opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Investment in Atomic Energy
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: SHARAD TRIPATHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 573

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019

## INVESTMENT IN ATOMIC ENERGY

## 573. SHRI SHARAD TRIPATHI:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  domestic  investment  in  production  of  atomic  energy  is  not sufficient in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  suggestions  have  been  received  from  various  parties  to  permit foreign direct investment in atomic energy sector;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (e) whether any plan has been formulated to promote domestic and foreign direct investment in atomic energy sector;
- (f) if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) the follow-up action taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)&(b)   There are presently twenty two (22) reactors with a capacity of 6780 MW in operation in the country. In addition, nine (9) reactors, with a total capacity of 6700 MW are presently under construction.  The Government has also accorded  administrative  approval  and  financial  sanction  for  twelve  (12) more reactors with an aggregate capacity of 9000 MW in June-2017.

The Capital investment for the nuclear power projects is being funded with a debt to equity ratio of 70:30.

The equity part is funded from internal resources of NPCIL and Government Budgetary Support. The Government in the budget speech of year 2016-17 announced Rs. 3,000 crore per year for next fifteen years as Government  budgetary  support  for  setting  up  new  nuclear  power  plants. The debt part is sourced from domestic and external commercial borrowings and supplier's credit.

- (c)&(d)     There  have  been  suggestions made to  allow  Foreign  Direct Investment (FDI)  in  nuclear  power  generation  sector.    However,  no  decision  in  this regard has been taken.
- (e)(f)&(g)The  present  policy  (Consolidated  FDI  Policy  of  Government)  puts  atomic energy in the list of prohibited sectors.  However, there is no restriction on FDI in  the  nuclear  industry  for  manufacturing  of  equipment  and  providing other supplies for nuclear  power plants  and related other facilities. Government of India has amended the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 in 2015 to enable the licensing of NPCIL's Joint Ventures for setting up nuclear power projects.  To boost domestic investment, Joint Ventures have been formed by  NPCIL  with  public  sector  majors  National  Thermal  Power  Corporation Limited (NTPC),  Indian  Oil  Corporation Limited  (IOCL)  and  National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 572 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Reliance on Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: KIRIT PREMJIBHAI SOLANKI

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRD QUESTION NO. 572 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019

## Reliance on Coal

## 572 .     DR. KIRIT P. SOLANKI :

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India's reliance on coal will continue to be between 42 per cent and 50 percent even in 2047;
- (b) if so, whether this will have any impact on India's commitments under the Paris Agreement; and
- (c) whether any steps have been taken to develop clean coal technologies and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COAL, FINANCE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

## Reply:

- (a): As per the India Energy Security Scenario calculator (IESS2047) which was launched in August 2015 by the NITI Ayog, the share of coal in primary energy is estimated to be in the range of 44.5% to 51.7%.
- (b): India's NDC require 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel  based  energy  resources  by  2030  based  on  enhanced  installed  capacity  in  renewable energy sector between 2021-2030; which is achievable.
- (c): To  facilitate  extraction  of  Coal  Mine  Methane,  a  policy  framework  has  been  put  in place   vide  notification  dated  May,  2018  enabling  Coal  India  Limted  to  extract  Coal  Mine Methane from its  command areas.  Further  for  gassification  of  coal,  Ministry  of  Coal  vide Gazette  notification  dated  20th  Feb.  2014  has  specified  production  of cement,  syn-gas obtained through coal gassification  and coal liquefaction to be end uses for the purposes of MMDR Act,1957. Government has also notified UCG Policy in Sep 2016 for development of UCG in India.

….
Lok Sabha Question No. 571 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Travel Advisory by Britain
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: KURUPPASSERY VARKEY THOMAS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.571

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2018

## TRAVEL ADVISORY BY BRITAIN

571. PROF. K. V. THOMAS:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether countries like Britain have cautioned their citizens regarding the travel to India, especially to Kerala;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken to withdraw such notification?

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

(a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom has not cautioned its citizens regarding travel to Kerala.

(b) & (c)  Do not arise. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 570 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Posts Equivalent to Group ‘A’ of Government of India
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: GANESH SINGH

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 570

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019)

## POSTS EQUIVALENT TO GROUP 'A' OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## †570. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  all  the  executive  level  posts  in  the  Central  Public  Sector  Undertakings i.e. executives at board level or below board level who come in Group 'A' in management committee, are considered equivalent to Group 'A' of the Government of India;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  junior  management  Group  'A'  post  of  central  public  sector  banks,  financial institutions  and  insurance  corporations  are  considered  equivalent  to  Group  'A'  of  the Government  of  India  and  clerks  and  peons  are  considered  equivalent  to  Group  'C'  of Government of India; and
- (d) if so, the reasons for not considering Group 'B' officials of public sector banks, financial institutions and insurance corporations equivalent to the same of the Government of India?

## 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) & (b): Determination of exact equivalence of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) posts with Group A, B, C & D level posts in Government of India is not feasible as the pay pattern, level of pay scales, perks and allowances of posts in CPSEs are completely different from the posts in Government.  The posts/employees in CPSEs are broadly categorized as Executives (including Board level officers such as Chairman & Managing Directors and Directors and below board level Executives having various managerial designations) and non-Executives such as Supervisors and Workmen category.  Recently, in terms of Department of Public Enterprises Office Memorandum dated 25.10.2017, the Executives level posts in CPSEs i.e. Board level Executives and below board level Executives which are managerial level posts, have been considered  as 'Creamy Layer', except those executives whose annual income is less than Rs. 8 lakhs.

- (c)   & (d):     In Public Sector Banks (PSBs) , Public Financial Institutions (PFIs)  and Public Insurance  companies  (PICs),  the  posts  were  categorized  as  officer  and  clerical/peon  and  no categorization  was  drawn  as  Group  A,  Group  B,  Group  C  or  Group  D,  as  in  the  case  of Government.    The  Government  has  approved  the  following  principles  for  determining  the equivalence in respect of PSBs, PFIs and PICs:-
- (i)      Junior Management Scale-I of PSBs/PFIs/PICs will be treated as equivalent to Group A in the Government of India; and
- (ii)      Clerk  and  Peons  in  PSBs/PFIs/PICs  will  be  treated  as  equivalent  to  Group  C  in  the Government of India.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 569 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: NITI Forum for NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: PRALHAD VENKATESH JOSHI

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION  No.569

To be answered on

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 / Magha 17, 1940 (Saka)

## QUESTION

## NITI FORUM FOR NER

## 569.  SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI:

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  has established a special NITI Forum  for the development of North Eastern Region(NER);
- (b) if so, the functions of the NITI Forum and tasks assigned to it; and
- (c) the details of developmental works done so far under the aegis of NITI Forum in the North Eastern Region?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region [Dr. Jitendra Singh]

(a) and  (b).    NITI  Forum  for  North  East  was  constituted  on  20.02.2018  under  the chairpersonship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog and co-chairpersonship of Minister of State  (Independent  Charge),  Ministry  of  DoNER.  The  terms  of  reference  of  the Forum, inter alia , include  identification  of  various  constraints  on  the  way  for accelerated, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the North East Region of the  country  and  to  recommend  suitable  interventions  for  addressing  identified constraints.

- (c) Two meetings of NITI Forum for North East have been held so far. Sectors such as  Bamboo,  Tourism,  Tea,  Dairy  and  Pisciculture  have  been  identified  for  focused attention for sustainable economic growth of North East India.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 568 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Open Defecation
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: LALLU SINGH, BHAVANA GAWALI (PATIL)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 568 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019

## OPEN DEFECATION

† 568. SHRI LALLU SINGH:

SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI PATIL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that people are facing a lot of inconvenience due to open defecation near railway stations;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiative  under  the Swachh Bharat Programme to maintain cleanliness near railway stations of the country and to construct public toilets; and
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## ANSWER (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

(a)  to  (d)  Yes,  Madam.  The  problem  of  open  defecation  near  the railway  stations  largely  exists  where  the  population  adjoining  the railway  land  lack  the  basic  amenities  and/or  railway  land  has  been encroached upon. It not only causes public nuisance but also affects the safety of train operations due to inability of Railway Staff to work in such areas.

Indian Railways has undertaken a series of measures to address this problem as under:

- (i) Guidelines  have  been  issued  to  zonal  railways  to  permit provision of suitable mobile toilets / eco-friendly mobile toilets by  the  local  Government  for  the  use  of  encroachers  in  the railway land to avoid human defecation on the railway track and nearby.
- (ii) Adequate toilets as per norms have been provided at railway stations for the passengers. Toilets are also being provided in circulating area for general use.
- (iii) Regular  cleaning  drives  and  awareness  campaigns  under Swachh  Bharat  Mission  have  been  undertaken  for  keeping railway  premises  clean  which  include  prevention  of  open defecation.
- (iv) Indian Railways was actively associated with the Government of India's initiative for generating awareness for prevention of open defecation alongside the railway tracks in coordination with local Government.
- (v) At major trespass locations alongside the stations in the city areas, wherever feasible boundary wall has also been planned.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 566 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Kartarpur Corridor
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Gurjeet Singh,Aujla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 566 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2019

## KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

566.   SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  proposes to develop railway lines on the Kartarpur Corridor from Gurudaspur Sahib to International border;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  also  proposes  to  double  railway  line between Amritsar to Pathankot and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether    the  Railway  is  planning  to  provide  new  LHB  coaches  for trains originating from Amritsar to other destinations; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

******

- (a) & (b) At present, there is no proposal to develop railway lines on the Kartarpur  Corridor  from  Gurudaspur  Sahib  to  international  border. Dera Baba Nanak station of Indian Railways, which provides connectivity to the Kartarpur Corridor, is presently being served with 4  DEMU  (Diesel  Electric  Multiple  Units)  trains  connecting  it  to Amritsar area.

- (c) There is no proposal to double the railway line between Amritsar to Pathankot at present.
- (d) &(e) With a view to providing a more secure and safe journey, Indian Railways have decided to replace the rakes running with conventional ICF coaches with Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches in a phased manner. So far conventional rakes of 12 pairs of trains originating  from/terminating  at  Amritsar    have  been  replaced  with LHB rakes. These are: 12407/08 Amritsar-New Jalpaiguri Karmabhoomi    Express,  12411/12  Chandigarh-Amritsar    Express, 22445/46 Kanpur-Amritsar Express, 12357/58 Kolkata-Amritsar Express,  12317/18  Kolkata-Amritsar  Akal  Takhat  Express,  12715/16 Nanded-Amritsar Sachkhand Express, 22125/26 Nagpur-Amritsar Express, 12497/98 New  Delhi-Amritsar Shan-E-Punjab Express, 12459/60 New Delhi-Amritsar  Express, 12013/14 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi  Express,  12029/30  New  Delhi-Amritsar    Shatabdi  Express and 12379/80 Sealdah-Amritsar Jalianwala Bagh Express.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 565 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Prediction of Localized Extreme Weather Condition
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: ANURAG SINGH THAKUR

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.  565 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2019

## PREDICTION OF LOCALIZED EXTREME WEATHER CONDITION

## 565 SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government  is undertaking any steps to improve prediction  of  localized  high  impact  extreme weather  systems, if  so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  there  is  any  collaboration  undertaken  on  this  front  to improve the understanding of the warning systems in the country; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (Dr. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) to (c)  Yes Madam. With the advancement of prediction models which have resulted in the enhancement of accuracy of short (upto three days) and medium range (upto seven days) forecast, substantial improvement in the prediction of localized severe weather phenomena  has  been  accomplished.  Development  of  suitable  data assimilation  techniques  for  ingesting  data  from  the  satellites  and Doppler Weather Radars and further improvement in model dynamics &  physics  have  contributed  to  the  accuracy  enhancements.  From June 2018, probabilistic severe weather & heavy rainfall predictions and district level colour coding services have been launched. Simultaneous efforts are made to enhance the research and development activities in order to improve the lead time prediction of localized  severe  weather  phenomena  like  thunderstorm.  MoES  has initiated a specific call for research projects under its program'Thunderstorm  &Meso-scale  Processes  Prediction'so  as  to involve academic and research institutes of India and has received 23 proposals, which are being reviewed for funding.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 564 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Upgradation of Coast Guard
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.564

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 6 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## UPGRADATION OF COAST GUARD

## 564. SHRIMATI  POONAMBEN  MAADAM:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government has  taken  any  measures  to  upgrade  the  functioning  of coast guard to reach out during emergency situations like cyclone in deep sea;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  action  taken  by  the  Government  to  increase  the  manpower  and  ensure provision of modern equipment to coast guard;
- (d) whether the Government is ready to constitute separate coast guard unit in highly populated coastal districts like Jamnagar in Gujarat; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

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(a) & (b): The Government has established a robust maritime search and rescue  framework  to  address  and  respond  to  various  contingencies  in deep sea and in  coastal  areas  of  India,  which  includes  distress  onboard fishing boats and merchant vessels, safety of life during marine incidents and  SAR  (Search  and  Rescue)  response  during  Cyclones  etc.    Director General  Indian  Coast  Guard  has  been  designated  as  the  Chairman  of National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB), which constitutes members from national / coastal state administration / agencies.

.......2/-

:  2  :

(c) The sanctioned strength of Coast Guard has increased from 8149 in 2008 to 16792 in 2018 which is 100% increase from manpower recruited in 2008.  The ships and air assets of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are fitted with latest state-of-the-art technology equipment / systems / sensors to enhance surveillance capability of the Coast Guard. Adequate research & deliberations are  undertaken  while  formulating  the  staff  requirements  for all  acquisition  cases so  that  the  new  ships  &  air  assets inducted are  the best in class. (d) & (e): A Coast Guard station at a particular location is set up taking into  consideration  the  threat  perception,  vulnerability  gap  analysis  and presence  of  other  maritime  organization  /  security  set  up  in  the  vicinity. Presently,  there  are  08  stations  functioning  in  the  state  of  Gujarat  at various locations.  In addition, there is one CG Air Enclave and 02 District Headquarters  for  undertaking  ICG  charter  in  the  area.    Therefore,  at  this juncture  no  additional  Coast Guard Station is planned in  Gujarat and  the existing  assets  are  adequate  to  respond  to  any  contingencies  involving ICG charter.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 562 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Explosion in Ammunition Depot
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: RAMDAS CHANDRABHANJI TADAS, JAGDAMBIKA PAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

## DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.562

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 6 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## EXPLOSION IN AMMUNITION DEPOT

562. SHRI  RAMDAS  C. TADAS: SHRI  JAGDAMBIKA  PAL:

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

- (a) the number of persons who were injured and killed in the explosion at the Central Ammunition Depot in Pulgaon, Maharashtra, on 20.11.2018;
- (b) whether  any  investigation  has  been  conducted  and  responsibility  fixed  in  this regard;
- (c) if so, the details and the outcome thereof and the action taken against the official responsible for the incident;
- (d) whether  the  injured persons  and  family  members  of  the  deceased  persons  have been provided any compensation and employment by the Government; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

## A    N    S    W    E    R

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)

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- (a) 6  persons  (one  employee  of  Ordnance  Factory  Khamaria  and  five contract  workers)  died  and  19  persons  got  injured  in  the  explosion  at Central Ammunition Depot (CAD), Pulgaon on 20.11.2018.
- (b) & (c): A Board of Enquiry (BOE) headed by Controller, Controllerate of  Quality Assurance (Military Explosives) [CQA (ME)], Pune as Chairman and  Members  drawn  from  CQA  (ME),  Ordnance  Factory  Khamaria  (OFK) and   Centre  for  Fire,  Explosive and  Environment  Safety (CFEES),   Delhi ......2/-

has been constituted.  While ammunition boxes containing unserviceable ammunition  were  being  unloaded  and  shifted  from  the  vehicle  to  the demolition  pit  at  Central  Ammunition  Depot  (CAD),  Pulgaon,  one  of  the boxes fell down and exploded.

- (d) & (e):  (i) Ex-gratia payment of Rs.25,000/- has been paid to the family of  the  deceased  OFK  employee  and  compensation  of Rs.8,54,280/-  (Rupees  eight  lakh  fifty  four  thousand  two hundred eighty only) has been paid to his wife as per the Workmen's Compensation Act 1923. Compassionate appointment  for  the  wife  of  the  deceased  employee  has been approved.
- (ii) Ex-gratia  of  Rs.15,000/-  each  to  the  deceased  contract workers,  Rs.10,000/-  each  to  contract  workers  with  major injury  and  Rs.5,000/-  each  to  contract  workers  with  minor injury has been paid by OFK.
- (iii)  OFK  being the Principal Employer, handed over five cheques  with  total  amount  of  Rs.37.63  lakhs  in  favour  of family  members  of  the  five  deceased  contract  workers towards compensation to the Labour Court, Wardha, Maharashtra which has already been debited from Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) account.

******