  National  Network  of Building Centres under the chairmanship of Shri Kirtee Shah, eminent  architect  and  social  housing  specialist.    Besides members from  HUDCO,  the  committee  has  representatives from  Building  Materials  and  Technology  Promotion  Council (BMTPC), building research and development agencies, and the private sector.

The  Ministry of  Housing  and  Urban  Poverty  Alleviation (MoHUPA)  has    launched  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas  Yojana (Urban) with a vision to provide Housing For All (HFA) by the year 2022. Under this mission, a Technology SubMission has  been  set  up  to  facilitate  adoption  of  modern, innovative, sustainable, green and disaster-resistant technologies and building material for low cost, faster and quality construction of houses. Technology Sub-Mission also facilitates  preparation  and  adoption  of  layout  designs  and building  plans  suitable  for  various  geo-climatic  zones.  To facilitate this, the Ministry has entered into Memorandum of understanding with certain prominent institutes (IITs/NITs/SPAs). Within  the  Ministry,  HUDCO's  HSMI  and BMPTC are working on similar goals under the sub-mission.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 5111 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: New Railway Stations
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: OM BIRLA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5111 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## NEW RAILWAY STATIONS

5111.  SHRI OM BIRLA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the number of new railway stations built by the Railways in the last three years in the country including Rajasthan;

(b)  the  number  of  new  trains  started  during  the  above  period including in Rajasthan;

(c)  the  details  of  routes  electrified  during  the  said  period  and  the steps initiated to fasttrack the work of electrification;

(d) the number of passengers travelled through Railways during the last  three  years,  year-wise  and  the  steps  taken  to  improve  the facility during journey; and

(e)  the  number of water vending machines installed at the railway stations during the above period?

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

(a) to (e): Information is being collected from the Zonal Railways and will be laid on the Table of the House.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5109 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Revocation of Death Penalty
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: SHASHI THAROOR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS *****

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5109 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## Revocation of Death Penalty

5109. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

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

- (a) whether the Minister is aware that the law commission in its 262nd report has advocated revoking of the death penalty for all crimes except terrorism related crimes and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Minister is aware that 160 nations across the world have already abolished the death penalty and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) permits the use of the death penalty in limited circumstances;
- (c) if  so,  whether  the  Government  would  consider  amending  the  Indian  Penal  Code  and other legislations to restrict the Death Penalty to terrorism related cases;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to (e) : The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that the Law Commission vide its 262 nd Report  on  'The  Death  Penalty' inter-alia recommended  that  the  death  penalty  be abolished  for  all  crimes  other  than  terrorism  related  offences  and  waging  war.  As Criminal  Law  and  Criminal  Procedure  are  on  the  Concurrent  List  of  the  Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, the report has been circulated to all the State Government/UT  Administrations  on  13.10.2015  for  their  views  in  the  matter.  The views of some of the States are still awaited and they are being reminded regularly.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 5108 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: LHB Coaches
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: G. HARI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5108 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## LHB COACHES

## 5108. SHRI G. HARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state :

- (a) whether  it  is  true  that  the  Railways  pace  of  switching  over  to LHB coaches has been very slow and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  it  is  also  true  that  phasing  out  of  the  ICF  designed coaches will take almost 30 years if the Railways moves ahead with  the  current  pace  of  production  of  modern  Linke  Hoffman Busch coaches and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  many  suggestions  have  been  received  in  the  past suggesting that ICF designed coaches poses safety risks; and
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Indian  Railways  is  completely  switching  over  to  production  of LHB coaches from 2018-19. The production of LHB coaches is being progressively  increased  and  2373,  3025  &  3349  LHB  coaches  are planned to be manufactured in the year 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively.
- (b) Indian Railways is replacing conventional ICF coaches of important Mail/Express trains by LHB coaches in a phased manner. It is  an  ongoing  process  over  Indian  Railways  subject  to  operational requirement, maintenance facility, Commissioner of Railway Safetys' (CRS) sanction, availability of coaches etc. So far nearly 185 rakes in 135 pairs of trains are running with LHB coaches.
- (c)
- & (d) No  such suggestion has been received in  the past.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5107 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Global Positioning System
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5107

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 05, 2017 GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

5107.   SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch its own Global Positioning System;
- (b)
- (c)
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof;
- the details of the expenditure incurred on the project; and
- the details of the benefits of such a project?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PG & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

## (a)

## & (b)

No  Madam.  Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  (ISRO)  has deployed  an  indigenous  regional  positioning  system  for  India named  as  'Navigation with Indian Constellation' (NavIC). It  consists  of  seven  satellites  in  a  constellation  to  provide Position, Navigation and Timing  (PNT) services in Indian mainland  and  surrounding  region  up  to  1500  Km.  It  provides two types of services  viz.  Standard  Positioning  Service  (SPS) and Restricted Service (RS).

All the seven satellites of the constellation have been placed in designated  orbits.  The  ground  segment  comprising  of  15 Ranging and Integrity Monitoring Station, 2 Navigation Centres, Network  Timing  Facility with redundancy  and  1  Satellite Control Facility have been established.

- (c) A budget of ` 1420 Crore has been approved by the Government for the realisation of the system including 7 in-orbit satellites, 2  satellites  as  ground  spare  and  associated  ground  segment. As on February 2017, the expenditure incurred is about ` 1278 Crore.
- (d) The benefits of NavIC system include - (i) establishing India's own independent navigational satellite system providing position, navigation and  timing services and  (ii) enabling applications  in the  areas  viz. terrestrial,  aerial  &  marine navigation,  precise  timing  services,  vehicle  tracking,  fleet management,  mapping  survey  and  geodetic  data  capture, disaster management support.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5106 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Skilling of Youth
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5106 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## SKILLING OF YOUTH

## †5106.  SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

## Will  the  Minister  of  SKILL  DEVELOPMENT  AND  ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of number of unskilled youths in the country including Bundelkhand along with the measures taken to skill these youths;
- (b) the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  for  technical  knowledge  and skill development of graduate degree holders and under graduates; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  remedial  measures  for  quality development  and  monitoring  in  skill  development  centre  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY)

- (a) To (c)  Ministry  is  implementing  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas  Yojana  with the objective to encourage and promote Skill Development for the youth throughout the  country including youths  from Bundelkhand. Under the scheme, there are 221 job  roles  related  to  35  Sector  Skill  Councils  which  is  a  diverse  and  exhaustive representation  of  the  industry.  Out  of  these  job  roles,  103  job  roles  are  related  to graduates of engineering.

Ministry  has  taken  various  measures  and  interventions  for  making  PMKVY more effective and target oriented. Under the modified scheme 2016-20, process of skill training has been made completely transparent through various IT interventions. All  the  TPs  have  to  mandatorily  go  through  SMART  for  their  accreditation  and affiliation  for  allocation  of  targets.  The  target  allocation  is  based  on  the  grading assigned  to  the  TC  by  the  Centre  Accreditation  and  Affiliation  Committee.  The grading  is  linked  to  quality  of  training,  infrastructure  availability,  training  capacity, self-owned center or franchisee center, past performance, geographical location and other relevant parameters. The scheme has provisions for high standard monitoring of  TCs/TPs. The assessment agencies empanelled by Sector Skill Councils would adopt  various  methodologies  such  as  self-audit  reporting,  call  validations,  surprise visits, and monitoring through the Skills Development Management System (SDMS) for continuous monitoring. Training Partners/SSCs would be penalized at rate of 1% of training cost or assessment fees for every single day delay in assessment.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5104 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Community Radio Stations
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: HARISH DWIVEDI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5104 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017)

## COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS

## 5104. SHRI HARISH CHANDRA ALIAS DWIVEDI

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- a) the number of applications received and approved from non-profit organisations till date to set up Community Radio Stations; and
2. (b) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to expand such radio stations across the country including backward and rural areas?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b): 2045 Applications have been received so far from non-profit organizations for grant of permission to set up Community Radio Stations (CRSs). 564 Letters of Intent (LOIs) have been issued to non-profit organizations.

Government has taken various steps towards the expansion of the  Community Radio Stations across the country as given below:

1. The grant of permission process has been simplified.
2. Ministry  also  provides  financial  support  to  new  as  well  as  existing Community Radio stations for purchase  of equipment  and for  content  creation. The financial  grant  for  equipment  has  been  increased  from  50%  to  75%  of  the total cost (to 90% in North Eastern region) with a ceiling of Rs. 7.5 lakh.
3. The process for release of grants has also been simplified.
4. Workshops are organized by the Ministry to familiarise people about the Community  Radio  policy  and  create  awareness  amongst  aspiring  applicants about  issues  relating  to  installation,  operation  &  maintenance  of  Community Radios.

5. Six  National  and  four  Regional  Sammelans  have  been  organised  for Community Radio operators, Government Ministries/ Departments, UN organisations and other stakeholders to facilitate exchange  of ideas and experiences.

6. Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi has designed and started a training programme for Community Radio functionaries and those desirous of setting up a Community Radio Station.
7. Duration  of  broadcast  of  advertisements  by  CRSs  has  been  increased from  05  minutes  to  07  minutes  per  hour  of  broadcast  to  provide  them  better financial sustainability.
8.        Community Radio Stations have been allowed to offer rates lower than DAVP rates for local advertisements, as the condition that DAVP rates are lowest rates has been relaxed for CRSs.

****