opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 736 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Rail Routes
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: TAMRADHWAJ SAHU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.736 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## RAIL ROUTES

†736. SHRI TAMRADHWAJ SAHU:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of rail routes in the country which are being used solely for the freight and the details thereof;
- (b) whether the passenger facility can be extended on these rail routes and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the time by which the extension of Bhilai-Ahiwara rail route in   Chhattisgarh to connect  Bematara,  Navagarh,  Mungeli  and  Bilaspur is likely to be sanctioned  for  which  demand  had  been  raised  for  passenger  facility  earlier also?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a):  22 Routes in Indian Railways are being used for solely freight traffic. Details of these sections are Appended.
- (b): No, Madam.
- (c): Sanctioning of any new railway line/route is an ongoing continuous process subject to operational, commercial and technical viability. Hence, time frame for sanctioning of Bhilai - Ahiwara rail route to connect Bematara, Navagarh and Mungeli and Bilaspur may not be predicted.

*****

APPENDIX REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 736 BY SHRI TAMRADHWAJ SAHU TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.12.2017 REGARDING RAIL ROUTES

- (a) There are 22 Routes on Indian Railways which are solely used for freight traffic. The details are as under:

## Central Railway

- 1.
- 2.
- Pen - Thal (27 km).
- Panvel - Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (25 km).
3. Jasai - Uran (10 km).
- 4.
- Kurla - Trombay (7 km).
- 5.
- Butibori - Umrer (34).
6. Tadali - Ghugus (14 km).
- 7.
- Wani -Rajur (8 km).

## West Central Railway

- 8.
- Jhukehi - Kymore (21.250 km).

## South Western Railway

- 9.
- Hospet - Kotturu (70.93 (km).
10. Vyasa Colony - Swamihalli (39.62).
- 11.
- Tornagallu - Ranjitpura (22.92 km).
- 12.
- Alnavar - Ambewadi (26.03)

## South Eastern Railway

- 13.
- Kiriburu - Bimalgarh (40.83 km)

## South Central Railway

- 14.
- Vishnupuram - Motumari (89 km).
15. Manikgarh - Gadchandur (28 km).
- 16.
- Krishnapatnam - Venkatachalam (19 km).
- 17.
- Komarapudi - Krishnapatnam ( 19.3 km)

## Western Railway

- 18.
- Dahisara - Navalakhi (17.55 km).
- 19.
- Shirva - Kandla Port (2.11 km)
- 20.
- Adipur - Mundraport (56.24 km)(Private Railway)

## Northern Railway

21. Utratia - Transport Nagar bye pass(18 km).
2. 22.
3. Phaphamau by pass (2.5 km).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 735 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Laying Railway Track
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RANJANBEN BHATT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 735 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## LAYING RAILWAY TRACK

- +735. SHRIMATI RANJANBEN BHATT:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether accidents are occurring frequently due to error in the process of track laying;
- (b) if so, whether the Government is contemplating to change the track laying technique;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the time by which such technique is likely to be implemented; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a):  No, Madam.   There has been no such report, which attributes a train accident due to error in the process of track laying in the past 3 years.
- (b) to (d): Do not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 734 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Setting Up of Rail Coach Factory
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SUKENDER REDDY GUTHA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.734 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## SETTING UP OF RAIL COACH FACTORY

734. SHRI GUTHA SUKENDER REDDY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is committed to set up Rail Coach Factory in Kazipet of Telangana as it was a promise made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any initiatives have been proposed to be taken in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  expedite  the  work  on  the proposal without any further delay?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PARTS  (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 734 BY SHRI GUTHA SUKENDER REDDY TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 20.12.2017 REGARDING SETTING UP OF RAIL COACH FACTORY

(a) to  (c)  As  per  Item  10  of  Schedule  13  (Infrastructure)  of  Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014, there was no commitment for setting up  coach  factory.  However,  Indian  Railways  is  required  to  examine  the feasibility of establishing a Rail coach factory in the successor State of Telangana and take an expeditious decision thereon. In order to examine the  feasibility  of  establishing  the  Rail  coach  factory,  a  Committee  of Senior  Officers  of  Railways  has  been  constituted  by  the  Ministry  of Railways.

(d) Rail coach factories are set up keeping in view the Railways' overall requirement  of  coaches  vis-à-vis  current  manufacturing  capacity.  The Committee of Senior Officers set up at Railway Board has been mandated to assess the long term requirement of coaches. Any decision of setting up any new factory will be taken after examination of the report of the Committee.

(c)

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 733 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: K-Fone Project
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: P.K.SREEMATHI TEACHER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 733 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 TH      DECEMBER, 2017

## K-FONE PROJECT

733. SHRIMATI P.K. SREEMATHI TEACHER:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Central Government has received any proposal from Government of Kerala  to  provide  financial  support  for  K-Fone  project,  which  aims  to  provide  internet connectivity to all houses in Kerala; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government thereon?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) A  proposal  has  been  received  from  the  State  of  Kerala  to  provide  fibre connectivity  to  home/premises  with  funding  from  Universal  Service  Obligation  Fund (USOF) under BharatNet project.
- (b) On  19.07.2017,  Government  approved  a  modified  implementation  strategy  for BharatNet.  Under  this  strategy,  the  last  mile  connectivity  through  Wi-fi  or  any  other suitable broadband technology will be provided to cover all the GPs in the country. Last mile connectivity for all GPs is to be provided through Viability Gap Funding in Public Private  Partnership  mode  by  the  State  Government  or  Bharat  Broadband  Network Limited. Fibre connectivity to home/premises is not envisaged in the current scope of BharatNet project.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 732 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Safety at ULCs
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: BHEEMRAO BASWANTHRAO PATIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.732 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## SAFETY AT ULCs

## 732.  SHRI BHEEMRAO B. PATIL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether it is a fact that a system has been devised for the safety at Unmanned Level Crossings (ULCs) and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) the time by which the said system will be in operation?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b): Following two trial projects are in progress:
- (i) Development and implementation of Satellite based system for warning at unmanned level crossing gates of Indian Railways by Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO)/Ministry of Railways and Space Applications  Centre/Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  (SAC/ISRO)  at  5 Level Crossings is under progress.
- (ii)  Development  and  implementation  of  a  'Suitable  and  Viable  VandalProof Advance Warning System' (Radio & Radio Frequency Identification based) to Pre-warn road users against approaching train at unmanned level crossing gate was undertaken by RDSO in association with IIT/Kanpur at one  LC  gate.  Based  on  the  report  submitted,  RDSO  is  now  conducting extended  field  trials  at  10  unmanned  LC  gates  in  association  with IIT/Kanpur to check the efficacy of the system.

Based on the trial reports, adoption of the suitable technologies shall be considered.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 731 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Review of Functioning of Autonomous Bodies
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: M. CHANDRAKASI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 731 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## REVIEW OF FUNCTIONING OF AUTONOMOUS BODIES

## 731. SHRI M. CHANDRAKASI:

Will the MINISTER of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  NITI  Aayog  has  conducted  any  study/review  on  the  functioning  of autonomous bodies of Union  Government and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the NITI  Aayog has proposed setting up of  a Special Purpose Vehicle for administration of homogeneous autonomous bodies and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the objectives of the new approach of NITI Aayog?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a) to (c) Pursuant to the recommendation made by the Expenditure Management Commission (EMC) in its Report submitted to Government of India, the Ministry of Finance had requested NITI  Aayog  to  undertake  an  in-depth  review  of  the  Autonomous  Bodies  (ABs)  of  Union Government.  Accordingly, NITI Aayog has constituted a Committee in January 2017 under the chairmanship of Principal Adviser, NITI  Aayog  to review the  ABs  and  make recommendations  for  enhancing  their  outcomes,  effectiveness,  efficiency  and  governance through consultative process.

In Phase-I, the Committee has reviewed ABs set up under the Societies' Registration Act under the Ministry/ Department of Health & Family Welfare, Ayush, Higher Education, Culture, Sports, Information & Broadcasting.  In the draft Interim Report, the Committee has recommended setting up of umbrella structures of ABs wherein a group of similar institutions may be brought together under an overarching umbrella framework.  The objective of this approach is to bring about greater efficiency, better oversight, standardization and mentoring support, without losing the plurality of disciplines or identities of individual ABs.

-------
Lok Sabha Question No. 730 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: PSK in Madhya Pradesh
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: BODH SINGH BHAGAT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.730 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## PSK IN MADHYA PRADESH

## † 730. SHRI BODHSINGH BHAGAT:

## Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has granted approval for setting up Passport Sewa Kendras (PSKs) in Shivni and Balaghat districts in Madhya Pradesh; and
- (b) if   so,   the   time   by   which   the   said   PSKs   are   likely   to   be functional?

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

- (a)        Yes.  The Government has announced the opening of four Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSK) at Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna,   and   Vidisha   in   Phase-I   and   ten   POPSK   at   Balaghat, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Sehore, Sidhi, Ujjain, Betul and Shivni in Phase-II in Madhya Pradesh.
- (b) Out of these fourteen POPSK, the four POPSK announced in Phase-I   have   become   functional.   The   Government   intends   to complete the requisite formalities for the remaining locations like preparation of the site, procurement of IT and non-IT equipment for setting up of the remaining ten POPSK in Madhya Pradesh, including the two at Shivni and Balaghat, at the earliest.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 729 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Code of Conduct
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: RAMCHARAN BOHARA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 729

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 20 TH  DECEMBER, 2017

## CODE OF CONDUCT

†729. SHRI RAM CHARAN BOHRA:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to give constitutional validity to the code of conduct developed by the judiciary; and (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS (SHRI P.P.CHAUDHARY)

- (a): At present, no proposal to codify the Model Code of Conduct for elections is under consideration of the Government.
- (b) :  Does  not arise.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 728 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Electrification of Railway Network
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: ARKA KESHARI DEO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 728 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY NETWORK

728.  SHRI ARKA KESHARI DEO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways has planned to electrify its entire network in    the country;
- (b) if so, the proposed expenditure to be incurred for the said project;
- (c) whether any time limit has been set for the above said project;   and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

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

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

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  728  BY  SHRI  ARKA  KESHARI  DEO TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  20.12.2017  REGARDING

ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY NETWORK.

(a)  to  (d):        Yes,  Madam.    Indian  Railways  has  prepared  an Action Plan to electrify (commission on electric traction) 38000 Route  Kilometers  in  five  years  (2017-18  to  2021-22)  for  100% electrification  of  its  Broad  Gauge  (BG)  rail  routes.      Year  wise details are as under:-

| Year    |   Route Kilometer targeted for commissioning on electric traction. |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2017-18 |                                                               4000 |
| 2018-19 |                                                               6000 |
| 2019-20 |                                                               7000 |
| 2020-21 |                                                              10500 |
| 2021-22 |                                                              10500 |
| Total   |                                                              38000 |

The expenditure of ` 32591 crore is planned for commissioning  of      38000  Route  Kilometers  of  sections  on electric traction.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 727 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Fake Domicile Certificates
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: RAJAN BABURAO  VICHARE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.727

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 20 TH  DECEMBER, 2017

## FAKE DOMICILE CERTIFICATES

727. SHRI  RAJAN VICHARE:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE j{kk ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether instances of some of the youth / aspirants of Haryana submitting forged domicile certificate of Kutch, Gujarat for selection in the Army on Gujarat's quota have come to the notice of the Government; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken / being taken in this regard?

<!-- formula-not-decoded -->

## (a) & (b): Yes, Madam.  One such incident came to notice during an Army Recruitment Rally held in the year 2015 at Rajkot, Gujarat.

During document check at the said rally, 49 candidates  were found with  suspicious  domicile  certificates.    The  domicile  certificates  of  all suspicious candidates were forwarded to district authorities for verification and were found to be fake.  An FIR was lodged against 49 candidates with the  Crime  Branch,  Rajkot  on  30  June  2015  by  Army  Recruiting  Office, Jamnagar.    Out  of  these  49  candidates,  20  candidates  who  reported  for dispatch to various Regimental Centres were taken into custody by Crime Branch,  Rajkot  on  24  September  2015.    The  matter  is  currently  under investigation with Crime Branch, Rajkot.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 726 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Retrenchment in IT Sector
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: JANARDAN MISHRA, RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  726

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 20.12.2017

## RETRENCHMENT IN IT SECTOR

## 726. SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA: SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL:

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

- (a) whether retrenchment in information technology sector is worrisome for Indian economy;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the workforce in the IT industry shrank due to lay-offs in the current year;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the efforts being made by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ALPHONS KANNANTHANAM)

- (a)  and (b): No, Sir. The industry is projected to grow nearly 8% to reach about USD 154 billion in FY2017-18  from USD 143 billion in FY2016-17.
- (c) and (d):  No, Sir. The IT sector is expected to continue to be a net hirer in this fiscal.
- (e): The  industry,  both  globally  and  in  India,  is  witnessing  unprecedented  technology driven changes.  These demand new sets of skills and are opening opportunities for newer job roles.  The stakeholders covering industry, academia and Sector Skills Councils are working to ensure that the existing workforce is re-skilled/up-skilled in emerging technologies and job roles.  Most  companies  (large,  medium  &  small)  are  also  implementing  rigorous  training programs to re-skill/up-skill their existing employees in new and emerging technologies.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 724 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Pine and Lemon Grass in Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RODMAL NAGAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 724 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## PINE AND LEMON GRASS IN TRAINS

†724.    SHRI NAGAR RODMAL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government is considering to provide pine and lemon grass in railway offices and trains;
- (b) if  so,  the  time  by  which  the  said  arrangement  is  likely  to  be implemented; and
- (c) the agency selected for running this system?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a) to (c): No, Madam.  However, Railway Board has issued instructions to all Zonal Railways etc on 05.10.2017 about use of 'De-Odourizing-cumDisinfectant  Fluid'  to  IS:  10758/1983,  which  has  some  content  of  pure strained  absolute  essential  oil  like  pine,  lemon  grass  or  any  other essential oil having pleasing odour.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 723 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Misbehaviour with Indian Airline Passenger
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.723 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## MISBEHAVIOUR WITH INDIAN AIRLINE PASSENGER

723.  DR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Chinese airlines officials have misbehaved with an
- Indian   passenger   at   the   Shanghai   Pudong   International Airport recently and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has taken up this issue with the Chinese Government;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any response/reply has been received from Chinese Government in this regard; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

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

- (a) to (e) In   August   2017,   Ministry   of   External   Affairs   had received a complaint regarding alleged misbehaviour with some passengers   of   Indian   origin   by   airport   staff   at   the   Shanghai Pudong International Airport. This issue was immediately taken up   with   the   Chinese   authorities   through   our   Consulate   in Shanghai to investigate the matter and ensure that recurrence of such incidents is avoided in future. No such incident has come to Government's attention since then.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 722 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Visit to Rome
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: VINCENT H PALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.722 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## VISIT TO ROME

## 722. SHRI VINCENT H. PALA

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any attempt was made to invite Pope Francis to visit India;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of visits made   by Hon'ble Prime
- Minister/Minister of External Affairs to Rome, Italy during the last three years; and
- (d) The names of dignitaries invited from Italy/Rome to visit India during the last three years?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI M.J. AKBAR)

- (a) & (b) Visits of Heads of State to India are decided according
- to the mutual convenience of the visiting dignitary and Indian dignitaries.   Currently, there is no discussion between India and the Holy See about any visit by H.H. Pope Francis to India.
- (c) One.  Minister of External Affairs visited Rome, Italy, during 2-5 September 2016 for attending the ceremony for Canonization of   Mother   Teresa   at   the   Vatican   City.   She   also   had   bilateral
- discussions with Italian authorities.
- (d) Prime Minister of Italy, H.E. Mr. Paolo Gentiloni, paid a State Visit to India in October 2017.  Ministerial visits from Italy to India include a visit by Minister for Health, H.E. Ms. Beatrice Lorenzin, in November 2017 and a visit by Minister of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies, H.E. Mr. Maurizio Martina, in December 2017.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 721 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-20
Subject: Escalators at Rajkot Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: MOHANBHAI KALYANJIBHAI KUNDARIYA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 721 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2017

## ESCALATORS AT RAJKOT RAILWAY STATION

721.  SHRI KUNDARIYA MOHAN BHAI KALYANJI BHAI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  representations have  been  received by the Government for setting up escalators at Rajkot, Jamnagar and Surendranagar railway stations to facilitate the movement of senior citizens; and
- (b) if so, the action taken in this regard?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

- (a) Yes, Madam.
- (b) As  on  date,  3  escalators  are  sanctioned  at  Rajkot  and  the procurement is in progress. For Jamnagar and Surendranagar, a  proposal  has  been  moved  for  sanction  of  escalators  in  the upcoming Budget 2018-19.

*****

## ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)