opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1093 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Electro Homeopathy Research
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas, Ashok Mahadeorao Nete

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1093 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## ELECTRO HOMEOPATHY R ESEARCH

## 1093. SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS :

## SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any Inter Departmental Committee has been constituted/is proposed to be constituted by the Government for recognising various systems of medicine which are in use in the count ry;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Electro -Homeopathy Research and Development Organisation (ERDO) India has submitted  any  proposal  to  the  Government  for  granting recognition  to  Electro - Homeopathy stream of medicine;
- (d) if so, the steps b eing taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (e) the time by which the Government is likely to recognise the said medicine system?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)  & (b)  The  Inter  Departmental  Committee  (IDC)  has  been  constituted  under  the chairmanship of a former Secretary to the Government of India - cum - Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and comprising as members, experts from the field o me dicine  and  health  sciences,  representatives  of  the  Central  and  State  Governments relevant  regulatory  bodies,  to  analyse  and  examine  the  proposals  related  to  new  syste medicine/therapy in order to assess their viability for notifying them as alterna tive system of medicine/therapy.

(d)  The  proposal,  received  from  a  number  of  organisations  including  Electro -Homeopathy Research  and  Development  Organisation  (ERDO)  India,  seeking  recognition  of  Electro -Homeopathy as a system of medicine has been considered by the IDC in its meetings, where the representatives of the organisation were also invited. However, IDC was not satisfied w scientific  material  furnished,  in  the  proposal  on  Electro - homeopathy,  and  asked  to  submit additional  informatio n/data,  for  further  examination  by  the  Committee.  A  joint  body  of  t organisations has since submitted revised document.

(e) The decision of the Government on the proposal for recognition of the system will dep the report to be submitted by the Comm ittee after it has completed the process of examination o the proposal.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1092 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: NABH Accreditation
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1092 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## NABH ACCREDITATION

## 1092. DR. SHASHI THA ROOR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether NABH accreditation is granted to both Government an d private hospitals, if so, the details thereof and the criteria followed by NABH while providing accreditation;
- (b)  whether  a  large  number  of  private  ho spitals  have been  provided  NABH  accreditation  as compared to government hospitals, if so, the reasons thereof;
- (c) whether the Government hospitals such as AIIMS and other prominent government hospitals like Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hold the NABH accreditation, if not, reasons therefor;
- (d) whether government would, as a matter of policy, consider mandating all the Govern hospitals to seek NABH accreditation; and
- (e) if so, the expected date of such policy change and if not, the reasons theref or?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)  National  Accreditation  Board  of  Hospitals  and  Healthcare  Providers  (NABH)  is  un Quality Council of India (QCI), an autonomous organization under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. QCI has informed that NABH accreditation is granted to bo Government and Private Hospitals based on compliance with the applicable NABH accreditati standards. NABH accreditat ion standards for organization and hospitals both are benchmarked and accredited by International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).
- (b) As  informed  by  QCI,  NABH  Hospital  accreditation  program  is  voluntary in  nature. Accordingly, irrespective of being government or private hospitals, all the applications received are  processed  as  per  the  stipulated  guidelines  and  the  hospitals  that  meet  the  H Accreditation  standards  are  granted  accreditation  after  following  due  process.  As  pe the

available records, presently, the number of private hospitals granted Hospital accreditation are more as compared to Government Hospitals.

(c) to (e) As per extant policy, NABH Hospital accreditation is on voluntary basis and as per available records, NABH has not received any application till date for accreditation either from AIIMS or Thiruvananthapuram Medical College; hence these hosp itals are not accredited under NABH Hospital Accreditation Program.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1088 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Bio-Medical Waste Disposal
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Su Thirunavukkarasar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1088

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.09.2020

## Bio-Medical Waste Disposal

## 1088 . SHRI THIRUNAVUKKARASAR SU:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)        whether  it  has  come  to  the  notice  of  the  Government  that  bio-medical  wastes generated from various hospitals in the country are being disposed off irresponsibly thereby posing a serious threat to the health of the citizens;
- (b)       if so, the details thereof;
- (c)       whether  any  notices  have  been  issued  to  hospitals  across  the  country  for  lack  of adequate facilities towards proper disposal of bio-medical wastes;
- (d)       if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)       the action taken against such erring hospital authorities?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a)&(b)  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has reported that, complaints have been received  regarding  improper  management  of  bio-medical  waste  by  Healthcare Facilities (HCFs) and Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facilities (CBWTFs) from  time  to  time,  which  are  against  the  provisions  of  Bio-medical  Waste Management Rules, 2016 (BMWM Rules, 2016) . A total of 99 public complaints and  27  Public  Grievances  were  received  in  the  last  two  years.  The  common violations observed related to failure to practise pre-treatment of laboratory waste, lack of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) for treatment of liquid waste etc. CPCB had  referred  the  said  complaints  and  grievances  to  concerned  State  Pollution Control  Boards/  Pollution  Control  Committees  (SPCBs/PCCs)  for  appropriate action against erring HFCs/ CBWTFs, under the rule provisions.
- (c)to(e)     CPCB  has  issued  Notices  to  10  HCFs  located  in  Rajasthan  for  violating  the provisions  of  BMWM  Rules,  2016.  For  gross  violation  of  Rules,  CPCB  issued directions  under  section  5  of  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  along  with imposition  of  Environmental  Compensation  charges  against  HCFs  located  in Assam and Madhya Pradesh. SPCBs/PCCs have also reportedly issued show-cause notices/ directions to 16,956 HCFs in 2018-2019.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1087 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: NGOs Working in Health Sector
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Prathap Simha, L.S. Tejasvi Surya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1087 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## NGOS WORKING IN HEAL TH SECTOR

## 1087. SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

## SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of NGOs working in different States in the various Health and Family Welfare Programmes;
- (b)  the  State - wise  details  of  the  names  of  these NGOs,  along  with  the  f inancial  assistance obtained by them from the Union Government as well as from the external agencies during each of the last three years;
- (c) the achieveme nt of each NGO during the above period; and
- (d)  whether  th e  government  has  a  mechanism  to monitor these NGO's  for ensuring accountability, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) to( d) Public Health and hospitals being State subjects, the primary responsibility implementation  of  various  health  schemes  in  the  country  including  engagement  of  N Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and   monitoring of activities undertaken by them vests with the State Governments. However, under the National Health Mission (NHM), technical a financial support is provided to States/UTs for strengthening their Health Care Systems b the requirements projected by the States/UTs in their Program me Implementation Plan (PIPs) within their overall resource envelope. The data on number of NGOs working in the states is not maintained centrally.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1083 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Inefficiency in Vaccinating Children Against Measles
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Talari Rangaiah

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1083 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## INEFFICIENCY IN VACC INATING CHILDREN AGA INST MEASLES

## 1083. SHRI TALARI RANGAIAH:

Will th e Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Gover nment has been able to identify the reasons for ineff ciency in vaccinating children against Measles and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the G overnment has set any target to achieve the status for era dication of measles and rubella completely and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  G overnment  proposes  to  introduce laws  for  making  measles  vaccination mandatory; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- ( a)  The major reasons identified for children not getting vacci nation against Measles are (i) L ack of awareness  of benefit  of  Immunization,  (ii)  A pprehensions  of  Adverse Event Follow ing Immunization  (AEFI),  (iii)  Children  travelling  on  day  of  immunization,  (iv)  Refusa vaccination and (v) O perational gaps.
- (b)The Government of India along with the oth er member countries of WHO South - East Asia Region is committed to Measles and Rubella elimination by 2023.
- ( c)  &  (d) There are no proposal for making Measles vaccination mandatory . Vac cination is a voluntary process and being a public good itisthe social responsibility of every citizen to get vaccinated as  per  vaccination  schedule.  This  ensure  that  not  only  those  get  vaccinated protected but they in turn also prevent spreading of the disease through herd immunity.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1082 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Coverage under Ayushman Bharat Yojna
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Vishnu Dutt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1082 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## COVERAGE UNDER AYUSH MAN BHARAT YOJNA

## 1082. SHRI VISHNU DA TT SHARMA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to extend the coverage under Ayushman Bharat Yojana for the purpose of including diseases like Thalassemia and alike which are out of its ambit, though prevalent in many areas and are affecting large number of people in the country; and

- (b) whether the Government also proposes to cover many such pathological tests in Ayushman Bharat Yojana which are presently not covered under it due to which the patients have to spend a lot of money on these?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) Under Ayushman Bharat -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB - PMJAY), a total of 1592 Health Benefit Procedures have been defined which also include 'Whole blood transfusion' and 'Blood component including platelet transfusion' that are essential towards the management of cases with diseases such as  Thalassemia and related conditions.
- (b)  Health  Benefit  Packages  under  AB - PMJAY  includes  all  the  expenses  incurred  for  the following components of treatment including investigations  :
- Medical examination,   treatment, and consultation
- Pre - hospitalization
- Medicine and medical   consumables
- Non - intensive and intensive care services
- Diagnostic and   laboratory investigations
- Medical implant   services (where necessary)
- Accommodation   benefits
- Food services
- Complications   arising during treatment
- Post - hospitalization follow - up care up to 15 days

At  present,  no  proposal  is  pending  before  the  Government  to  modify  the  existing  He Benefit Packages .
Lok Sabha Question No. 1078 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Procurement of COVID Vaccine
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Kirron  Kher, Anto  Antony, Rakesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1078 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## PROCUREMENT OF COVID VACCINE

## 1078. SHRIMATI KIRRON KHER : SHRI RAKESH SINGH: SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  any  foreign nation  which  have  developed  a  Corona vaccine;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether the  human  trial  for  the  said  vaccine  has been  successfully  completed,  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  is  in  talks  with  Russia and  other  countries  to  procure  Covid - 19 vaccine doses in the upcoming months; and
- (e)  the  other  steps  take n  by  the  Government  for timely  availability  of  Covid - 19  drugs  and vaccination?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)  to  (c)  Central  Drugs  Standard  Control  Organisation (CDSCO)  has  informed  that  it  has received information about 01 COVID - 19 vaccine developed and approved in Russia.

Further, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, has informed that as per information available WHO draft landscape of COVID - 19 vaccine (last update on 17.09.2020), globally there are 36 candidate vaccines which are under various stages of clinical trials. O f this only 02 are Indian candidates (Bharat Biotech International Ltd. and Cadila Healthcare). All the 36 candi are under various stages of clinical trials. None of the candidate vaccine so far has c all stages of clinical trial.

(d)  The  Dep artment  of  Biotechnology  has  informed  that  the  Government  of  India  is  i consultations  with  the  Russian  Government  for  exploring  the  possibility  of  cooperation Russia  for  advancing  COVID - 19  Vaccine  in  India.  Further,  Phase  II/III  bridging  studies C hAdOx1 - S, a vaccine developed by University of Oxford/AstraZeneca have been initiated India.

(e) While the Govt. and Industry are trying their best to make available a safe and e vaccine for COVID - 19 at the earliest, it is difficult to comment o n the exact timelines in view of various complex pathways involved in vaccine development.

It is also stated that CDSCO has approved for manufacture/marketing of three drugs Restricted Emergency Use in the country for treatment of COVID - 19 infection:

- a. Remdesivir Injectable formulations
- b. Favipiravir tablets
- c. Itolizumab injection

Further, CDSCO has granted permission for conduct of clinical trial in the country following COVID - 19 Vaccines:

## Phase I/II trials:

1. M/s Bharat Biotech

International Ltd., Hyderabad (Two trials)

2. M/s Cadila Healthcare Ltd., Ahmadabad

## Phase II/ III trial:

M/s. Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune
Lok Sabha Question No. 1072 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Violation of Programme and Advertising Codes
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Kumbakudi Sudhakaran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1072 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18/09/2020

## VIOLATION OF PROGRAMME AND ADVERTISING CODES

1072. SHRI KUMBAKUDI SUDHAKARAN:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  television  channels  that  were  asked  to  go  off  air  for violating Programme and Advertising Codes in 2018 and 2019;
- (b) whether there has been an increase in the number of channels asked to go off  air  in  2020  in  comparison  to  the  previous  year  and if  so,  the  reasons therefor;
- (c) whether there have been instances where a television channel has violated the same ethical code repeatedly and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  on  those  channels  who  have violated the same ethical code repeatedly?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF HEAVY INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a)  to  (b):  Under  the  Cable  Television  Networks  (Regulation)

Act,  1995,  the  Central  Government  is  empowered to regulate or prohibit the transmission of a channel or a programme under

specified  conditions  or  if  it  is  found  to  be  in  violation  of

Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable

Television Networks Rules, 1994.

During 2018, order was issued in respect of one TV channel to go off air as against three channels in 2019 and two channels in 2020.

(c)  to  (d):  The  Government  takes  action  in  cases  where Programme / Advertising Codes are found to be violated by the private  TV  channels,  including  issuance  of  advisory,  warning, running  an  apology  scroll  and  in  extreme  cases,  directing  the channel to be off air for a certain time duration. While imposing these penalties, past history of violation of programme  / advertising codes is taken into account. *******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1071 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Ecologically Sensitive Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Dean Kuriakose

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION N0. 1071

TO BE ANSWERED ON  18.09.2020

## Ecologically Sensitive Areas

## 1071 . ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  issued  final  notification  regarding  demarcation  of Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) in Western Ghats as per Kasturirangan report;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the time by which final notification is likely to be issued;
- (c) the action taken by the Government on the recommendations submitted by the State Government of Kerala in this regard;
- (d) whether the Government has taken note of the delay in issuance of final notification which  has  affected  developmental  projects  like  construction  of  houses,  schools, hospitals, roads etc.; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) to  (e) The  draft  notification  re-published  by  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  & Climate Change on 3rd  October, 2018 based on Kasturirangan Report, is  valid up to 26th September, 2020. The suggestions and feedback from the States and other stakeholders are under consideration for finalisation of the notification. The Government has been consistently making all  efforts  to  bring  all  the  States  on  board  and  for  this  purpose  consultations  have been held on 15th February, 2019, 21st May, 2020 and 9-10 July, 2020.  Efforts are being made to finalise the notification taking into consideration the environmental concerns of the region while simultaneously accommodating the recommendations of the State Governments including Government of Kerala.

Till  the  finalisation  of  the  notification,  the  directions  issued  by  the  Ministry  on  13th November, 2013 in regard to administration of activities in the area proposed, in the draft notification are valid.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1066 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-18
Subject: Inadequacies in Early Prevention of COVID
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ajay (Teni) Misra, Khagen Murmu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1066 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

## INADEQUACIES IN EARL Y PREVENTION OF COVI D

## 1066. SHRI AJAY KUMA R MISRA TENI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether cases of Corona virus infections commenced with the arrival of 23 persons Italy on 21 February in the country as 17 of them were found infected, if so, the details there f;
- (b) whether studies by NIE at ICMR Chennai and NIV situated in Pune have found that Coro virus attack on these Italian citizens was more aggressive with the attack rate of 65.40;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether medical examination protocols laid down by the Government at airports of Ital India were unable to detect Covid infections among these Italian passengers, if so, th thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps/measures pro posed to be taken by the Government to avoid such proliferation i future?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- ( a) The first case of Coronavirus was reported on 30 th January 2020 from Ke rala in a traveler from  Wuhan,  China.  The  cohort  of  Italian  tourists  arrived  on  21 st February  2020.  Out of  17 persons who were found positive ,ninewere symptomatic while eight were asymptomatic.
- (b) The  study  undertaken  by  NIE,  Chennai  and  NIV,  Pune reconfirm ed higher  rates  of transmission among close contacts .By March 3, 2020, 17 of the 26 (attack rate: 65.4%) had become positive for SARS - CoV - 2 infection.
- (c) Government of India had instituted thermal screening of international passengers in a ed way since 18 th January, 2020. Starting with screening for travelers from China and Hong Kong three airports in January, 2020, screening was extended to include Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran and Ita ly on 26 th February, 2020 at 21

International airports. Italy was not under the point of entry screening on 21 st February 2020 -the date of arrival of the Italian group.

(d) Universal screening of all passengers were started on 4 th March 2020 and continue d till such time  the  flights  were  suspended  on  23 rd March  2020.  The  screening  at  airports  have recommenced  with  Vande  Bharat  mission  fights  and  the  transport  bubble  arrangement  wit mutually consulting countries.