opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2698 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: External Threat to Security
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT, C.S. PUTTARAJU, S.P. MUDDAHANUMEGOWDA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2698

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD  JANUARY, 2018

## EXTERNAL  THREAT  TO  SECURITY

2698.  SHRI  ARVIND  SAWANT:

SHRI  C.S. PUTTA  RAJU:

SHRI  S.P. MUDDAHANUME  GOWDA:

j{kk ea=h

Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the external threats to the security of the country through Sea route has increased and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has reviewed the coastal security recently;
- (c) if so, whether the Government proposes to procure modern equipments including radar for coastal security / surveillance and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the other measures taken to make the Sea routes secure?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

र  ा रा य मं ी

(डा. सुभाष भामरे)

(a) to (d): Threats to the security of the country through the sea route are assessed at regular intervals.  Monitoring, review and assessment of the coastal  security  construct  is  an  ongoing  process  and  is  undertaken  on a  periodic  basis.    National  Committee  on  Strengthening  Maritime  and Coastal  Security  (NCSMCS)  monitors  the  progress  in  respect  of  coastal security initiatives, any shortfall encountered, and decides on measures to plug the gaps.  A coastal security ring all along our coast is provided by Marine  Police,  Indian  Coast  Guard  and  Indian  Navy.    Other  measures include improving surveillance mechanism, enhanced patrolling and joint operational  exercises  conducted  on  regular  basis  among  Indian  Navy, Indian  Coast  Guard,  Marine  Police,  Customs  and  others.    Installation  of radars  covering  the  country's  entire  coastline  and  islands  is  also  an essential part of this process.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2697 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Education under State List
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: ANBUMANI RAMADOSS

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2697

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 3 rd JANUARY, 2018

## Education under State List

## 2697. DR.  ANBUMANI RAMADOSS

:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  amend  the  Constitution  to transfer  the  subjects  relating  to  'Education'  to  State  List  from Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule; and
- (a)
- if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## A N S W E R

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

- (a): No, Madam .

- (b): Does not arise.
Lok Sabha Question No. 2695 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Violation of ICNIRP Guidelines
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA, RAMA DEVI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2695 TO BE ANSWERED ON  3 RD  JANUARY, 2018

## VIOLATION OF ICNIRP GUIDELINES

2695.  SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA: SHRIMATI RAMA DEVI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Telecom  Commission  has  adopted  International  Commission  on Non-Ionization Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for mobile phones;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of cases of violation of ICNIRP guidelines which have come to the notice of the Government during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  so  far  against  the  guilty companies?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Telecom Commission, in their meeting held on 27 May 2008, decided to adopt International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines for mobile phones. ICNIRP guidelines prescribe that Mobile handsets should comply with basic restrictions in terms of SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) value limited to 2 Watt/Kg localized for head and trunk in the frequency range of 10 MHz to 10 GHz.

Subsequently, based on the recommendations of an Inter-Ministerial Committee, the Government adopted a more stringent limit of 1.6 Watt/Kg averaged over a mass of 1 gram of human tissue. Vide Office Memorandum dated 25.01.2012 and clarification dated 17.08.2012, the Government  has  issued instructions [via Indian Cellular Association (ICA) and Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association of India (TEMA)] to all the mobile manufacturers, both indigenous and imported, to limit the SAR level for Mobile handset to 1.6 Watt/Kg, averaged over a mass of 1 gram of human tissue.

- (c) &(d)         So far, no case of violation has come to the notice of the Government.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 2694 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Asia-Africa Development Corridor
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: FAIZAL P.P. MOHAMMED

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2694 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2018

## ASIA-AFRICA DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR

2694. MOHAMMED FAIZAL:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any plan to implement Asia-Africa development corridor;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of steps taken by the Government in this regard?

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

(a) to (c) Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) is an initiative led by think tanks of India and Japan. The Vision Document of AAGC was launched at the   Africa   Development   Bank   Meeting   in   Ahmedabad   in   May   2017. According to the Vision Document, an Asia-Africa Growth Study will be conducted   between   2017-18   that   will   lay   down   the   next   steps   for sustainable and innovative development, as well as partnership between Asia and Africa through AAGC. The Study is expected to be presented to the Governments of India and Japan as also other leaders and policy makers of Asia and Africa in 2018.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2692 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Online Ticket Booking
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: HARI BABU KAMBHAMPATI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2692 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2018

## ONLINE TICKET BOOKING

2692.  DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  revenue  earned  through  ticket  booking  online and offline during the last two years;
- (b)  whether the Government is planning for paperless tickets in trains; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2692 BY DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  03.01.2018  REGARDING  ONLINE TICKET BOOKING

(a):  The details of revenue earned through booking of tickets online and offline during the last two years are as under:

(

` in crore)

| Financial Years   |   Revenue earned through booking of tickets online |   Revenue earned through booking of tickets booked offline |
|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2015-16           |                                            17204.1 |                                                    28119.9 |
| 2016-17           |                                            19209.3 |                                                    28468.8 |

(b) & (c):  Indian Railways has already introduced paperless ticketing.  In case  of  e-tickets  booked  through  Indian  Railway  Catering  &  Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website including through mobile application based ticket, Short Message Service (SMS) sent by IRCTC and screen shot of the e-ticket (Virtual Reservation Message) displayed through laptops/palmtops/mobile  phones  has  been  permitted  as  valid  authority for  travel  alongwith  prescribed  identity  proof  in  original  subject  to appearance of name of the passengers on the reservation chart and thus there  is  no  need  to  take  a  print-out  of  Electronic  Reservation  Slip (ERS)/e-ticket in this case.

Further,  with  a  view  to  facilitating  convenient  booking  of unreserved  tickets  by  passengers  without  having  to  stand  in  long queues to purchase Railway tickets, Indian Railways has introduced the facility  of  booking  of  paperless  unreserved  ticket,  season  ticket  and platform  ticket  through  mobile  phone  in  some  stations  in  Central, Western, Eastern, Southern, South Eastern, South Central and Northern Railways.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2691 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Recommendations of Shekatkar Committee
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: ANURAG SINGH THAKUR, KIRRON KHER, GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2691

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD  JANUARY, 2018

## RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  SHEKATKAR  COMMITTEE

2691.  SHRI  ANURAG  SINGH  THAKUR: SHRIMATI  KIRRON  KHER: DR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

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

- (a) whether Shekatkar panel has suggested various recommendations to the Government to restructure the army and if so, the details of the suggestions made by the panel;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  accepted  all  the  recommendations  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor and the details of the recommendations which are not being implemented; and
- (d) the time by  which  the accepted  decisions of the panel are likely to be implemented?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

र  ा रा य मं ी

(डा. सुभाष भामरे)

(a) to (d): A  Committee  of  Experts  (CoE)  was constituted  by  Ministry  of Defence  under  the  chairmanship  of  Lt  Gen  (Retd)  DB  Shekatkar  to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defence expenditure of  the armed forces.    The  Committee submitted its  report  in December 2016.

The  Report  was  taken  up  by  the  Ministry  of  Defence  to  frame  key action points and roadmap for implementation.  Recommendations within the Term of Reference of the Committee were taken up for implementation.

These, inter alia, include:

- (i) Optimization of Signals Establishments to include Radio Monitoring Companies, Corps Air Support Signal Regiments, Air Formation Signal Regiments, Composite Signal Regiments and merger of Corps Operating and Engineering Signal Regiments.
- (ii) Restructuring  of  repair  echelons  in  the  Army  to  include  Base Workshops,  Advance  Base  Workshops  and  Static  /  Station Workshops in the field Army.
- (iii) Redeployment of Ordnance echelons to include Vehicle Depots, Ordnance  Depots  and  Central  Ordnance  Depots  apart  from streamlining inventory control mechanisms.
- (iv) Better  utilization  of  Supply  and  Transportation  echelons  and Animal Transport Units.
- (v) Closure  of  Military  Farms  and  Army  Postal  Establishments  in peace locations.
- (vi) Enhancement in standards for recruitment of clerical staff and drivers in the Army.
- (vii) Improving the efficiency of the National Cadet Corps.

Recommendations, which were outside the Terms of Reference of the CoE, have not been taken up for implementation.

******

:  2  :
Lok Sabha Question No. 2689 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Recruitment of Retired Judges
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2689

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 03.01.2018

## Recruitment of Retired Judges

## +2689.  SHRI SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV:

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

- (a) whether the Government and Judiciary are contemplating to recruit  retired judges  in  High  Courts  to  dispose  of  more  than  three  crores  cases  lying pending in the courts of the country;
- (b) whether it is possible by invoking a special provision of the constitution; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## (SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to (c): The appointment of retired Judges of High Courts for  sitting in  High Courts can be made under Article-224A of the Constitution. Retired Judges are not being appointed as per decision dated 14.04.1982 of the then Chief Justice of India.  Retired  Judges  ought  not  to  be  appointed  unless  all  the  permanent vacancies are filled up and still there are large number of cases pending disposal.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2687 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Bio-Diesel
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2687

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2018

## BIO-DIESEL

## † 2687. SHRI  RAJU SHETTY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railway  has  constituted  a  joint  working  group  for afforestation on the vacant land along railway tracks to produce biodiesel from the seeds of plants;\
- (b)     if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  bio-diesel  is  likely  to  be  cheaper  and  environment friendly;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  progress  made  in  research  and  development  studies  in  this regard?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

- (a)
- (b)
- No, Madam.
- Does not arise.
- (c)&(d)  The  Bio-Diesel  i.e.  B-100  is  not  likely  to  be  cheaper  than  Petro Diesel on account of present taxes scenario. Bio-Diesel is environment friendly. It substantially reduces unburned hydrocarbons,  carbon  monoxide  and  particulate  matter  in  exhaust fumes. Sulphur dioxide emissions are also eliminated.

…2/-

## ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (e) Indian  Railways  has  tested  the  bio-diesel  of  different  feed  stock (Jatropha, Mahua, pongamia, waste cotton seed, Fish Oil, Soyabeen oil, Palm stearin etc.) in the different blending ratio such as B5, B10, B20,  B50  and  B  100  on  its  16  cylinder  ALCo  and  EMD  engine  test beds.  The power performance of engine has been found satisfactory without any adverse impact on engine working. Besides, bio-diesel is found  to  reduce  certain  emission  parameters  which  would  have otherwise caused pollution in environment.

Key Advantages of Bio-Diesel:

- Renewable Energy source
- Derived from Vegetable oil
- Non-toxic & Biodegradable
- Contains no sulphur that causes acid rain
- Higher Cetane number, better ignition quality
- (i)
- (ii)
- (iii)
- (iv)
- (v)
- (vi) Used directly  in  unmodified  Diesel  engines,  neat  or  blended  in  any ratio with HSD
- (vii)
- (viii)
- Higher Lubricity - Can prolong engine life
- Flashpoint higher than HSD-safer to store & transport
- (ix) Environment friendly-less emissions
- (x)
- Has rural employment potential.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2686 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Vacancy in Coal India
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: MUTHAMSETTI SRINIVASA RAO (AVNTHI)

## Government of India Ministry of Coal Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2686 To be answered on 03.01.2018

## Vacancy in Coal India

## 2686. SHRI MUTHAMSETTI SRINIVASA RAO (AVANTHI):

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

(a) whether the post of CMD of Coal India Limited is lying vacant since August, 2017; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the time by which the post would be filled up; and

- (d)  the  steps  taken  to  bridge  the  gap  between  demand  and  supply  of  coal  to  power projects  which  are  demanding  regular  supply  of  coal  to  the  power  projects  in  the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COAL (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a),  (b)  &  (c): The post of Chairman-cum Managing Director of Coal India Limited is vacant w.e.f 1st Sep'17 after Shri Sutirtha Bhattacharya superannuated from the service from 31st Aug'17 (After Noon).

With the approval of the Appointment Committee of Cabinet, Ministry of Coal vide its letter No. 21/17/2017-BA dated 1st September'2017 has entrusted the additional charge of  CMD, CIL to Shri Gopal Singh, CMD, CCL with immediate effect for a period of 6 months or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Meanwhile,  Government  has  constituted  a  Search-cum-Selection  Committee  on  23rd Sep'17 for selecting a suitable candidate for the the post of CMD, CIL.  Accordingly, the said post has been advertised in the Employment News dated 9-15 Dec'2017 inviting applications for appointment of CMD, CIL. The last date for receipt of applications is 5th January 2018. Selection is to be made thereafter.

(d): In addition to the monitoring mechanism available at coal companies and CIL, coal supplies to Power Utility sector is monitored regularly by an inter-Ministerial Sub-Group comprising  representatives  of  Ministry  of  Power,  Ministry  of  Coal  and  Ministry  of Railways  constituted  by  the  Infrastructure  Review  Committee  of  Cabinet  Secretariat.

This  Sub-Group  takes  various  operational  decisions  for  meeting  any  contingent situations relating to Power sector including critical coal stock position for power plants.

Due  to  the  above  coordinated  efforts  of  Ministry  of  Coal,  Coal  India  Limited  and Railways  supplies  to  Power  Sector  have  stepped  up.  In  fact,  coal  supplies  to  Power Sector from CIL grew by 20%, 19%, 17% and 9% during the months of August, 2017, September, 2017, October, 2017 & November, 2017 respectively as compared to the supplies during the same months during the last year. As a result of increased dispatch, the stock at  Power House increased from 7.3 Million tonnes as on 19.10.2017 to 12.91 Million tonnes as on 26.12.2017.
Lok Sabha Question No. 2683 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Manufacture of Diesel Locomotives
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: JOSE K. MANI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2683 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2018

## MANUFACTURE OF DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES

## 2683. SHRI JOSE K. MANI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the justification  in  awarding  contract to  M/s.  GE Diesel Locomotive Pvt.  Ltd.  for  manufacture  of  1000  diesel  locomotives  over  11  years beginning  from  February  2018  when  the  Railways  has  proposed  to electrify its remaining 34,000 km rail network in the next four years;
- (b) whether, in view of above, the Railways is considering to terminate the  contract  with  GE  by  coughing  up  a  sum  of  Rs.1,300  crore  as penalty for terminating the contract abruptly; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) The contract with M/s GE Diesel Locomotives Pvt. Ltd. was signed on 30  November,  2015.  The  decision  to  electrify  the  Indian  Railways' remaining  34,000  km  rail  network  in  the  next  four  years  was  taken later.
- (b) There is no decision on terminating the contract at present .
- (c) Does not arise . .

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2681 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-03
Subject: Saloon Car in Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2681

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.01.2018

## SALOON CAR IN TRAINS

†2681. SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the criteria for using saloon car in trains;
- (b)  the  total  number  of  saloon  cars  being  used  by  the  railway officers at present;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  got  the  information  that  the officers are using these saloon cars for taking their family members on trips and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  the  amount  of  funds  spent  on  maintenance/operation  of  these saloon cars during the financial years 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 as  on  date  including  the  number  of  times  these  saloon  cars  have been used; and
- (e) whether the Government will issue any guidelines for using the saloon car to check the tendency of railway officers to indulge in luxury and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) Inspection Carriages/Saloon cars are used by entitled authorities  to  undertake  their  journey  for  official  purpose  while travelling  on  duty.        Also  Saloon  /Carriages  are  used  by  private parties  on  demand on specific route and date, on payment of Full Tariff Rates (FTR) subject to operational feasibility and availability of the saloon/carriages.
- (b) 336 Saloon Cars are being used by Zonal Railways at present.

- (c)  Authorized  officials  travel  in  carriages  as  per  their  entitlement subject to permission of competent authority. The travel authority/passes  permits  travel  of  family  members  as  per  Railway Servant  Pass  Rules  while  on  duty.  However,  no  information  is maintained whether the family member used the carriage on trips of official.
- (d)  Carriages  are  maintained/operated  along  with  other  coaching rakes/trains.  No  separate  accountal  of  expenditure  incurred  for saloons  is  kept.    Separate  data  relating  to  the  number  of  times these saloons cars are used is not maintained.
- (e)  Instructions have been issued directing Railway officers to use Saloon/Inspection Carriages for inspection purpose only and ensure that  these  are  not  used  as  a  means  of  transportation.  Whenever Inspection  Carriages  are  utilized,  specific  purpose  for  which  they have been used should be logged and it must be ensured that they are attached to a working train, only exception being proceeding to attend  emergency  situation  such  as  serious  accidents  and  other calamities etc.

*****