opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2838 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Disabled Friendly Toilets
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: VINCENT H PALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2838

## TO BE ANSWERED ON AUGUST 02, 2017 DISABLED FRIENDLY TOILETS

No. 2838              SHRI VINCENT H. PALA:

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

- ( a) the details of disabled-friendly toilets constructed/being
- constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), so far;
- (b)    whether  such  toilets  are  compulsorily  constructed  in  the  areas where disabled people reside/live and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)    whether the Government has conducted any study to ensure the
- use  of  such  toilets  as  there  have  been  reports  that  the  constructed toilets in many cases are either being diverted for other purposes or remain unused because of problems like the pit size being small, the septic tank not being built, lack of proper supply of water, etc. and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
- (d)   the corrective action taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a)  &  (b):    As  per  the  Swachh  Bharat  Mission  (Urban)  Guidelines,  all Community  Toilets  (CT)  and  Public  Toilets  (PT)  must  have  disabled friendly toilets, irrespective of whether any disabled people reside/live
- in the vicinity of the toilets or not.
- (c) & (d): Ministry  of  Housing  and  Urban  Affairs  (M/oHUA)  has  not received  any  reports  of  diversion  of  constructed  toilets  for  other purposes or remain unused because of problems like the pit size being small, the septic tank  not being  built,  lack of  proper supply of water,

etc. As per the SBM (U) Guidelines, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) have to ensure  that  all  toilets  constructed  under  the  Mission  are  built  in tandem  with  water  supply  arrangements  and  consist  of  toilet  substructure like on-site treatment system, or connection to underground sewerage/ septage system. It is the responsibility of the States/Urban Territories  (UTs)  to  operate  and  maintain  the  community  toilets constructed  in  the  city/town  and  also  to  ensure  the  use  of  disabled friendly toilets by them.

………
Lok Sabha Question No. 2836 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Marking in Civil Service Exam
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2836

## (TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017)

## MARKING IN CIVIL SERVICE EXAM

## 2836.   SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the subject-wise highest marks obtained by candidates in all optional subjects in Civil Services (Mains) Examination, 2016;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that the  candidates opting for 'Law'  as  optional subject have been awarded less marks as compared to candidates who opted for other optional subjects;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  proposed  for  moderation  or  scaling  the  marks  in  all subjects so that parity is maintained in science and non-science subjects; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a):          The  highest  marks  obtained by a candidate in any particular optional subject in the Civil Services (Main) Examination depends on the performance of the candidates who have appeared  in  the  particular  subject.  Further,  a  candidate  who  has  not  qualified  in  the  Civil Services (Main) Examination might have obtained the highest mark in the optional subject chosen by  him.  The  marks  of  the  candidates  who  have  not  qualified  in  the  Civil  Services (Main) Examination are disclosed only to the individual candidates.

(b)&(c): No such conclusion/trend is established.

(d)&(e):  The  UPSC    has  informed  that  inter  subject  moderation  is  done  in  Civil  Services (Main) Examination in order to bring parity between candidates opting for different subjects. This is done on a holistic perspective based on statistics of marks secured by candidates in different papers to ensure level playing field on account of difference in scope and coverage of  syllabi,  difficulty  level  of  question  papers  and  standards  of  evaluation,  which  can  vary from year to year across subjects/papers.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2835 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Functioning of Railway Recruitment Board
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: HARISH DWIVEDI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2835 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## FUNCTIONING OF RAILWAY RECRUITMENT BOARD

†2835. SHRI HARISH CHANDRA ALIAS HARISH DWIVEDI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  number  of  Railway  Recruitment  Boards  functioning  in various States of the country;
- (b) the  number  of  employees  of  various  categories  recruited  by  these Railway Recruitment Boards during the last three years;
- (c) whether regional balance is maintained in the recruitment process; 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.  2835  BY  SHRI  HARISH  CHANDRA  ALIAS HARISH  DWIVEDI  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  02.08.2017 REGARDING FUNCTIONING OF RAILWAY RECRUITMENT BOARD

- (a) Presently, there are 21 Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) across the  country  for  catering  to  the  recruitment  requirements  of  various categories of Group 'C' posts of Zonal Railway(s) / Production Unit(s).
- (b) During the last three years, a total of 62,773 candidates have been empanelled for various categories of Group 'C' posts by all the 21 RRBs. Year-wise break-up is as under-
- (c)  &  (d)  Indian  Railways  is  an  organization  having  pan  India  character. The  RRBs  have  been  established  based  on  territorial  jurisdiction  of  the Indian  railways  and  not  on  the  basis  of  State(s),  Zone(s)  /  Region(s). Candidates  are  free  to  apply  to  any  RRB  throughout  the  country  in response to the advertisements; RRBs do not make any distinction on the basis  of  State(s),  Region(s)  /  Area(s)  /  Locality,  Caste(s),  Gender(s)  or Creed(s). No preference / relaxation is given to candidates belonging to any region.

| Year    |   Total candidates empanelled |
|---------|-------------------------------|
| 2014-15 |                         15191 |
| 2015-16 |                         27995 |
| 2016-17 |                         19587 |
| Total   |                         62773 |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2834 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Delay in Gauge Conversion Work
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SURESH KODIKUNNIL

(a): No, Madam.

(b):  Jurisdiction  of  Divisions  and  Zones  on  Indian  Railways  is decided  keeping  in  view  factors  like  size,  workload,  traffic pattern  and  other  administrative  /  operational  requirements, consistent  with  the  needs  of  economy  and  efficiency,  without any regional considerations.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2834 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## DELAY IN GAUGE CONVERSION WORK

## 2834. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  a  decision  to  transfer Sengottai-Kollam  section  in  Southern  Railways  from  Madurai division to Trivandrum division;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government is aware of the unnecessary delay in the gauge conversion work of Sengottai-Kollam section; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(c) and (d): On Sengottai-Kollam route (94 Kilometer), SengottaiNew Ariyankavu (20 Kilometer) and Kollam-Punalur-Edamann (53 Kilometer)  sections  have  already  been  commissioned.  Work  on balance portion  i.e.  New  Ariyankavu-Edamann  (21  Kilometer)  is at advanced stage of completion.

* * * * *
Lok Sabha Question No. 2832 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Special Train from Visakhapatnam
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Y. S. AVINASH REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2832 TO BE ANSWERED ON  02.08.2017

## SPECIAL TRAIN FROM VISAKHAPATNAM

2832. SHRI Y.S. AVINASH REDDY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS   be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways has received any representation regarding  introduction  of  special  train  from  Visakhapatnam  to Varanasi;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the stand of the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c)    Yes,  Madam. Requests for special trains including for introduction  of  new  train  services  from  Vishakhapatnam  to Varanasi are received at various levels i.e Station, Division, Zonal and Railway Board and necessary action as found operationally feasible  and  commercially  justified  is  taken.    However,  special trains  are  run  to  clear  extra  rush  of  passengers  during  peak seasons, festivals, special events keeping in view the pattern of resources. Running of special trains/new train service on various sectors is

- traffic, operational feasibility and availability of an ongoing process.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2829 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Anti-India Sentiments on Social Networking Sites
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: RADHESHYAM BISWAS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2829

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## ANTI-INDIA SENTIMENTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

## 2829 SHRI RADHESHYAM BISWAS:

Will the Minister of Electronics and information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a) whether some social networking groups and websites are engaged in flaring up antiIndia sentiments;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with details of such websites identified so far; and
- (c) the action taken by the Government against these websites?

## ANSWER

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

(a):   Instances of misuse of web/social media in the country have come to the notice of the Government  from  time  to  time.  Such  behaviours  in  the  cyberspace  are  due  to  virtual  and borderless nature of the technology.

(b) and (c):  Law Enforcement agencies regularly monitor the web and social media and take appropriate action for blocking of such (Universal Resource Locators) URLs whenever they notice hosting of objectionable contents as per provision of rules notified under Section 69A of  Information  Technology  Act  2000.  In  the  present  year,  till  June  2017  based  on  various Court orders as well as based on the recommendations of an expert committee for blocking URLs/websites 735 social media URLs and 596 websites have been blocked, including those of social media networking groups and websites engaged in flaring up anti India sentiments.

*********
Lok Sabha Question No. 2828 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Millennium Challenge Corporation
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: NAGARAJAN P.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2828 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION

## 2828. SHRI P. NAGARAJAN:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  joined  hands  with  the  US Government's  Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to strengthen regional integration and connectivity particularly in the areas of energy, trade and investment in third countries;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the manner and system by which the above objectives will be achieved?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## (SHRI M. J. AKBAR)

- (a) to (c) India and the US share a strong commitment to promoting economic growth and development, and regional cooperation  and  connectivity.  In  this  regard,  the  Development Partnership Administration (DPA), Ministry of External Affairs, Government  of  India,  and  the  Millennium  Challenge  Corporation (MCC) of USA, through a Joint Statement issued on 13 January 2017 have  expressed  their  intent  to  cooperate  for  mutual  benefit  to strengthen regional integration and connectivity, particularly in the areas of energy, trade, and investment.

The collaboration may  include the following topics and projects:

- Exchange of information and experience in relevant sectors  or  issues  pertaining  to  project  development  or implementation  in  Partner  Countries  (mutually-identified countries or regions);
- Providing advisory or technical assistance to Partner Countries regarding sector policy reform, project and sector management, project implementation, and economic growth promotion strategies in relevant sectors;
- Facilitating  site  visits  to  cross-border  or  other  relevant projects; and
- Capacity building of Partner Countries.

Both sides are in discussion to identify concrete proposals for implementation.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2826 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Indian Nationals in Neighbouring Countries Jails
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: DILIP KUMAR MANSUKHLAL GANDHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2826 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## INDIAN NATIONALS IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES JAILS

† 2826. SHRI DILIPKUMAR MANSUKHLAL GANDHI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that a number of Indian Prisoners of War are languishing in Pakistan jails and if so, details thereof;
- (b) whether a large number of fishermen are also in the jails of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka;
- (c) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and country-wise and the steps taken for the release of above prisoners along with the outcome thereof; and
- (d) the manner in which the Government proposes to provide help to the families of these fishermen imprisoned in neighbouring countries?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) As  per  available  information,  there  are  75  missing  Indian defence personnel, including 54 Prisoners of War, who are believed to  be  in  Pakistan's  custody  but  their  presence  has  not  been acknowledged so far by Pakistan.
- (b) to (d) As  per  the  available  information,  as  of  27  July  2017, there are 417 fishermen in Pakistan's custody and 15 fishermen in Sri Lanka's custody, who are believed to be Indian nationals. There are  no  Indian  fishermen  in  the  custody  of  Bangladesh.  In  case  of Pakistan,  consular  access  is  awaited  and  information  about  the states that they belong to is not available. In case of Sri Lanka, the 15 fishermen are believed to be from the State of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The  Government  attaches  the  highest  priority  to  the  safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen. As soon as information of apprehension of Indian fishermen is received, the matter is immediately taken up through diplomatic channels with concerned Government and consular access and early release and repatriation of all apprehended Indian fishermen is sought. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is the designated nodal agency for payment of compensation to fishermen lodged in Pakistan jails.

In case of Sri Lanka, a Joint Working Group on Fisheries has been  set  up  as  a  bilateral  institutional  mechanism  to  help  find  a long-standing solution to all fishermen issues.

Due to persistent efforts, Government has secured release and repatriation  of  a  total  of  3951  Indian  fishermen  from  Pakistan,  Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, since 2014.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2825 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Skill Improvement of Minority Students
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2825 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2017

## Skill Improvement of Minority Students

## 2825.  SHRI SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether  the  Government  has  any  programmes  for  improving  the  skills  and  capacities  of unemployed  youths  to  facilitate  their  entry  into  the  areas  of  higher  research  and  institutions  of national importance; and

- (b) if so, the details thereof along with their outcome thereof, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

- (a)  to  (b): No Madam. There is no such specific skill scheme for minority  youth to facilitate their entry into the areas of higher research and institutions of national importance.  However, Ministry implements  following  schemes  for  higher  research  and  institutions  of  National  importance  for minority students:-
- (i) Merit-cum-Mean based Scholarship Scheme: The merit-cum-means scholarship scheme is awarded for pursuing professional and technical courses, at under-graduate and post-graduate levels, in institutions recognized by the appropriate authority. Under the scheme, 30% of these scholarships are earmarked for girl students. To be eligible, students should not have annual family income more than Rs.2.50 lakh and he/she should have secured minimum 50% marks in previous class.
- (ii) Maulana Azad National Fellowship: The objective of the scheme is to provide integrated five  year fellowships in the form of financial assistance to students from minority communities to pursue higher studies such as M.Phil and Ph.D. To be eligible, the annual income of the family from all  sources  should not exceed Rs.2.50 lakh. 30% of the fellowships are earmarked for eligible girl students. The scheme is being implemented through University Grants Commission (UGC) in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

The  details  of  schemes/guidelines  and  achievements  are  available  on  the  website  of  this Ministry ( www.minorityaffairs.gov.in ).

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2824 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-02
Subject: Merger of Tribunals
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: DINESH TRIVEDI, RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

- (a) to (c):

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 2824

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 2 ND AUGUST 2017

## Merger of Tribunals

## 2824. SHRI DINESH TRIVEDI: SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL:

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

- (a) whether  the  Union  Government  plans  to  merge  the  existing  36  tribunals  in  the country and bring down their number to 17;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the plan is likely to be executed;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  consulted  various  Ministries  under  which  the  said tribunals are functioning in this regard and received their responses and if so, the details thereof  and the  steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (d) the  steps  the  Government  plans  to  take  regarding  amendment  of  the  Administrative Tribunals Act for curbing appellate jurisdiction of the High Court against decisions of the Central  and  State  Administrative  Tribunals  and  filing  of  direct  appeal  in  the  Supreme Court only?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY)

On the  issue  of  merger/convergence  of  various  Tribunals,  Indian  Law  Institute

- (ILI) in its report recommended that the identified 36 Tribunals can be reduced to 17.  During

the study undertaken on merger/conversions of Tribunals, the number of Tribunals has been reduced by five, i.e., the Company Law Board, Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction and Appellate Authority for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction have been subsumed into National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) and  two  Appellate  Tribunals,  namely  the  Appellate  Tribunal  for  Prevention  of  Money Laundering and Appellate Tribunal for Forfeited Property  have been converged by providing for those  appeals to  be  heard  by  the  Appellate  Tribunal  under  Smugglers  and  Foreign  Exchange Manipulators  (Forfeiture  of Property)  Act,  1976 through  the  Finance  Act,  2016. Further, regarding  merger  of  water  disputes  Tribunals,  a  separate  Bill,  namely,  the  Inter-State  River Water  Disputes  (Amendment)  Bill,  2017 is already pending  in the Lok Sabha. After consultations with the Ministries/Departments concerned, in the first phase, 17 Tribunals have already been merged/converged to reduce them to 8, through the Finance Act, 2017.

## (d): There is no such proposal.