opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 522 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Spares Contract for IAF AN-32
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: S. Ramalingam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

## DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.522

TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 th  February, 2020

## SPARES CONTRACT FOR IAF AN-32

522. SHRI RAMALINGAM S.:

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

- (a) whether Ukraine has requested for investigation against a Dubai-based company regarding alleged kickbacks for spares contracts for the IAF AN-32 fleet of transport aircrafts;
- (b) if so, the details and the status thereof; and
- (c)  whether  the  involvement  of  the  company  is  also  alleged  in  influencing  the procurement of 100 pieces of self propelled 155 mm/52 Cal. K9 Vajra Gun Howitzer tracked system contract awarded to L&T and its role in other ongoing contracts under discussion with companies from RoK and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto?

## 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 request for legal assistance for criminal proceedings was asked by NAB (National Anti Corruption Bureau) Ukraine vide criminal proceeding No.5201000000000889  to  Ministry  of  Defence.    As  per  the  request,  M/s  STE  has signed an agreement with M/s Global Marketing SP Ltd whereby latter was requested to  provide  service  to  former  relating  to  the  implementation  of  the  contract  Air HQ/82891/32/Eng  D3(T)  (AN-32  RE/64-2014-18)/STE-1-171-K/KE-14  dated  26 th November, 2014.  Ministry of Home Affairs has approached MEA to seek details of contract  between  M/s  Global  Marketing  SP  Ltd  &  M/s  STE  so  as  to  invoke contractual provisions as applicable.
- (c)  At present Department of Military Affairs has no such information.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 517 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: New Signalling System
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Geetha Viswanath Vanga

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.517

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## NEW SIGNALLING SYSTEM

## 517. SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways proposes rolling out new signalling system and if so, the details thereof and progress made so far, zone-wise;
- (b) whether Renigunta -Yerraguntla section of the SCR and Vizianagaram  -  Palasa  section  of  East  Coast  Railway  were  taken  up  in phase one and if so, the details  thereof;
- (c) whether the Government got approval from NITI Aayog and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) whether  the  implementation  of  these  new  systems  will  improve safety, reduce congestion, increases the capacity and improve punctuality and if so, the details thereof along with work done in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to  (c)  Yes,  Sir.  Modernization  of  Signalling  System  is  proposed  to  be taken up on High Density Routes of Indian Railways including Golden Quadrilateral  (GQ)  and  Golden  Diagonal  (GD)  Route.  The  work  includes provision of Modern Train Control System.

Cont./2.

As  a  prelude  to  Modernization  work  of  signalling  system  on Indian Railways, four works totaling 640 Route km at total cost of ₹ 1,609 crores have  been  sanctioned  in  Supplementary  Works  Programme  2018-19  in following sections for extensive trials.

|   SN | Section                  | Railway               |
|------|--------------------------|-----------------------|
|    1 | Nagpur - Badnera         | Central Railway       |
|    2 | Renigunta - Yerraguntala | South Central Railway |
|    3 | Vizianagaram - Palasa    | East Coast Railway    |
|    4 | Bina - Jhansi            | North Central Railway |

Renigunta -Yerraguntla section of South Central Railway and Vizianagaram - Palasa section of East Coast Railway are included in these 4  pilot  projects.  These  works  have  been  sanctioned  by  Ministry  of Railways.

- (d) Yes, Sir. Implementation of these new systems will improve safety, reduce  congestion,  increases  line  capacity,  increase  average  speed  of trains and improve punctuality. Tenders for these works have since been opened and are under evaluation.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 514 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Internet and Wi-Fi Facilities for Farmers
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shardaben Anilbhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION 514

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 05.02.2020

## INTERNET AND WI-FI FACILITIES FOR FARMERS

## 514       SHRIMATI  SHARDABEN  ANILBHAI  PATEL:

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

- (a)    whether the Government has provided internet and Wi-Fi facilities to all the villages of the country for the benefit of farmers so that their knowledge about agricultural sector could be increased and to provide latest information about the development in the said sector; and
- (b)    if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  measures/action  taken/being  taken  by  the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

- (a) and (b):   Under BharatNet project, broadband/internet connectivity is provided to Gram Panchayats (GPs). There are approx.2,50,000 GPs in the country. Total 1,34,248 GPs have been made Service Ready as on 24.01.2020.

As part of this project, so far Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed at 45,769 GPs.  Internet is currently being accessed mainly through mobile wireless 2G, 3G and 4G technologies which at present cover more than 95% of population of the country.  As per data collected from the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in 2019, it is estimated that out of total 5,97,618 inhabited villaged (as per the Census 2011) in the country, 5, 69, 897 are covered by the Government and  Telecom  Service  Providers  in  a  phased  manner.    Further  under  Universal  Service Obligation Fund (USOF) scheme, 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots are being set up using the infrastructure  of  telephone  exchanges  of  Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  in  rural areas of the country.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 512 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Rail Connectivity to Buddhist Pilgrimage Centres
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Jagdambika Pal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 512 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

RAIL CONNECTIVITY TO BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE CENTRES 512.  SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government intends to introduce a special railway line to provide enhanced connectivity to the Buddhist pilgrimage centres in the country; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a)  &  (b)  The  following  works  of  New  Lines  have  been  included  in Budget and are in different stages of execution to connect Buddhist Pilgrimage Centres:
- (i) Gaya-Bodhgaya-Chatra, Gaya-Natesar(Nalanda)
- (ii) Rajgir-Hisua-Tilaiya, Natesar-Islampur
- (iii) Kapilvastu-Basti

(iv)Bahraich-Shravasti-Balrampur/Tulsipur

(v)Padrauna-Kushinagar via Gorakhpur *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 511 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Nuclear Accidents
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Meenakashi Lekhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.511

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS

## 511. SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI:

Will the Prime Minister be pleased to state the details of the precautionary steps being taken to minimise risk factors associated with nuclear accidents?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (Dr. JITENDRA SINGH):

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has been successfully operating all its nuclear facilities for  the  past  six  decades  by  ensuring  radiological  safety  both  to  its  workforce  and  every member of public. Nuclear Power Plants(NPP) are designed adopting safety principles of redundancy, diversity  and  provided fail-safe  design features  following  a  defence-in-depth approach which ensures multiple layers of safety to minimize the probability of any accident and quantity of release to the environment in case of a hypothetical accident. Additionally, DAE has  a  rugged  regulatory  mechanism  to  monitor  design,  manufacturing,  installation, commissioning and operation of nuclear facilities. Emergency preparedness is established to  reduce  the  consequences  through  quick  impact  assessment  and  implementation  of counter measures. Beyond this, even for extremely unlikely very low probable event having potential for off-site release, Emergency Preparedness Plans (EPPs) are put in place at all NPPs before the start of operation as additional precautionary measure to further reduce the risk. These EPPs are tested through periodic exercises to confirm the decision making capabilities, response timeline, co-ordination among response agencies and availability of necessary resources.

The operations are performed adopting well laid out procedures by highly qualified, trained and licensed personnel. Appropriate Personal Protection Equipments and monitoring aids are provided to all the personnel working in the nuclear power plants. The safety of nuclear power  plants  is  continuously  monitored  and  reviewed  by  the  Atomic  Energy  Regulatory Board (AERB).

Subsequent  to  Disaster  Management  Act,  2005  and  formation  of  National  Disaster Management  Authority  (NDMA),  the  plan  for  implementing  response  actions  in  public domain is further strengthened. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has also set up Emergency Response Centres (DAE-ERCs) at  various  DAE  units,  which  are  operational round the clock, to support and coordinate emergency response actions.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 510 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: New Missile Defence System
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Vijay Kumar Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.510

TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 th  February, 2020

## NEW MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM

510. SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  purchase  new  missile  defence system from Russia, in near future;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the time-line for any such proposal in near future?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)

रक्षा राज्य मंत्री

( श्री श्रीपाद नाईक )

<!-- image -->

- (a)  to  (d):    Based  on  threat  assessment  and  security  imperatives,  Government constantly reviews the national security scenarios and takes steps to induct appropriate defence equipment to meet the security challenges and operational requirements.  This is  a  continuous process undertaken through procurement from various indigenous as well as foreign sources.  Highest priority is accorded to optimally equip the Armed Forces and keep them in a state of readiness.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Rail Propulsion Technology
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dushyant Singh

- (a) Yes, Sir.
- (b) The  details will be worked  out based  on the  response of Expression of Interest (EOI), which has been floated. Hydrogen is planned to be sourced from industry in India.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION N0. 507 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## RAIL PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY

## 507.  SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  working  on  developing  hydrogen  powered suburban train;
- (b)   if so, the details of the proposed train and the details of the rail propulsion technology to be used and the source of hydrogen gas to operate such trains;
- (c) whether the process of producing hydrogen gas will be emission free and if so, whether the Government plans to deploy hydrogen propelled trains for long distance routes in future;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the potential presented by hydrogen powered trains;
- (e) the details of increased safety concerns for passengers because of hydrogen fuel and the details of threat assessment; and
- (f) the details of various other alternate fuel technologies explored by Indian Railways with the development and future plans?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (c) Hydrogen  production is not planned by Indian Railways. The decision on deployment  of  hydrogen  propelled  trains for long distance routes will be based on the development of the technology.
- (d) Does not arise.
- (e) In India, TATA motors has developed seven hydrogen fuel cell buses. All these vehicles are complying with International Safety Standards of Hydrogen Safety. International Standards Organisation, Society of Automotive Engineers and United Nations have published stringent safety standards for use of hydrogen in transport vehicles. Type test of  these  vehicles have shown that Hydrogen as a transport fuel is safe  to  handle  and  use.  Similarly,  safety  aspects  concern  for passengers shall be an integral part of the technical specifications of the hydrogen powered trains.
- (f) Solar panels have been fitted on roof top of Diesel Electric Multiple Unit  (DEMU)  trains  of  capacity  4.5  KWp  for  catering  to  hotel  load. Blending of high speed diesel with Bio-diesel by 5% has also been started  for  railway  locomotives.  Running  of  DEMU  trains  with Compressed  Natural  Gas  (CNG)  has  also  been  introduced  as  pilot project over 18 trains.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 506 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Pending ROBs in Rajasthan
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ranjeeta Koli

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.506

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## PENDING ROBs IN RAJASTHAN

## †506.  SHRIMATI RANJEETA KOLI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  Railway  Over  Bridges  (ROBs)  whose  construction  is  currently pending in Rajasthan;
- (b) the reasons for the pendency and the project-wise details thereof;
- (c) the current position of the construction of the pending ROBs projectwise; and
- (d) whether the Government has fixed any targets for the completion of the above said pending ROBs and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a)  to  (d):  As  per    Pink  Book  2019-20,  work  of  construction  of  66  Road over Bridges (ROBs) are sanctioned in Rajasthan, out of which 10 ROBs have been fully completed and 56 ROBs are in progress.

Normally, Railway undertakes construction of ROBs in Railway portion whereas approaches are being constructed by State Government. Generally, there is no problem of construction of ROBs in Railway portion. However,  it  is  difficult  to  construct  ROBs  on  approaches  because  it depends  upon  many  factors  such  as  availability  of  land,  removal  of encroachments, fixing the alignment of approaches, allocation of requisite funds etc. Therefore, it is not possible to fix the time schedule for construction of ROBs projects.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Equal Pay for Equal Work
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Vishnu Dayal Ram

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 505

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020)

## EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK

## 505. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether all Government Departments/PSUs/ Corporations under the Central Government are complying with the Delhi High Court order regarding 'Equal Pay for Equal Work' for casual workers;
- (b) if not, the details thereof; and
- (c) the action taken by the Government to rectify the situation?

## 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) to (c):  In compliance of the order of the Hon'ble Delhi High Court in case of M/s Suman Forwarding  Agency  Pvt.  Ltd,  Department  of  Personnel  &  Training  has  issued  O.M.  dated 04.09.2019 reiterating the provisions of the earlier O.M. dated 07.06.1988, which are as follows:

-  Where  the  nature  of  work  entrusted  to  the  casual  workers  and  regular  employees  is  the same, the casual workers may be paid at the rate of 1/30 th of the pay at the minimum of the relevant pay scale, plus dearness allowance for work of eight hours a day.
-  In  cases  where  the  work  done  by  a  casual  worker  is  different  from  the  work  done  by  a regular employee, the casual worker may be paid only the minimum wages notified by the Ministry of Labour  &  Employment  or  by  the  State Government/  Union  Territory Administration, whichever is higher, as per the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

The provisions are applicable to all Ministries/Departments.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Various Collaborations with the Rubber Board
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Anto  Antony

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 503 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05 th FEBRUARY, 2020

## VARIOUS COLLABORATIONS WITH THE RUBBER BOARD

## 503. SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

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

- (a) the details of the present staff strength of the Rubber Board, along with the category of officers and employees of the Board;
- (b) whether  the  Rubber  Board  has  been  in  collaboration  with  the  armed  forces  for  the production  of  materials  required  for  the  army,  navy  and  air  force  and  with  the  Space Research  Organization  for  facilitating  research  and  manufacturing/production  of  space vehicles, satellites and rockets, etc.;
- (c) if so, details thereof;
- (d) whether the aviation industry and the Space Research Organisation of the country or foreign countries are dependent on natural rubber produced in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (a) : The present actual staff strength of the Rubber Board is as under:

| Staff strength of Rubber Board   | Staff strength of Rubber Board   |
|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Group                            | No of staff                      |
| GroupA                           | 196                              |
| Group B                          | 534                              |
| Group C                          | 542                              |
| Total                            | 1272                             |

(b) & (c) :  Rubber Board has been offering consultancy services to armed forces like Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, Border Security Force (BSF) and their allied agencies like BEML Ltd, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Mazagon Dock, etc.  The Board also undertakes quality control measures of the vendor supplied rubber components to defence sector.

(d) & (e) :  Natural rubber (NR) is used for various critical applications. Aircraft tyres are made of NR due to high level of heat resistance. Large sized tyres need a relatively high proportion of NR. NR based components are essential for space research. NR for all industrial purposes can be sourced from domestic or external sources. Aviation industry and Space Research Organisations of foreign countries depend on international markets for NR supply.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 502 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Upgradation of Madurai Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: S. Venkatesan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 502 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2020

## UPGRADATION OF MADURAI RAILWAY STATION

## 502.   SHRI S. VENKATESAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any plans to upgrade and modernize Madurai Railway Station; and
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof and the steps taken thereon?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a): Yes, Sir.

(b):   Madurai is a Non-Suburban Grade (NSG)-2 category station. As per norms, Minimum Essential Amenities have already been provided at this station.

Besides  Madurai  station,  being  an  important  tourist  and  pilgrim centre,  has  been  identified  under  the  scheme  'Joint  Development  of Railway  Station  in  association  with  Ministry  of  Tourism'.    Under  this scheme, works related to improvements to the circulating area, pedestrian  pathways,  Foot  Over  Bridge,  provision  of  stainless  steel dustbins, LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting, Charging point, etc. have been  completed.    Moreover,    certain  works  like  construction  of  new

Tourist Hut with toilet and cloak room facilities at ground and first floor, construction  of  retiring  rooms  &  air-conditioned  dormitory  room  at first  floor  on  platform  no.1,  improvements  to  platform  no.1  and booking  office,  reservation  and  enquiry  office,  additional  platform water cubicle and benches on all platforms, development of garden in vacant  land, improvements  to  existing  1 st &  2 nd class airconditioned waiting halls and conversion of Railway Court Room as ladies  waiting  hall  and  improvement  to  existing  retiring  rooms, facade  improvements, repairs  to  existing  washable  apron,  existing flooring & toilet improvement to Executive Lounge, concourse area, provision of lift, boundary wall to prevent encroachment etc. are in progress.

Efforts  are  also  made  to  provide  additional  facilities  like  separate parking,  facilities  for  Persons  with  Disabilities  (PwDs)  Divyangjan including  Trolley  path  connecting  all  platforms,  stainless  steel handrails  in  Foot  Over  Bridge  staircase  area,  construction  of  RCC (Reinforced  Cement  Concrete)  over  head  tank  for  water  supply, construction  of  passenger  waiting  hall  with  toilet  facilities  in  the western entry etc.  for rail users, wherever feasible, subject to inter-se priority of works and availability of funds. However, upgradation/modernisation of railway station is a continuous and on-going process.

******