opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 5286 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Loss in West Central Railway Zone
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAKESH SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5286 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## LOSS IN WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY ZONE

†5286.   SHRI RAKESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the West Central Railway Zone, Jabalpur has incurred losses on account of freight;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the said loss is already being compensated from the passenger trains being run on subsidy and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has taken any measures to end the dependency on passenger trains for income of the Railways; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5286 BY SHRI RAKESH  SINGH TO BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  05.04.2017  REGARDING  LOSS  IN WEST CENTRAL RAILWAY ZONE (a) & (b):  Zonal  Railways  do  not  maintain  profit  &  loss  account  of freight and passenger separately. (c):  No,  Madam.  Revenue  from  passenger  earning  was  26.3%  and from freight was 71.4% of the total earnings during 2015-16. (d)&(e): Evaluation of various alternatives relating to rationalisation of Passenger fare and Freight structure is an on-going process. To improve freight share of Railways, Ministry of Railways has introduced  schemes  for  procurement  of  wagons  (Rolling  stock) through  Public  Private  Partnership  mode  and  thereby  increase freight  revenue  of  the  Railways.  These  Schemes  are  inter-alia Liberalized Wagon Investment Scheme (LWIS), Special Freight Train Operator (SFTO) and Wagon Leasing Scheme (WLS).

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 5285 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Collection of Statistics Act
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: MANOJ RAJORIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5285

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 5 TH APRIL, 2017

## COLLECTION OF STATISTICS ACT

## 5285.  DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  has  set up a mechanism  for implementing the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons there for?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION

## (Shri D.V. SADANANDA GOWDA)

- (a) to (c): The  Collection  of  Statistics  Act,2008  is  an  enabling legislation, which facilitates collection of statistics from time to time by any Ministry or Department in the Central Government or any  Ministry  or  Department  in  a  State  Government  or  Union territory Administration or any local Government (Panchayats or Municipalities).  There  is  no  provision  in  the  Act  for  setting  up any mechanism for implementation. However, in order to provide guidance to the concerned offices, nodal officers are appointed at the Centre and in each State/Union Territory to facilitate the collection of statistics.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5283 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: RO Purifier in Urban Areas
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI

No. 5283

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5283

TO BE ANSWERED ON APRIL 5, 2017

## RO PURIFIER IN URBAN AREAS

DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  a  number  of  houses  have  installed  RO  water  purifier system in urban areas in the country;
- (b  )  if  so,  the  percentage  of  water  wasted  in  RO  system  while
- purifying the water;
- (c) the percentage of wastage of calcium and other nutrients present
- in water in the said process; and
- (d) the proposal to check the wastage of water and nutrients in the
- said process?
- (a) Yes. Madam

(b)to (c): The actual rejection rates depends on a number of parameters including  quality  of  water  including  parameters  like  TDS,  percent recovery, feedwater temperature, pH and the physical condition of the RO membrane. However, as per literature available on RO systems, the rejected component of water may be in the range of 30% - 60%. Further, the percentage of nutrients present in such RO rejects will also depend on the quality of water supplied in the area and the efficiency of the RO system installed, which varies from place to place and one manufacturer to the other.

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(d):  Ministry  is  implementing  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban Transformation(AMRUT)  programme  since  2015-16  onwards  for  a  five years  period.  Under  the  programme,  Ministry  is  targeting  to  provide 100%  treated  potable  water  to  each  household  in  500  cities  having population above 1 lakh.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 5274 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Konkan Railway
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shrirang Appa Barne, SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL, ANANDRAO  ADSUL, RAMACHANDRAN MULLAPPALLY, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5274 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## KONKAN RAILWAY

5274.  SHRI  SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:

SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL:

SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE:

DR. PRITAM GOPINATH MUNDE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  reviewed  the  performance  of  the Konkan  railway  and  the  status  of  its  several  ongoing  projects recently and if so, the outcome thereof, project-wise;
- (b) whether Konkan Railway Corporation Limited has decided to invest over Rs. 4,500 crore to double its capacity in the next few years;
- (c)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  areas  and  projects  selected  for development;
- (d)  whether the blueprint has been prepared in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Railways has accorded the approval for the proposals and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) Periodic review of  the  PSU's  performance  including  Konkan Railway  Corporation  Limited  (KRCL)  is  a  regular  exercise.  Work  on Roha - Veer doubling (47 Kms) project has started. Tenders have been invited for railway electrification of the Konkan Railway (740 kms).

(b) & (c) Konkan  Railway Corporation Limited has proposed Capacity  Doubling  of  its  route  at  a  cost  of ` 4980  Crore.  The proposal envisages patch doubling of track for 147 kms and 21 New Railway Stations over Konkan Railway. (d)  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR)  has  been  prepared  by  Konkan Railway  Corporation  Limited.  The  estimated  cost  as  per  DPR  is ` 4980  crore  including  escalation  and  interest  during  construction. The project envisages augmentation of the line capacity.

(e)  Approval  of  the  proposal  entails  in-principle  approval  of  Niti Aayog,  appraisal  by  Expanded  Board  of  Railways  and  approval  of Cabinet  Committee  on  Economic  Affairs.  The  process  has  been initiated.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5271 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Shutting Down of CSIR-Tech
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: J.C. DIVAKAR REDDY, GEETHA KOTHAPALLI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5271 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017) SHUTTING DOWN OF CSIR-TECH.

5271.   SHRI J.C. DIVAKAR REDDY: SHRIMATI KOTHAPALLI GEETHA:

## Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)
- whether CSIR Pvt. Tech. Ltd. (CSIR-Tech.) has been shut down;
- (b)        if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c)          whether  commercialisation  of scientific R&D  is taking place in India; and
- (d)        if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (SHRI Y.S. CHOWDARY)

- (a)&(b) Yes, Madam. CSIR Tech. Pvt. Ltd. (CTPL) was an independent company governed by its Board of Directors. The company had operated from its registered  office  in  Pune.    The  primary  objective  of  CTPL  was  to commercialise Science & Technology based technologies and Intellectual  Property  Rights  (IPR)  through  creation  of  spin-offs  and start-ups and licensing IP and  technologies to industries, especially that  of  CSIR.  Although  it  has  been  in  existence  for  over  5  years,  its performance was dismal, despite CSIR making its IPR and technologies available to CTPL and providing unimpeded access to its laboratories. Further, CTPL could not create, promote or nurture any Start  Up  or  Spin  Off  through  equity  holding,  which  was  one  of  the primary goals. In view of its dismal performance, CTPL was shut down as per decision of its Board of Directors.
- (c)&(d) Yes, Madam.   The  Business  Development  entities  of  the  constituent laboratories  of  CSIR  are  involved  in  the  technology  transfer  and commercialisation. CSIR has licensed 13.33% of its patents and about 425  technologies  have  been  commercialised  during  the  last  three years.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5269 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Skill Loan Scheme
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5269 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## SKILL LOAN SCHEME

- 5269   SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE: DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKAR RAO:

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

- (a) the banks that have  notified the skill loan scheme since its inception;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  considering  the  option  of  providing  subsidies  to students/individuals based on the merit/skills during their  training period and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  number  of  students  in  the  country  including  those  from  Maharashtra  and Tamil Nadu who have applied in  banks for  skill loans and the number out of  them who have actually received the loan;
- (d) whether Industrial Training Institutes(ITIs), polytechnic colleges/training institutes affiliated to National Skill Development Corporation have  tied up with any of the  banks  in  India  to  facilitate  loans  to  students  who  are  securing  admission  in  the above institutions; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  banks that  have  agreed  to  extend  the loans?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)     All Public Sector Banks have notified the Skill Loan Scheme since its inception.
- (b)     There is no such proposal.
- (c)     As per the information collected by IBA, the total number of loans disbursed by Public Sector Banks during the year 2015-16 is 11,279.
- (d)  & (e)     The students who have  secured admission in a course run by Industrial Training  Institutes  (ITIs),  Polytechnics  or  training  partners  affiliated  to  National  Skill Development Corporation(NSDC), as per the eligibility criteria, are, inter-alia, covered under  the Skill Loan Scheme.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5267 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: High Speed Rail Corridor
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, SANTOSH AHLAWAT, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL

(a): Yes, Madam.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5267 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## HIGH SPEED RAIL CORRIDOR

5267.   DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is planning to use  Light  Detection  and Ranging  (LIDAR)  technology  survey  to  expedite  work  on  India's first high speed train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof and the time by which the survey work will be completed;
- (c) whether LIDAR is among four surveys being conducted by RITES to  finalise  the  alignment  of  the  corridor  and  if  so,  the  details thereof and the cost involved in the survey;
- (d)  the  estimated  cost  involved  in  the  project  of  high  speed  train corridor between Mumbai and Ahmedabad; and
- (e)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  complete  the  high  speed train corridor project on a time bound manner?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(b): Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an aerial survey technique to acquire land details. The Aerial Lidar survey for  MumbaiAhmedabad  high  speed  rail  project  has  been  completed  in  March 2017.

(c):  Yes,  Madam.  The  other  three  surveys  are  (i)  Geotechnical Investigations,  (ii)  Hydrological  Survey  and  (iii)  Land  Survey  using Light  Detection  and  Ranging  (LiDAR)  technology  and  preparation  of land  plans.  The  total  cost  of  these  surveys  is  approximately  ₹  40 crore.

(d) & (e): The estimated cost of Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail project  is  ₹  97,636  crore.  National  High  Speed  Rail  Corporation Limited  (NHSRC)  has  been  incorporated  to  implement  this  project. General  Consultant  has  been  appointed  by  Japan  International Cooperation  Agency  (JICA)  to  prepare  Design  documents,  bidding documents and technical standards & specifications. MumbaiAhmedabad  high  speed  rail  project  is  targeted  for  completion  in 2023.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5265 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Urban Unemployment
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN  POVERTY ALLEVIATION
Asked by: REKHA ARUN VERMA, ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT, BHAVANA GAWALI (PATIL)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5265

TO BE ANSWERED ON APRIL 05, 2017

## URBAN UNEMPLYEMNT

NO. 5265  SHRIMATI REKHA VERMA:

SHRI ARVIND SAWANT:

## SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI PATIL:

WILL the MINISTER OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the large scale migration of people from the rural areas to the urban areas is one of the main reasons for urban unemployment and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  development  of  economic  opportunities  in
- urban areas is not in accordance with the extent of migration; and
- (c)  if  so,  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to improve  the  capacity  of  urban  areas  in  order  to  create employment opportunities and encompassing the rapid development of urban labour force?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MIINSTRY OF HOUSING & URBAN

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

*******

- (a) to (b):  Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation does not have any data which supports the contention that migration to urban areas from rural areas is the main reason for urban unemployment.

Contd…

- (c):  This  Ministry  is  implementing  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme, namely, 'Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)' to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them to access  gainful  self-employment  and  skilled  wage  employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods  on  a  sustainable  basis.  The  Mission  has  been extended  to  all  statutory  towns  in  the  country  in  February, 2016. Besides, the Government has increased public expenditure on Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) run by Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. Government  has  also  decided  to  strategically promote labour-intensive manufacturing and expand employment opportunities by promoting tourism and agro-based industries.  A  new  Scheme  'Pradhan  Mantri  Rojgar  Protsahan Yojana' has been announced in the Budget for Rs. 2016-17 with the  objective  of  promoting  employment  generation.    A  new Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  has  been established  to  enhance  skilling  programme  and  to  coordinate skilling activities across Ministries.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 5260 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: BPOs to Promote Digital India
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: SUKENDER REDDY GUTHA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  5260

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 05.04.2017

## BPOs  TO PROMOTE DIGITAL INDIA

## 5260.    SHRI GUTHA SUKENDER REDDY:

Will the Minister of Electronics & Information Technology be pleased to state: -

- (a) whether the Government is contemplating on opening and developing Business Process Outsourcing  (BPO)  units  with  a  view  to  expanding  the  Electronics  and  Information Technology in rural areas as a part of Digital India programme;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  identified  any  places  in  the  State  of  Telangana  for  this purpose; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof, district wise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) and  (b):    Under  Digital  India  programme,  the  Government  has  launched  two  BPO promotion  schemes  namely  India  BPO  Promotion  Scheme  (IBPS)  and  North  East  BPO Promotion  Scheme  (NEBPS),  for  creation  of  employment  opportunities  and  promotion  of investment in IT/ITES sector across the country particularly in small cities/towns including rural areas, by incentivizing setting up of 48,300 and 5,000 seats BPO/ITES   operations by 31.03.2019 with an outlay of ` 493 crore and ` 50 crore respectively.

These schemes provide capital support along with several special incentives like encouraging employment to women and physically disabled persons, promoting local entrepreneurs etc. upto ` 1 lakh/seat in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF).

Further, details of these schemes are available at www.meity.gov.in/ibps , https://ibps.stpi.in and www.meity.gov.in/nebps

(c)  and  (d):    Under  IBPS  48,300  seats  for  setting  up  BPO/ITES  operations  have  been distributed among State/UTs based on their population percentage as per Census 2011(excluding Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, NCR, Kolkata, Hyderabad and States of NER).  For  the  State  of  Telangana  1,200  seats  have  been  allocated  under  India  BPO Promotion Scheme. Whole Telangana State (excluding Hyderabad) is covered under IBPS. Eligible companies can participate in online bidding of IBPS to setup BPO/ITES operations in Telangana. Till date, one company has entered into a preliminary agreement with Software

Technology Parks of  India (STPI), the  implementing  agency  of  IBPS,  to  setup  BPO/ITES operations of 200 seats at Karimnagar District, Telangana.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 5258 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Solar Panels on Roof Top of Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKAR, KANWAR SINGH TANWAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5258 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## SOLAR PANELS ON ROOF TOP OF TRAINS

5258.    SHRI RAJESH KUMAR DIWAKER: SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
2. (a) whether the Railways is planning to install solar panels on the roof tops of trains;
3. (b) if so, the details thereof along with the details of the benefits likely to accrue to the railways as a result thereof; and
4. (c) the  quantum  of  money  the  Railways  is  likely  to  save  per annum?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) &  (b)  Yes,  Madam.  Railways  have  provided  solar  panels  on rooftop of 19 Narrow Gauge and 4 Broad Gauge non air conditioned coaches for train lighting system on trial basis. Further, Railways have  taken  decision  to  provide  solar  panel  on  rooftop  of  general coaches of 2 day running intercity trains and 50% of Narrow Gauge coaches  plying  on  Pathankot-  Joginder  Nagar  route  in  Kangra Valley  section  and  Kalka-Shimla  section  of  Northern  Railway  for conducting extended trials for one year in all weather conditions.
- (c)   The  quantum of  money the Railways is likely  to save will be ascertained only after conclusion of trials.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5257 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-05
Subject: Legal Assistance to Deserted Brides
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: HARI MANJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5257 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.04.2017

## LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO DESERTED BRIDES

† 5257.

SHRI HARI MANJHI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the countries where scheme regarding providing legal  assistance  to  Indian  women  being  deserted  by  their foreigner husbands is being implemented;
- (b) whether demands have been raised to launch the scheme in other countries as well;
- (c) if so, the steps taken in this regard; and
- (d) the  steps  proposed  by  the  Government  to  make  the  scheme more friendly for such deserted women?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

- (a)      The scheme for providing legal/financial assistance to Indian women cheated, abandoned or abused by overseas Indian spouses is  operational  in  13  countries  namely  USA,  UK,  Canada,  Australia, New Zealand,  Malaysia,  Singapore,  Kuwait,  Bahrain,  Qatar,  Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
- (b) There have been requests to extend the scheme to some more countries.
- (c) The Ministry is considering inclusion of this scheme under the scope of Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) which would make the scheme applicable globally, and enable Missions and Consulates to  provide  assistance  directly  to  distressed  Indian  women.  The process  of  revision  of  ICWF  guidelines  is  presently  ongoing  in  the Ministry.

(d) Ministry is  empowering  the aggrieved Indian  women  by providing information and guidance about procedures, mechanisms for serving judicial summons on the overseas Indian husband; filing a case in India; issuing Look out Circulars; impounding  and revocation  of  Indian  passport  of  the  husband;  getting  access  to lawyers and NGOs empanelled with Indian Missions etc.

To make information about the above scheme more accessible Ministry has posted on its website following:

- a. Guidelines about the scheme and application form.
- b. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) in Hindi and English which provide  information  and  guidance  to  aggrieved  women  about various options available to them. FAQs are also disseminated to petitioners who approach Ministry.
- c. A compilation of legal provisions in countries  where  the problem is more prevalent w.r.t ex-parte divorce, child custody, maintenance, etc.
- d. List of Indian Women's Organizations, Indian Community Organisations,  Lawyers,  and  NGOs  empanelled  with  Indian Mission/Posts abroad.
- e. List of Law Firms which assist Indian Nationals in distress.

*****