opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1461 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Redevelopment of Stations
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1461 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## REDEVELOPMENT OF STATIONS

†1461. SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government has decided to develop 400 railway stations  of  Indian  Railways  to  provide  facilities  at  par  with airports and if so, the details thereof;
- (a) whether Indian Railways has laid out any norms on the basis of which the aforesaid 400 railway stations are going to be developed and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of developers who have shown interest in redevelopment of railway stations;
- (d)  the  names  of  railway  stations  in  district  Sawai  Madhopur, Rajasthan which are likely to be included under the said plan; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(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.1461 BY SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON 27.11.2019 REGARDING REDEVELOPMENT OF STATIONS (b) to (c) Ministry of Railways through various agencies is undertaking techno-economic feasibility studies of Railway  stations.  Based on the outcome of these feasibility studies, stations are planned to be taken up for redevelopment in phases.  The cost of station redevelopment project is  to  be  met  by  leveraging  commercial  development  of  land  and  air space in and around the stations.  Presently, work of redevelopment is in progress at Gandhinagar(Gujarat) and Habibganj(Bhopal) stations. The facilities proposed in a redeveloped station include congestion free non-conflicting entry/exit to the station premises, segregation  of  arrival/departure  of  passengers,  adequate  concourse without  overcrowding,  integration  of  both  sides  of  the  city  wherever feasible,  integration  with  other  modes  of  transport  systems  e.g.  Bus, Metro, etc., user friendly international signage, well illuminated circulating area and sufficient provision for drop off, pick up & parking etc. Various  developers  have  shown  interest  in  redevelopment  of stations on Indian Railways. (d) & (e) All major railway stations on Indian Railways are planned to be taken  up  for  redevelopment,  especially  the  stations  located  in  major cities,  pilgrimage  centres  and  important  tourist  destination,  including Sawai Madhopur station.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1459 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Train from Balaghat
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dhal Singh Bisen

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1459 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## TRAIN FROM BALAGHAT

†1459.DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the train running from Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh)  via Gondia to Itwari, Nagpur has been stopped since last August;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government would consider to start a new train in public interest from Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh) to Itwari Nagpur to Balaghat in the evening to provide railway facility to the public; and
- (d)  if  so,  the  time  by  which  it  is  likely  to  be  done  and  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) to (d) Due to operational constraints, the services of 68714/68715 Itwari-Balaghat MEMU have been discontinued w.e.f. 23.08.2019.  However, introduction of trains over Indian Railways is an ongoing process subject to operational feasibility and availability of resources.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1456 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: National Rail and Transport University
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Geetha Viswanath Vanga, Manne Srinivas Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1456 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## NATIONAL RAIL AND TRANSPORT UNIVERSITY

1456. SHRI MANNE SRINIVAS REDDY :

SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH :

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  efforts  made  by  the  Ministry  to  achieve  the  vision  of  Prime Minister to make the National Rail and Transport University (NRTU) as an institution of national importance and to virtually bring it as one of the top 500 institutions;
- (b) whether  the  Railways  has  sent  the  proposal  before  the  Empowered Expert  Committee  of  the  UGC  for  giving  it  a  tag  of  an  institution  of national importance;
- (c) if so, the recommendations of the Empowered Expert Committee in this regard;
- (d) whether there are any plans to set up a centre of NRTU in Telangana and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government of Andhra Pradesh has asked the Railways to set  up  a  Railway  University  in  Andhra  Pradesh  and  if  so,  the  details thereof and the action taken thereon?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (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. 1456 BY SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH AND SHRI  MANNE  SRINIVAS  REDDY  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN LOK SABHA ON 27.11.2019 REGARDING NATIONAL RAIL AND TRANSPORT UNIVERSITY

(a) Notification declaring National Rail and Transportation Institute as deemed  to  be  university  under  de  novo  category  was  issued  by  the Ministry  for  Human  Resource  Development  on  26th  July,  2018.  The University was operationalised on 5th September 2018 with 2 Undergraduate courses viz. B.Sc. in Transportation Technology and BBA in Transport Management.  The 2nd Academic session started on 26th August 2019.  Memoranda  of  Understanding  have  been  signed  with  five  global Universities  -  (i)  Cornell  University,  USA,  (ii)  University  of  California, Berkeley, USA, (iii) University of Birmingham, UK, (iv) Russian University of  Transport,  Moscow,  Russia  and  (v)  Saint  Petersburg  State  Transport University, St. Petersburg, Russia.

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e) established at Vadodara, Gujarat.

No, Sir. Does not arise. No, Sir. No,  Sir.    The  National  Rail  &  Transportation  Institute  has  been

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 1455 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Gram Suraksha Yojna
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1455 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 TH   NOVEMBER, 2019

## GRAM SURAKSHA YOJNA

## †1455. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  the  policy  of  Gram Suraksha Yojana under Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI);

- (b) if so, the details thereof;

- (c) the features of the said policy and the targets fixed by the Government thereunder;

- (d) whether several villages have been benefited by the said policy and if so, the details thereof along with the results of survey conducted, if any, by the Government in this regard; and

- (e) the details of the villages where more than 90 per cent of its population have been benefited, State/UT-wise including in Rajasthan?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) No, Sir.  There is no such Yojana called 'Gram Suraksha Yojana' under Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI).

- (b) to ( e)  Question does not arise in view of (a) above.

************
Lok Sabha Question No. 1454 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Cooperation with Britain on Terrorism
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: Khagen Murmu, Ajay (Teni) Misra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1454

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  November, 2019

## COOPERATION WITH BRITAIN ON TERRORISM

1454. SHRI KHAGEN MURMU:

SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISRA TENI:

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

- (a) whether Britain has shown willingness to cooperate with India to combat global terrorism keeping in view the increasing threat and challenges of maritime security; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the extent to which maritime challenges and terrorism is likely to be checked as a result thereof, particularly in the Indian Ocean?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

रक्षा राज्य मंत्री

( श्री श्रीपाद नाईक )

- (a)  &  (b):    The  matter  relating  to  cooperation  in  Maritime  Security  was  discussed during the 12 th Meeting of the India-UK Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group held at New Delhi on 16 th November, 2018.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1453 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Global Investors in Manufacturing Sector
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Pushpendra Singh Chandel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1453. TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 27 TH  NOVEMBER, 2019.

## GLOBAL INVESTORS IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR

## 1453.  SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state:

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether global investors have been invited to invest in the manufacturing and other sectors in India;
- (b) if so, whether this will boost the manufacturing and other sectors in India; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER वाणिज ् य एवं उद्योग मंत्री ( श्री पीयूष गोयल ) THE MINISTER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI  PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) & (b): Yes Sir,  the  Government  has  put  in  place  a  liberal  and transparent policy for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), to attract global  foreign  investors  to  invest  in  different  sectors  of  the economy including the manufacturing sector. Infusion of foreign capital  is  expected  to  inter  alia  enhance  competitiveness  of Indian manufacturing sector.
- (c): Government  has  launched  'Make  in  India'  initiative  aimed  at promoting  India  as  an  important  investment  destination  and  a global  hub  for  manufacturing,  design  and  innovation.  The initiative  is  aimed  at  creating  a  conducive  environment  for investment by both global and domestic investors, development of modern and efficient infrastructure, opening up new sectors for  foreign  investments  and  forging  a  partnership  between Government and industry through a positive mindset.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1449 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Missing Trade Opportunities by India
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shivkumar Chanabasappa Udasi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1449 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th NOVEMBER, 2019

## MISSING TRADE OPPORTUNITIES BY INDIA

## 1449. SHRI SHIVAKUMAR C. UDASI:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वािण�य एवं उ�ोग मं�ी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India has finally decided not to be a part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) by not signing the deal, whether India has missed the opportunity of being a part of global supply chains, while closing the doors on some trade opportunities in the region and if so, the details thereof and reaction of the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=h ( Jh ih;w'k xks;y ) THE MINISTER OF  COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (b): During the 3 rd RCEP Leaders Summit which was held on 4 November, 2019 in  Bangkok, India stated that the current structure of RCEP did not reflect the RCEP Guiding Principles or address the outstanding issues and concerns of India, in the light of which India did not join RCEP.  India also stated that the Act East Policy was the bedrock of India's economic policy and India's engagement with the trading partners would continue.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1446 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Spot e-Auction of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Kotagiri Sridhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1446

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

Spot e-Auction of Coal

## 1446.SHRI SRIDHAR KOTAGIRI:

## Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) the total quantity of coal allocated by the Government as on date in the spot e-auction of coal, special forward e-auction for power sector and also the exclusive e-auction for non-power sector; and
- (b) the total quantity of coal imported in the country in the current financial year as on date?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES

## (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

- (a): In  2019-20  (up  to  31.10.2019),  the total  quantity  of  30.997  Million Tonne  (MT)  raw  coal  has  been  allocated  by  Coal  India  Limited  in  spot  eauction, special forward e-auction for power sector and exclusive e-auction for non-power sector. Its break up is as under:

| (Figures in MT)    | (Figures in MT)   | (Figures in MT)                     | (Figures in MT)                    | (Figures in MT)        |
|--------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------|
| Auction            | Spot e-auction    | Special Forward e-auction for power | Exclusive e-auction for non- power | Special Spot e-auction |
| Quantity allocated | 12.595            | 12.904                              | 4.838                              | 0.660                  |

(b): In  2019-20 (up to 31.10.2019), the total quantity of coal imported was 145.58 MT (provisional).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1444 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Exports by NALCO
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Jual Oram

## 1444.  SHRI JUAL ORAM

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the National Aluminium Company (NALCO) has taken steps to increase its exports;
- (b) if so, the performance of NALCO in this regard during the last three years;
- (c) whether the NALCO has fixed higher target for 2019-20 financial year; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1444

ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## EXPORTS BY NALCO

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINES, COAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

- (a): Yes,  Sir.  NALCO  exports  two  types  of  products  to  the  overseas  markets,  i.e., Calcined Alumina and Aluminium metal.
- (i) In case of Alumina, the export plan is finalised based on two factors:
-  Total Calcined Alumina production by NALCO's Alumina Refinery.
-  Alumina requirement in NALCO's Smelter Plant for Aluminium metal production.

Upon  meeting  the  production  requirements  of  the  Smelter  Plant,  and  selling  a  small quantity  in  the  domestic  market,  the  entire  surplus  quantity  of  Alumina  is  exported  to overseas  markets.  Therefore,  the  quantity  of  Calcined  Alumina  being  exported  is already maximised.

- (ii) In  case  of  Aluminium  metal,  the  export  plan  is  based  on  the  metal  availability after  fulfilling  all  supply  commitments  in  the  Domestic  market.  Thus,  higher  export quantity is planned in case higher quantity of metal is available after meeting the entire domestic demand.
- (b) The  export  performance  of  NALCO  during  the  last  three  years  (FY  2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19) is as under:
- (c ) For  the  Financial  Year  (FY)  2019-20,  NALCO's  Export  sales  target  has  been fixed higher as compared to that of FY 2018-19 in both Alumina as well as Aluminium metal.
- (d) The  tentative  Export  sales  target  for  the  Financial  Year  2019-20  is  tabulated hereunder:

|   Sl. No. | Description                      | 2016-17   | 2017-18   | 2018-19   |
|-----------|----------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|         1 | Calcined Alumina Exports (in MT) | 1,243,103 | 1,276,775 | 1,244,256 |
|         2 | Aluminium Exports (in MT)        | 100,591   | 75,847    | 38,463    |

|   Sl. No. | Description                      | Export Target (approx.)   |
|-----------|----------------------------------|---------------------------|
|         1 | Calcined Alumina Exports (in MT) | 1,266,000                 |
|         2 | Aluminium Exports (in MT)        | 61,500                    |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1440 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Payment to UN
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: A. Ganeshamurthi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1440 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## PAYMENT TO UN

## 1440. SHRI A. GANESHAMURTHI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Union Government is paying regularly its due amount to UN every year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of the amount paid by India to UN during the last three years?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN]

(a) to (c) Yes. India has been regularly paying its assessed contribution to the UN every year. The amounts paid by India as assessed contribution to the UN Regular Budget and the UN Peacekeeping Budget during the last three years are as follows:

All figures in Rupees (crores)

|     |                        |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |
|-----|------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| i.  | UN Regular Budget      |     62.19 |    178.68 |    162.88 |
| ii. | UN Peacekeeping Budget |     96.68 |     12.34 |    103.09 |

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1438 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Frequency of Rajdhani Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Arun Sao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1438 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## FREQUENCY OF RAJDHANI TRAINS

†1438.  SHRI ARUN SAO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Rajdhani Express or Shatabdi Express trains runs daily for all the State capitals of the country from New Delhi railway station;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number  of  those  State  capitals for which  there  is no arrangement of such trains and the reasons therefor;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  run  12441/12442  Bilaspur Rajdhani Express only two days of the week now; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a)  to  (c)  No,  Sir.  At  present, the Capital cities namely Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur, Lucknow,  Patna, Kolkata, Guwahati  (serving Dispur),  Bhubaneswar,  Mumbai,  Ahmedabad  (serving  Gandhinagar),

Bengaluru, Secunderabad, Bhopal and Kal ka (serving Shimla) have been provided connectivity, to Delhi area, by daily Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express  services.  Based  upon  operational  feasibility  and  traffic justification,  the    Capital  cities  of  Chennai,  Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon  (serving  Panji), Amravati  (proposed  capital), Bilaspur, Ranchi and Agartala are presently connected, to Delhi area, by nondaily Rajdhani Express services.

(d) to (e) Owing to operational and resource constraints, at present, there is no proposal to increase frequency of the bi-weekly service of 12441/12442 Bilaspur - New Delhi Rajdhani Express. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1437 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Resumption of Train Operations
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Malook Nagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1437 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.11.2019

## RESUMPTION OF TRAIN OPERATIONS

†1437. SHRI MALOOK NAGAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)    the  reasons  due  to  which  54251  UP  and  54252  down  passenger trains  plying  between  Lucknow  and  Saharanpur  via  several  railway stations  in  the  parliamentary  constituency  of  Bijnor  are  not  operating for almost two years; and
- (b)  the  time  by  which  the  operation  of  the  said  train  is  likely  to resumed ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) & (b) 54251/54252 Lucknow-Saharanpur Passenger has been restored  w.e.f.  26.11.2019.  The  maintenance  of  tracks  and  other infrastructure  are  on  ongoing  process  on  Indian  Railways  to  ensure upkeep and safety.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1435 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-27
Subject: Do Not Call Registry
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Janardan Singh Sigriwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1435 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 TH   NOVEMBER, 2019

## DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

## 1435. SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the status of 'Do Not Call Registry';
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  incidents  of  telemarketing  companies  calling customers from the personal phones of their employees thereby making it difficult for the customers to know the whereabouts of the call; and
- (c) if  so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto along with the remedial steps taken/ being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) Sir,  the  'Do  Not  Call  Registry'  was  established  by  Telecom  Regulatory  Authority  of  India (TRAI) in 2007 to allow subscribers some control over Unsolicited Commercial Communications in which they have no interest. To strengthen the enforcement of this registry the Telecom Commercial Communications  Customer  Preference  Regulations,  2010  (TCCPR  2010)  were  bought  in  force,  in which  the  name  'Do  Not  Call  Registry'  was  changed  to  'National  Customer  Preference  Register (NCPR)' and registration of telemarketers with TRAI was introduced.

The  regulations  were  successful  in  control  of  unwanted  communications  to  an  extent. However, to further strengthen the system and to leverage technology in combating this  menace, a Distributed  Ledger  has  been  established  through  Telecom  Commercial  Communications  Customer Preference  Regulations,  2018  (TCCPR  2018).  This  has  allowed  the  preferences  of  subscriber  for receiving telemarketing calls to be hidden  from  view of even the telemarketers, thereby protecting subscriber  information  from  abuse.  Other  measures  have  also  been  introduced  in  these  regulations, such as traceability of actions taken by the telecom companies, telemarketers, and businesses that use commercial communication services. This is expected to improve compliance and lead to reduction in the number of complaints.

(b)  &  (c) No  information  is  available  for  incidents  of  telemarketing  companies  calling  customers from  the  personal  phones  of  their  employees.  However,  as  per  regulation  in  force,  commercial communication  (telemarketing)  is  prohibited  from  personal  phones.  In  case  such  complaints  are received,  the  involved  phone  numbers  are  liable  to  be  disconnected  after  investigation  by  telecom companies. Telemarketing calls can only be made from the numbers in the 140 series.

************