opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2008 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Akola-Khandwa Gauge Conversion
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Prataprao  Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2008 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## AKOLA-KHANDWA GAUGE CONVERSION

- † 2008. SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railways  has  given  approval  to  convert  AkolaKhandwa metre gauge railway line in Bhusawal region of Central Railway into broad gauge;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has received any request from the public representatives to construct Akola-Khandwa broad gauge rail line passing through remote Adivasi areas Tehsil Sangrampur, Jalgaon, Jamod  in  Buldhana  district  which  is  highly  backward  district  in view of railway connectivity;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the action taken/proposal to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

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

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (e)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2008 BY SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV TO BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  03.07.2019  REGARDING  AKOLAKHANDWA GAUGE CONVERSION. (a) & (b) Yes Sir. Akola-Khandwa section is a part of Ratlam - Mhow Khandwa - Akola Gauge Conversion project  and  was  sanctioned  in 2008-09. The  work  of  Gauge  conversion  from  Ratlam-Indore-Mhow  has  been completed and commissioned. At  present  work  of  Akola-Akot    and  Khandwa-Amalkhurd  sections have been taken up.

(c)  to  (e)  Proposals  from  State  Governments  or  various  public representatives and other orgnaisastions for construction of railway projects are received at Divisonal Officers, Zonal Offices and in the Ministry  from  time  to  time.  As  receipt  of  such  proposals  is  a continuous and dynamic process, compendium of such proposals is not maintained. However, due attention is given to the suggestions, subject to the overall availability of resources and feasibility of their implementation. Projects are sanctioned based on remunerativeness, operational  requirements,  missing  links,  strategic/scoio-economic considerations etc.

Nevertheless,  one  letter  in  this  regard  has  been  received  from  Shri Prataprao  Jadhav,  Hon'ble  MP,  Lok  Sabha,  vide  which,  it  was requested  to  re-route  the  alignment  of  existing  line  for  passing  the same through Buldhana constituency.

Contd…..2/

However,  Scope  of  present  work  is  to  only  convert  existing  meter gauge track to broad gauge track within the available railway land on the  existing  meter  gauge  alignment.  Accordingly,  detailed  estimate had  been  sanctioned  and  work  has  been  taken  up  in  Akola-Akot  & Khandwa-Amalkhurd  section.  Railway  Officials  are  following  up  the forestry clearance of Akot-Amalkhurd section.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2007 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Emissions Targets
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2007 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## EMISSIONS TARGETS

## 2007. SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

Will the Minister of Planning be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the NITI Aayog has deliberated upon recommending emissions targets for each State and Union Territory;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) to (c):  A target to reduce emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 33 to 35% by the year 2030 from the 2005 level has been set for the country. The National target of reduction in emission intensity of GDP is to be achieved by working closely with the States and Union Territories.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2005 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Space Technology
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Janardan Mishra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2005

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 03, 2019

## SPACE TECHNOLOGY

2005.   SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  there  is  a  need  for  imparting  training  to  the  young persons in space technology;
- (b) if  so,  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  in  this regard; and
- (c)
- the details of other plans of the Government in this regard?
- ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PG & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) Yes  Sir.
- ISRO  has  started  an  annual  program  called  'Young  Scientist Programme  (Yuvika-2019),  on  May  13,  2019.  A  total  of  111 students representing each State and Union Territory of India were  brought  for  fifteen  days  to  four  ISRO  Centers.  The programme was primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications. A  special  session  was  also  arranged  for  interaction  with
- (b) eminent space scientists.

(c) Indian Space Research Organisation has developed a capacity building program 'UNNATI' for development of nano satellites for  the  participants  from  other  countries.  First  batch  of  this programme  was  successfully  concluded  on  March  15,  2019 benefiting 29 participants from 17 countries. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2004 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Losses Suffered by BSNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sougata Ray

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2004 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  JULY, 2019

## LOSSES SUFFERED BY BSNL

## 2004.   PROF. SAUGATA RAY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the loss suffered by BSNL during each of the last three years and the current year along with the reasons for the same;
- (b) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  save  the  jobs  of  permanent  and  temporary employees of BSNL;
- (c) whether the income of BSNL has declined during the recent years and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the expenditure incurred by BSNL for salaries of its employees during the same period?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Details  of  losses  suffered  by  Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL) for the last  three years and FY 2018-19 are as under:

(Rs. in crore)

| Year          | 2015-16   | 2016-17   | 2017-18   | 2018-19*   |
|---------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------|
| Profit/(Loss) | (4859)    | (4793)    | (7993)    | (14202)    |

* Provisional and unaudited.

Low tariffs due to fierce competition in the mobile segment, high staff cost and absence of 4G services (except in few places) in the data centric telecom market are the main reasons for losses of BSNL.

(b) Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad was engaged to facilitate the preparation of the revival/restructuring plan of BSNL.  Pursuant to its recommendations and approval by BSNL Board, a revival plan for BSNL is under preparation.

## (c) Details of revenue of BSNL for the last three years are as under:

*******

(Rs. in crore)

| Revenue earned by BSNL during   | Revenue earned by BSNL during   | Revenue earned by BSNL during   |
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 2016-17                         | 2017-18                         | 2018-19*                        |
| 31533                           | 25071                           | 19308                           |

* Provisional and unaudited.

## (d) Details of expenditure incurred by BSNL on salaries of its employees for the last three years are as under:

(Rs. in crore)

| Salary expenditure of BSNL during   | Salary expenditure of BSNL during   | Salary expenditure of BSNL during   |
|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 2016-17                             | 2017-18                             | 2018-19*                            |
| 15715                               | 14837                               | 14488                               |

* Provisional and unaudited.
Lok Sabha Question No. 2003 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Rail Development Fund
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Kapil Moreshwar Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2003 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## RAIL DEVELOPMENT FUND

† 2003. SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  World  Bank  and  Railways  have  decided  to act together to set up Rail Development Fund;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  terms  and  condition fixed in this regard;
- (c) the current status of Rail Development Fund;
- (d) whether Railways has accorded approval for  100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in important railway operations;
- (e) if  so,  the  details  of  such  sector  where  100%  FDI  has been approved; and
- (f) the steps taken by the Railways to increase the income from non-railway operations?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a)     No, Sir.
- (b) & (c):       Do not arise.

………./-

(d)  &  (e):    Department  of  Industrial  Policy  and  Promotion (DIPP)  of  Ministry  of  Commerce  and  Industry  issued  the Foreign  Direct  Investment  (FDI)  Policy  for  Railway  Sector  in August,  2014  for  the  first  time  and  has  updated  it  on  28th August,  2017.  It    allows  100%  FDI  on  automatic  route  for construction,  operation  and  maintenance  in  the  following sectors:-

- (i) Suburban corridors projects through PPP;
- (ii)        High Speed Train Projects;
- (iii) Dedicated Freight Lines;
- (iv) Rolling  Stock  including  train  sets  and  locomotives  / manufacturing  and maintenance facilities;
- (v) Railway Electrification;
- (vi)       Signaling systems;
- (vii)      Freight terminals;
- (viii)     Passenger terminals;
- (ix)        Infrastructure  in  industrial  park  pertaining  to  railway line/sidings including electrified railway lines and connectivities to main railway line; and
- (x)       Mass Rapid Transport Systems.

………./-

(f) In order to generate non fare revenue through advertisements on Indian Railways, Railway Board has issued detailed  policy  guidelines  such  as  Advertisement  through Mobile Assets, Rail Display Network, Out of Home Advertising, Unsolicited NFR Proposals and Content on Demand.   Further, to  mobilize  non-fare  revenue,  the  vacant  land  which  is  not required  by  Railways  for  its  immediate  operational  needs,  is monetized in  the  interim  period  for  commercial  development through Rail Land Development Authority, wherever feasible.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1999 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Operation of Train
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1999

## TO BE ASNWERED ON 03.07.2019

## OPERATION OF TRAIN

†1999.  SHRI  ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

Will  the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Lucknow - Hardoi TLC has been given approval;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether operation of this train has been started;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) if not, the reasons for delay in operation of the train; and
- (f) the time by which the operation of the said train is likely to be started?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) No, Sir. No such approval has been given. However, at present 32 pairs Mail/Express and 3 pairs of passenger trains  are  catering  to  the  needs  of  passenger  of  the said section.
- (b) to (f) Do not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1998 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Industrial Corridors in Andhra Pradesh
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Kanumuru

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1998

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 3 RD  JULY, 2019.

## INDUSTRIAL CORRIDORS IN ANDHRA PRADESH

## 1998.  SHRI KANUMURU RAGHU RAMA KRISHANA RAJU:

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

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether  Government  is  taking  steps  to  speed  up  the  establishment  of industrial  corridors  in  the  State  of  Andhra  Pradesh  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) the  quantum  of  funds  allocated  in  the  current  budget  and  the  funds  being released in the present financial year; and
- (c) whether  any  timeframe  has  been  fixed  for  completion  of  these  projects  to avoid any further delay and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a): Government is undertaking development of Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor   (CBIC) and East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) with  Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) as Phase-1 which also cover  Andhra  Pradesh.  As  part  of  CBIC,  Krishnapatnam  node  has been identified for development in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The Shareholder's Agreement (SHA) and State Support Agreement (SSA) have  been  executed  and  a  Joint  Venture  Company  by  the  name 'NICDIT Krishnapatnam Industrial City Development Limited' has been incorporated.  Detailed  master  planning  and  preliminary  engineering activities  for  the  activation  area  of  Krishnapatnam  node  have  been finalized.

For VCIC, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has prepared the Concept Development  Plan  (CDP)  of  the  project  and  four  nodes  i.e. (i) Visakhapatnam  (ii)  Machilipatnam  (iii)  Donakonda  and  (iv)  Chittoor have been identified for development. Out of the four identified nodes, two  nodes  i.e.,  Visakhapatnam  and  Chittoor  have  been  prioritized. Initial Master Planning has been completed by ADB for these prioritized nodes.

(b) & (c): Rs.850.00 crore has been allocated in interim budget for the Financial Year 2019-20 to National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) for development of all industrial corridor projects across the country. An amount of Rs.2.5 crore was allocated and  released  by  Government  of  India  through  NICDIT  towards  initial equity  contribution  in  the  project  Special  Purpose  Vehicle  (SPV)  for Krishnapatnam node in CBIC during Financial Year 2018-19. Since the projects are presently under development stage, no time frame could be fixed at this stage.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1996 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: New DEMU Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1996

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## NEW DEMU TRAINS

## 1996. SHRI HIBI EDEN:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  introduce  more  Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) trains all over India;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any route for DEMU is under consideration in Kerala;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether any new facilities are required for starting DEMU; and
- (f)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  action  plan  prepared  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a)  &  (b)  Introduction  of  trains  including  DEMU  trains  is  an  on-going process  on  Indian  Railways  subject  to  operational  feasibility,  traffic demand, availability of resources etc.
- (c)  &  (d)  At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  for  introduction  of  DEMU train services serving the stations located in the State of Kerala.
- (e)  No  new  additional  maintenance  facility  is  required  for  starting DEMU service over Indian Railways.
- (f) Does not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1995 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Misue of Social Media
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Hemant Tukaram Godse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1995

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 03.07.2019

## MISUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

## 1995.     SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE:

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

- (a) whether the Government has held any meeting with legal experts and privacy advocates to  discuss  various  issues  relating  to  making  social  media  safer  and  to  govern  social media platforms in the country;
- (b) if so, the details and the outcome thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken/proposed to take any concrete and effective steps to check the misuse of social media by criminals and anti-national elements; and
- (d) if so, the details in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) and(b): Yes,  Sir.  The  social  media  platforms  are  intermediaries  under  the  Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) had proposed  to  amend  the  Information  Technology  (Intermediaries  Guidelines)  Rules,  2011 notified under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000. The proposed amendments to the said Rules were published on MeitY website on 24.12.2018 inviting public comments by 15.01.2019. The proposed amendments were intensely debated in the electronic and print media. In order to convey the perspectives of proposed amendments, a meeting was held with legal experts and  the  privacy  advocates  on  29 th December  2018.    Based  on  the  discussions,  MeitY extended the deadline of submission of comments to 31.01.2019.  The comments so received were published on MeitY's website on 06.02.2019 inviting counter comments by 14.02.2019. MeitY  received  171  comments  and  80  counter  comments  from  individual,  civil  society, industry associations and organisations.

(c) and (d): Cyber space is a complex environment of people, software, hardware and services on  the  Internet.  With  a  borderless  cyberspace  coupled  with  the  possibility  of  instant communication  and  anonymity,  the  potential  of  misuse  of  social  media  is  a  global  issue. Government is committed to freedom of speech and expression and privacy of its citizens as enshrined in the constitution of India.  Government does not monitor content appearing on internet. However, Government regularly interacts with social media sites regarding the steps to be taken to make social media safer.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1993 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Coal Exploration Survey
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1993 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## Coal Exploration Survey

1993.  SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the MINISTER OF COAL be pleased to state:

- a. whether plenty of coal reserve has been found in the course of coal exploration survey conducted during the last few years;
- b. if so the details thereof;
- c. whether the Government proposes to carry out mining of coal after the survey conducted in Churu and Bikaner area of Rajasthan; and
- d. if so, the time by which it is likely to be started?

## ANSWER

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

(a& b): Coal  Exploration  Survey  is  a  continuous  process.  After  completion  of  exploration survey  in  a  block,  coal  resources  assessed  and  reported  in  Geological  Report.  As  per  coal Inventory of India published by Geological Survey of India (GSI), coal resources added by all agencies during last 5 years are given below:

| Resource Added during   |   Total Resources Added (Billion Tonnes) |
|-------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 2013-14                 |                                    2.65  |
| 2014-15                 |                                    5.031 |
| 2015-16                 |                                    2.206 |
| 2016-17                 |                                    6.346 |
| 2017-18                 |                                    3.871 |
| TOTAL                   |                                   20.104 |

(c& d):   A vailability of coal in Churu and Bikaner area of Rajasthan is not yet confirmed and accordingly, presently, there is no proposal to carry out mining of coal in that area.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1992 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-03
Subject: Allotment of Linkages
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Nama Nageswara Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1992

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.07.2019

## Allotment of Linkages

## 1992. SHRI NAMA NAGESWARA RAO:

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

- (a) whether as per Telangana Act 12th schedule new linkages will be allotted as per new coal distribution policy;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT- wise along with the present status thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES

## (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

(a)to(c): New  coal  linkages  have  been  allotted  to  the  thermal  power  plants  of Telangana  State  Power  Generation  Corporation  (TSGENCO).  The  details  of  coal linkages allotted to TSGENCO from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) are given below:

| Thermal Power Plant   |   Capacity (in MW) |
|-----------------------|--------------------|
| KTPS-VII              |                800 |
| Bhadradri             |               1080 |
| Yadadri               |               4000 |

The details of  Bridge  Linkage  granted  to  the  Thermal  Power  Plants  of  Telangana States are given below:

| Thermal Power Plants                                                                    |   Capacity (in MW) |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|
| Singareni Thermal power plant of SCCL                                                   |               1200 |
| Kakatiya TPP, Stage-II of Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Limited (TSPGCL) |                600 |

As  per  the  statutory  requirements  of  A(3)  of  the  Twelfth  Schedule  of  the  Andhra Pradesh  Reorganization  Act,  2014  and on  the  basis  of recommendation  of  the Ministry of Power, 'in principle' approval for grant of tapering linkage to 2x800 MW Phase-I of Telangana Super Thermal Power Project of NTPC has been accorded.

The details of coal linkages allotted to Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation APGENCO from Coal India Limited (CIL) are given below:

| Thermal Power Plants            |   Capacity(in MW) |
|---------------------------------|-------------------|
| Rayalseema U-6                  |               100 |
| NTTPS St-V                      |               800 |
| Sri Damodaran Sanjeevaiah St-II |               800 |