opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 357 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Child Protection Centres at Stations
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: E. T. Mohammed Basheer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 357 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## CHILD PROTECTION CENTRES AT STATIONS

- *357. SHRI E.T. MOHAMMED BASHEER:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to start child protection centres at railway stations due to the increasing rate of missing children;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

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

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF STARRED QUESTION  NO.  357  BY  SHRI  E.T.  MOHAMMED  BASHEER  TO  BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 17.07.2019 REGARDING CHILD PROTECTION CENTRES AT STATIONS (a)  to  (c)  :    The  Ministry  of  Railways,  in  coordination  with  Ministry  of Women and Child Development and National Commission for Protection of  Child  Rights,  have  issued  a  Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP) which  includes  a  protocol  for  rescue  of  children  found  abandoned  on railway  stations  or  trafficked  through  trains.  Accordingly,  Ministry  of Women and Child Development in coordination with Ministry of Railways, have set up Child Help Desks/Kiosks at 126 important and major Railway Stations  which  are  manned  by  representatives  of  the  organization nominated by Ministry of Women and Child Development. The runaway/missing/abandoned children are rescued from stations by Child Help Group comprising of Station Superintendent/Station master, Station House Officer (SHO)/Government Railway Police (GRP), Inspector/Railway Protection Force (RPF), Sr. Section Engineer (Works), and  in  trains  by  GRP,  RPF,  Travelling  Ticket  Examiner  (TTE)  &  Ticket Collector (TC). The children so rescued are handed over to these Child Help  Desks/kiosks  and  in  turn  to  Child  Welfare  Committee  (CWC)  in coordination with GRP. In addition, RPF supplements the efforts of GRP of the State concerned in rescuing the children from trafficking and to ensure safety and security of children at stations.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 356 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Kanjangad-Panathur-Kaniyur Hill Rail Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 356 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## KANJANGAD-PANATHUR-KANIYUR HILL RAIL LINE

- *356. SHRI  RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) the present status of the 'Kanjangad-Panathur-Kaniyur Hill Railway  Line  (North  Kerala)  along  with  its  estimated  cost  and actual completion target;
- (b) whether the said railway line was approved in the Budget in the year 2007 and the survey thereof completed in 2015;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken to complete the said railway line as per the target set in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 356 BY  SHRI  RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 17.07.2019  REGARDING  KANJANGADPANATHUR-KANIYUR HILL RAIL LINE

(a)  to  (d):  Survey  for  Kanhangad-Panathur-Kaniyuru  new  line  (90.50 Km) was sanctioned in the financial year 2014-15. Field survey of the proposed  new  line  has  been  completed.    50  Km  of  the  project alignment falls in Kerala and balance 40.50 Km falls in Karnataka.  In this regard, data collected by the field unit has been verified and yard diagrams of the proposed new line have been firmed up. Accordingly, survey report, estimate and plans of the proposed new line are under finalization. Further consideration of this proposal is possible after the survey report is received and results thereon are firmed up.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 353 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Economic Security for Shopkeepers/ Retail Traders
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO. 353 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 17 th  JULY, 2019.

## ECONOMIC SECURITY FOR SHOPKEEPERS/RETAIL TRADERS

## *353.  SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the economic security of small shopkeepers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in this regard;
- (c) whether about three crore small traders/shopkeepers in the country are likely to be benefited from the Pension Scheme for shopkeepers/retail traders and self employed persons and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of small shopkeepers and retail traders covered under the said Pension Scheme in Satna district of Madhya  Pradesh?

## ANSWER

वाणिज् यएवंउद्योग मंत्रालयमेंराज् यमंत्री( श्री हरदीप स िंह पुरी ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI HARDEEP SINGH  PURI )

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

****

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) of LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 353 FOR ANSWER ON 17.07.2019

- (a) to (d) :  The  Government  has  recently  approved  a  new  Pension  Scheme,  Pradhan Mantri  Laghu  Vyapari  Maan  Dhan  Yojana  (PM-LVMY),  for  the  benefit  of shopkeepers,  retail  traders  and  self-employed  persons  providing  monthly minimum assured pension of ₹ 3000.  It is a voluntary and contribution based central  sector  scheme,  for  the  entry  age  group  of  18-40  years.    The contribution under the scheme is payable by the subscriber and the Central Government, in equal share, i.e. 50:50 basis. Any shop keeper, retail-trader and self-employed person registered with GSTN and annual turnover below ₹ 1.5  crore,  not  an  income  tax  payee  and  not  a  member  of  Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO)/Employees' State Insurance Corporation  (ESIC)/National  Pension  System  (NPS)/Pradhan  Mantri  Shram Yogi  Maandhan (PM-SYM) are eligible for enrolment.  The monthly pension will  start  after  attaining  the  age of 60  years by  a subscriber. The enrolment under PM-LVMY will be after notification in the Gazette of India.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 351 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Supply of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Ganesan Selvam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.351

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## Supply of Coal

## *351. SHRI SELVAM. G.:

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

- (a) whether the Union Government has received any request from the State Government  of  Tamil  Nadu  to  enhance  coal  supply  for  its  thermal  power stations;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon;
- (c) whether the Government has decided or proposes to supply more rakes to TANGEDCO to build up sufficient coal stock;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the details of coal blocks allocated to Tamil Nadu during the last year?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

## Statement, referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No.351 for answer on 17.07.2019, asked by SHRI SELVAM. G.

(a) to (d): The Government of Tamil Nadu has requested for enhancing coal dispatches to the tune of 72,000 tonne per day to the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited(TANGEDCO).  In  2018-19,  coal  supply  to  TPPs  of  TANGEDCO  has been 15.44 MT, which is 12% growth over the coal supply in 2017-18. As per Central Electricity Authority (CEA) report of 14.07.2019, the daily coal requirement of the TPPs of TANGEDCO is 53,510 tonne.

As per CEA report dated 14.07.2019, the coal stock position of the TPPs of TANGEDCO is as under:

| Name of TPP       | Coal Stock      | Coal Stock   |
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------|
|                   | (in '000 tonne) | (in days)    |
| Mettur TPS        | 109.23          | 8            |
| Mettur TPS - II   | 65.72           | 9            |
| North Chennai TPS | 106.84          | 6            |
| Tuticorin TPS     | 147.06          | 10           |

(e): In 2018-19, no coal block has been allocated to Tamil Nadu.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 347 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: National Retail Policy
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Pushpendra Singh Chandel, Shrikant Eknath Shinde

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO. 347

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 17 th  JULY, 2019.

## NATIONAL  RETAIL  POLICY

## *347.  SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL: DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

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

वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether there is a need to streamline the retail trade and provide/ ensure the  ease  of  doing  business  in  the  country  in  order  to  benefit  both  the traders and the economy;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to formulate National Retail Policy in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the  Government  has  recently  convened  a  meeting  with  various stakeholders including trade associations, concerned Ministries and State Government representatives for discussion on the proposed policy and if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
- (e) the  time  by  which  the  National  Retail  Policy  is  likely  to  come  into existence?

## ANSWER

वाणिज् यएवंउद्योग मंत्रालयमेंराज् यमंत्री( श्री हरदीप स िंह पुरी ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI HARDEEP SINGH  PURI )

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

********

.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) of LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 347 FOR ANSWER ON 17.07.2019

- (a) to (e):   Yes,  Sir.  There  is  a  need  to  create  conducive  environment  for  retail  trade including  by  simplifying  rules  and  regulations  hindering  the  growth  of  retail sector. Government proposes to formulate a National Retail Trade Policy. A number  of  interactions  with  Industry/Trade  associations,  concerned  Central Government Ministries/ Departments and State Governments have been held by  Department  for  Promotion  of  Industry  and  Internal  Trade  (DPIIT)  to consider  issues  facing  the  retail  sector  and  possible  solutions  for  resolving them.  Valuable  suggestions  have  been  received  in  this  regard.  Necessary steps  for  formulation  of  a  National  Retail  Trade  Policy  are  underway.  The Government aims to take a decision in this regard at an early date.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 344 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Coal Supplies to Power Plants
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*344 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## Coal Supplies to Power Plants

## *344. DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL: SHRI UNMESH BHAYYASAHEB PATIL:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken up serious measures to improve coal supplies to power plants after hike in electricity prices at energy exchanges; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government has decided to use dedicated rail transportation
- for coal movements; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

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

Statement, referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Starred Question  No.344  for  answer  on  17.07.2019,  asked  by  DR.  SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA  VIKHE  PATIL  and  SHRI  UNMESH  BHAYYASAHEB PATIL:

(a) & (b): A number of important steps have been taken by the Government to augment and monitor coal dispatches to the power houses. Some of the steps taken are as under:

- i. The power plants in close vicinity of coal fields have been advised to move coal through road mode.
- ii. The power plants have been advised to move coal through road-cumrail mode by utilizing of Goods shed sidings of Railways.
- iii. Optimal utilization of the captive modes of transport like, MGR, Belts, Ropes to move coal to the concerned power plants.
- iv. Priority  is  given  to  supply  of  coal  to  Power  plants  through  rail mode.
- v. Coal  supplies  to  Power  sector  are  monitored  regularly  by  an  InterMinisterial Sub Group, comprising representatives from the Ministries of Power, Coal, Railways and Shipping, the Central Electricity Authority  (CEA),  Coal  India  Limited  (CIL)  etc.  This  Sub  Group  has been meeting periodically, at times twice every week, in order to take various  operational  decisions  for  meeting  any  contingent  situations relating to Power Sector including critical coal stock position for power plants.
- vi. A committee, comprising of the Secretary (Coal), the Secretary (Power) and Member (Traffic), Railway Board, reviews the coal transportation and supply on a regular basis.

The coal  stock  at  Thermal  Power  Plants  end  increased  from  10.09  Million Tonnes (MT) on 31.10.2018 to 30.95 MT on 31.03.2019. On account of the above  measures  and  enhanced  coal  supply  to  TPPs,  the  average  price  of power in the spot exchange has reduced considerably.

(c) & (d): Highest priority is accorded by the Indian Railways to transportation  of  coal,  especially  coal  for  power  plants.  In  2018-19,  all commodities loading by the Indian Railways was 1223.29 MT, out of which coal loading was 605.82 MT, which is almost 50%.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 342 (STARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Doubling/Electrification of Railway Lines
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Mohammad Sadique

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.342 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## DOUBLING/ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY LINES

- †*342.    SHRI MOHAMMAD SADIQUE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  scheme/proposal  for  doubling and  electrification  of  the  87  km  long  railway  line  between Bhatinda and Ferozepur Cantonment in Punjab;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  time  by  which  the  said work is likely to be started and completed;
- (c) the total amount likely to be spent on the scheme; and
- (d) whether any provision has been made in the budget for the year 2018-19 in this regard and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 342 BY SHRI MOHAMMAD SADIQUE TO BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  17.07.2019  REGARDING  DOUBLING/ ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY LINES.

(a) to (d) Doubling/3 rd  Line/4 th  Line projects are sanctioned on the basis of operational requirement of Railways including capacity constraints in existing single line. Accordingly, Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey for doubling of Bhatinda and Ferozepur was conducted in  2015-16. As per Data of Survey report, capacity of single line is not fully utilized. Capacity utilization of Ferozepur Cantt. - Kotkapura section was only 65% and Kotkapura-Bhatinda section was only 90% with maintenance block in 2017-18. Electrification  of  existing  single  line  of  Bhatinda-Ferozepur  has  been sanctioned at a cost of 223.93 crore in September, 2018.  The work is planned for completion by March, 2022. With completion of electrification, section capacity will further increase.    Therefore,  doubling  of  Bhatinda  to  Ferozepur  was  not carried forward. However,  Railways  have  its  main  focus  on  capacity  enhancement projects i.e. Doubling/3 rd  Line/4 th  Line. During last four years (2015-16, 2016-17,  2017-18  &  2018-19),  158  projects  totaling  14,540  km  have been included in the Budget which are in various stages of planning/

approval/execution.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4101 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Proposal to Mandate Sale of Electric Vehicles
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: K. Subbarayan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4101 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 17 th   JULY, 2019.

## PROPOSAL TO MANDATE SALE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

## 4101. SHRI SUBBARAYAN K. :

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether  Government's  attention  has  been  drawn  to  the  NITI  Aayog's proposal to mandate only electric vehicles in the sub-150cc category from the year 2025;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether top  two-wheeler  makers  in  the  country  have  raised  concern  on the proposal and termed it unrealistic and ill timed as it comes just when the industry is preparing for a transition to BS6; and
- (d) if so, the details and the Government's reaction thereto?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज् यएवंउद्योग मंत्रालयमेंराज् यमंत्री( श्रीसोम प्रकाश) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE &INDUSTRY (SHRI SOM PARKASH)

- (a)&(b): The Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee of the National Mission for Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage has discussed  this proposal of NITI Aayog.  As per Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the roadmap for implementation shall be finalised in consultation with stakeholders.
- (c)&(d): As per information received from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, no representation in this regard has been received.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4099 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Setting up of IWRC
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Kirron  Kher

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4099 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## SETTING UP OF IWRC

## 4099 . SHRIMATI KIRRON KHER:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any scheme to set up Indian Workers Resource Centre (IWRC) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has received any proposal for setting up some more IWRCs; and
- (c) if   so,   the   details   thereof   and   the   reaction   of   the   Government thereto?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes.   Indian   Worker   Resource   Centres   (IWRCs)   now   renamed   as Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra (PBSK) have been set up in Dubai and Sharjah (UAE), Riyadh and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Kuala Lumpur to provide guidance and counselling on all matters pertaining to overseas Indian workers. Following are the major activities of PBSKs:
- (i) 24x7   HELP   LINES   in   all   5   centres   which   have   been   receiving, registering   and   monitoring   grievance   petitions   of   Indians   and providing necessary advice and clarifications to information seeking queries.   If   not   resolved,   the   cases   are   escalated   to   the Embassy/Consulate level for further resolution.
- (ii) Providing   counseling   sessions   on   legal,   financial,   medical   and psychological matters.
- (III) Taking part in awareness campaigns that are conducted in labour camps which educate the workers on various issues they face during their employment, health related information, schemes of Govt. of India for the welfare of the workers.
- (iv) Liaising   with   help-groups,   individuals,   social   workers   and   related bodies   to   provide   required   assistance   to   Indian   Community Members.
- (v) To verify the genuineness of job offers received by Indians from companies in the respective countries.

(b) & (c) The Government examines and considers requests for setting up of PBSKs in the Missions in ECR countries in case such a need is felt by our Missions, based on local situation. A proposal from our Mission in Qatar for setting up of a PBSK has been accorded in-principle approval.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 4097 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: New Trains to Bhavnagar
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4097 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.07.2019

## NEW TRAINS TO BHAVNAGAR

†4097. DR. BHARATIBEN  DHIRUBHAI  SHIYAL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to introduce a new train to link two religious places in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c) Owing  to  operational and  resource constraints, introduction  of  additional  trains  from  Bhavnagar  including  that between    Bhavnagar    &    Haridwar,  is  not  feasible,  at  present. However, introduction of trains  is an  ongoing  process  on  Indian Railways, subject to operational feasibility and commercial justification.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4096 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-17
Subject: Contractual Labour in BSNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: P.R. Natarajan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4096 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH   JULY, 2019

## CONTRACTUAL LABOUR IN BSNL

## 4096. SHRI P.R. NATARAJAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any decision to downsize the strength of contractual labour in BSNL and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to overcome the shortage of contractual labour and clear the wages due to them?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b) Bharat Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  has  informed  that austerity measures guidelines  have  been  issued  to  circles  for  reducing  costs.    Further,  at  this  juncture  no  shortage  of contractual labour is perceived.  Due to fall in revenue, payment of salary of employees and statutory payments are the first priority.  Thereafter, bills of contractors etc. are taken into consideration for payment.

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