opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3803 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: RTI Amendment Bill
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Karti P. Chidambaram

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3803

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019)

## RTI AMENDMENT BILL

## 3803. SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  consultation  outside  Government,  inter  alia  with  civil  society  and  NonGovernmental  Organisations  (NGOs)  were  held  before  enactment  of  The  Right  to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## 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):   The amendments of administrative and enabling nature were made to RTI Act, 2005 vide RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 in order to provide for express provisions regarding salaries, allowances  and  other  terms  &  conditions  of  service  of  Chief  Information  Commissioner  and Information Commissioners in Central & State Information Commissions without affecting the substantive aspects of the Act related to public interests i.e information sharing for transparency and accountability which are given in Chapter II/Section 7 of the RTI Act inter-alia.

The amendments do not involve any social or additional financial implications which may have  necessitated pre-legislative consultations  outside  the  Government.  The  powers  and functions  of  the  Information  Commissions  stay  undiluted  as  the  relevant  provisions  under Chapter  V  of  the  Act  remain  unaltered.  Nor  are  the  independence  and  autonomy  of  these institutions  going  to  be  affected.  These  Rules  do  not  in  any  way  affect  the  citizens'  Right  to Information  or  obligations  of  Public  Authorities  and  Public  Information  Officers  given  in Chapter II of the RTI Act inter-alia.

- (c):    Does not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3802 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Gunupur-Therubali Railway Line Project
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3802

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## GUNUPUR-THERUBALI RAILWAY LINE PROJECT

## 3802. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways is now backing away from Gunupur-Therubali New Railway Line Project citing poor Rate of Return (RoR);
- (b) whether  the  Railways  has  not  put  up  the  project  to  CCEA  for approval  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  plan  for completion of the project;
- (c) whether the Railways is now requesting 50 per cent of cost to be borne by the State Government due to poor rate of return and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Ministry of Railways was not aware of RoR at the time of sanctioning the project in the Budget of 2017-2018; and
- (e) the  changes  that  have  occurred  since  the  sanctioning  of  project that has affected the RoR?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) to (c):  No, Sir. Extension of Naupada-Gunupur line upto Theruvali was included in the Budget 2017-18 subject to requisite approvals (viz. NITI  Aayog  and  Cabinet  Committee  on  Economic  Affairs).  Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project has been prepared.  As per DPR, the  cost  of  the  project  is  approx. ` 1274  crore  with  Rate  of  Return (-)3.19%.

State Government of Odisha has been requested for providing land free of cost and sharing 50% cost of the project as the project is financially unviable. Consent of Government of Odisha is awaited. Project  is  put  up  to  CCEA,  only  after  completion  of  formalities  like finalizing the funding mechanism of the project. (d) and (e): Do not arise, as the project is not yet sanctioned. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3800 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Developing Industrial Corridor
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Kotha Prabhakar  Reddy

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3800.

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2019.

## DEVELOPING INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR

## 3800.  SHRI KOTHA PRABHAKAR REDDY:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  of  Telangana  has  requested  the  Government  to develop  industrial  corridor  covering  the  cities  of  Hyderabad,  Bengaluru  and Chennai to increase employment and industrial development;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon; and
- (c) the  details  of  the  steps  being  taken/  to  be  taken  to  develop  HyderabadNagpur and Hyderabad-Warangal regions as industrial corridors in the future?

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

- (a) to (c): Government of Telangana vide their letter dated 5 th September 2014 had sent a proposal for establishment of Industrial Corridor in the State of  Telangana  connecting  Hyderabad  to  Nagpur  and  Warangal  to Hyderabad  .  The  proposal  was  considered  in  the  2 nd meeting  of  the Board  of  Trustees  of  National  Industrial  Corridor  Development  and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) held on 23 rd August,  2017  and  it  was decided that Government of Telangana may carry out a feasibility study and identify suitable land for the project. The decision has already been conveyed to the Government of Telangana on 7 th November, 2017.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3799 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Electrical Vehicle Policy
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3799 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## ELECTRICAL VEHICLE  POLICY

## 3799:  DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Steering  Committee  of  the  National  Mission  on  Transformative Mobility  and  Battery  Storage  have  taken  various  steps  to  promote  electrical vehicle  policy  under  the  guidelines  of  NITI  Aayog  in  rural  areas  of  country including district Gopalganj of Bihar;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any policy decision has been taken to promote electrical  vehicles in the rural part of the country; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the time by when the policy is likely to be framed?

## 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 (d) The Government has taken multiple steps to promote electric mobility in the country which include:

-  Exemption  has  been  granted  to  all  Battery  Operated  Transport  Vehicles  and Transport Vehicles running on Ethanol and Methanol fuels from the requirement of permits vide S.O. 5333 (E) dated 18 th October 2018.
-  Policy on Charging Infrastructure issued to enable faster adoption of EVs. This permits  private  charging  at  residences  /  offices  where  tariff  for  supply  of electricity  to  EV  Charging  Station  shall  not  be  more  than  the  average  cost  of supply plus 15 per cent. Additionally, notification has been issued clarifying that charging of electric vehicles will be a service, not sale of electricity.
-  MoRTH has notified green number plates for battery operated vehicles through G.S.R. 749 (E) dated 7 th August, 2018.
-  The  Union  cabinet has approved  the scheme  titled 'Faster  Adoption  and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II)' for promotion of Electric Mobility in the country. The scheme with total outlay of Rs 10,000  Crores  over  the  period  of  three  years  is  being  implemented  with  effect from 1st April 2019.
-  The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, to drive clean, connected, shared, sustainable and holistic mobility initiatives.
-  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways  has  issued  Draft  Notification  to exempt Battery Operated Vehicles from paying registration fees.
-  Government has announced additional income tax deduction of ₹1.5 lakh on the interest paid on loans to purchase EVs.
-  GST Council to lower GST on EVs from 12% to 5%.

These steps would have cascading impacts across the country.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3795 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: ROB in Porbandar District
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rameshbhai Lavjibhai Dhaduk

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3795 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

ROB IN PORBANDAR DISTRICT

†3795.    SHRI RAMESHBHAI LAVJIBHAI DHADUK:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state :

- (a) the steps taken to construct overbridge on the railway line crossing through Saurashtra Cement Limited due to expansion of station area at Ranavav in Porbandar district;
- (b)  the  steps  taken  to  widen  the  railway  crossings  near  Jodeshwar temple  on  the  railway  line  passing  through  Porbandar  and  to  develop Porbandar Railway Station; and
- (c)  whether the Railways has the drawing and reference documents of the railway line from Porbandar Railway Station to Port and whether the Railways has contacted the higher officials of the State Government of Gujarat for the maintenance of the railway line?

## 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 UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  3795  BY  SHRI  RAMESHBHAI  LAVJIBHAI DHADUK TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 11.12.2019 REGARDING ROB IN PORBANDAR DISTRICT

(a): Level crossing (LC) No. 68 exists in Ranavav yard.  This LC qualifies for its replacement by Road Over Bridge (ROB) on cost sharing basis as traffic density is more than one lakh Train Vehicle Unit (TVU). Accordingly,  State  Govt.  has  been  approached  to  submit  the  formal proposal  for  construction  of  ROB  at  this  location  alongwith  necessary consent for sharing of cost and closure of LC.  However, no proposal in this regard has been received from State Government.  Further action will be taken on receipt of the proposal from State Governmeny.

(b):  LC  No.  2  exists  on  Porbandar-Saurashtra  chemical  siding.    No proposal for widening of this LC has been received from Local/State/National  Highway  Authority.    The  following  steps  have  been taken to develop Porbandar Railway station:-

(i) Beautification of Porbandar station has been done providing garden in circulating area. (ii) Providing motivational hoarding of Mahatma Gandhiji. (iii) Spinning wheels of Mahatma Gandhiji decorative lighting etc. (iv) Extension of High Level platform 1&2 to accommodate 24 coaches. (v) Providing full length platform shed at Platform 1&2.

(c): The related drawing for Porbandar yards to dock yard are available with Western Railway.  At present on this section, Railway lines are in use  up  to  shunting  neck  and  same  is  maintained  by  Western  Railway. Necessary help of State officials wherever required for maintaining the track in question is obtained.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3794 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Stoppage at Gondia Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sunil Baburao Mendhe

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3794 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

STOPPAGE AT GONDIA STATION

3794. SHRI SUNIL BABURAO MENDHE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is contemplating to provide stoppage  to  Pune  Howrah  Duronto  Express  (12221/12222)  at Gondia Railway Station;
- (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) Duronto Express services are operated with very limited stoppages  en-route  and  proliferation  of  stoppages  en-route  is operationally not expedient.  At present, there is no proposal for provision  of  stoppage  of  12221/12222  Pune-Howrah  Duronto Express at Gondia.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3791 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Decongesting Heavy Loaded Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3791 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## DECONGESTING HEAVY LOADED TRAINS

3791. SHRI S.JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any proposal to divert any train from  Chennai  to  Trivandrum  via  Madurai,  Sengottai,  Punalur  in order  to  decongest  the  existing  heavily  loaded  train  route  via Kadpadi, Salem, Coimbatore;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## ANSWER (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a)to(c)  No,  Sir.  Diversion  of  train  running  from  Chennai  to Thiruvananthapuram  Central  via  Katpadi-  Salem-  Coimbatore instead  of Madurai-  Sengottai-  Punalur  is operationally not feasible, at present, due to single line section between Madurai and Virudunagar.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3789 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Stoppage at Rourkela
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Jual Oram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3789 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## STOPPAGE AT ROURKELA

3789.  SHRI JUAL ORAM:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  proposal  to  provide  link  of  Howrah-Pune  and  PuneHowrah Duronto Express to Rourkela is pending;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the steps taken to provide a stoppage of the above up/down train at Rourkela?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c)    At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  to  provide  stoppage  of 12221/12222  Howrah-Pune  Duronto  Express  at  Rourkela.    Duronto Express  trains  are  long  distance  fast  moving  prestigious  trains  with very limited stoppages enroute. Proliferation of stoppages is operationally not expedient.  However, Rourkela is well connected to both Kolkata area and Pune.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3788 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Telephone Towers in Odisha
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Pramila Bisoyi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3788 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH   DECEMBER, 2019

## TELEPHONE TOWERS IN ODISHA

## 3788. SHRIMATI PRAMILA BISOYI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a lot of demand to install telephone towers in interior regions of the State of Odisha and if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereto;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to increase the connectivity in these regions;
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to install mobile towers in Sarada Assembly constituency and Aska Parliamentary Constituency in Odisha; and
- (d) the number of landline and mobile connection in the State of Odisha as on date?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS, HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

- (a) As  per  the  data  collected  from  the  Telecom  Service  Providers(TSPs)  and  Department  of Telecommunications (DoT) field units in 2019, it is estimated that there are 6549 inhabited villages (as per census 2011 data) in Odisha, which are not covered by mobile services. Mobile coverage in such villages is being provided by the Government and TSPs in a phased manner.
- (b) & (c) Under Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Phase-II project, the Government has approved installation of 158 towers for providing mobile connectivity in Odisha. However, under LWE phase-I project, 256 mobile towers have already been installed in Odisha. Out of these 256 mobile towers, 22 towers were installed in Ganjam district. Moreover, BSNL has planned to install 2 BTS under Sarada Assembly constituency and 3 BTS under Aska Parliamentary Constituency.

Under USOF BharatNet project, 6793 Gram Panchayats (GPs) will be having access upto 100 Mbps Broadband connectivity. The project is implemented in two phases under which 3810 GPs will be covered in Phase-I and 2983 GPs in Phase-II. Out of 3810 GPs under phase-I, work is completed in 3538 GPs.

- (d) In  Odisha  2,25,426  number  of  landline  connections  and  3,65,91,666  number  of  mobile connections are working as on date.

************
Lok Sabha Question No. 3785 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Hacking of e-Services
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Mimi Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3785

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 11.12.2019

## HACKING OF E-SERVICES

## 3785.   MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY :

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

- (a)   whether the Government has failed to check hacking of e-services in the country and if so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  reaction  of  the  Government  thereto  along  with  the  reasons therefor;
- (b)      whether  hackers  are  now  able  to  compromise  the  safety  and  security  of  Whatsapp services and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)   the action taken/being taken along with the details of technology/software developed, if any, by the Government to deal with such issue?

## ANSWER

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

- (a):   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 for misuse of cyberspace including hacking of websites and services is a global issue. As per information provided by National Informatics Centre (NIC), 12 websites hosted on its network (NICNET) have been defaced this year tilldate .
- (b):      Government  had  been  informed  by  WhatsApp  of  a  vulnerability  affecting  some WhatsApp  mobile  users'  devices through a spyware  namely  Pegasus. According  to WhatsApp, this spyware was developed by an Israel based company NSO Group and that it had developed and used Pegasus spyware to attempt to reach mobile phones.
- (c):        NIC  provides  IT/E-Governance  related  services  to  Government  departments  and protects the cyber resources from possible compromises through a layered security approach in the form of practices, procedures and technologies that are put in place.

NIC has deployed state-of-the-art security solutions including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems,  anti-virus  solution  for  safe-guarding  of  hosted  websites.  Additionally,  periodic security  audits  of  resources  are  performed  followed  by  subsequent  hardenings.  These  are complemented by round-the-clock monitoring of security events. At NIC, Cyber Security is a continuous  process  and  the  protection  elements  are  updated  on  a  regular  basis.  A  24x7 security  monitoring  centre  is  in  place  at  NIC,  for  detecting  and  responding  to  security incidents  and  countering  to  exigencies  with  remedial  measures,  including  NIC-CERT  and Centres of Excellence for Application Security.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3782 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-11
Subject: Indians in Pak Jails
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3782 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2019

## INDIANS IN PAK JAILS

## 3782.SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Indian citizens and fishermen imprisoned in the jails of Pakistan and since they have been imprisoned;
- (b) whether any financial or other assistance has been provided by the Government to the family of such persons; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government for getting these people released?

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

(a) to (c) As per the available information, there are 292 Indians and believed-to-be   Indian   civilian   prisoners   and   fishermen   in   Pakistan's custody.   According   to   the   list   shared   on   1   July   2019,   Pakistan acknowledged the custody of 52 civilian prisoners and 209 fishermen who are believed-to-be Indians. In addition, there is the issue of 83 missing Indian defence personnel, including Prisoners of Wars, whose custody has not been acknowledged by Pakistan, so far.

The Government of India attaches high importance to the issue of prisoners held in Pakistan custody and consistently takes up the matter of their early release and repatriation to India. As a result of our persistent efforts, the Government has been successful in securing the release and repatriation of 2112 Indians, including fishermen, from Pakistan's custody since 2014. This includes 364 Indians who have returned this year, so far.

The Government is consistently taking up the matter of release and repatriation of remaining Indian prisoners. India has also shared details of a team of medical experts to visit the mentally unsound prisoners to facilitate   their   nationality   verification   and   subsequent   repatriation. Pakistan has not responded so far.

As   regards   financial   assistance,   according   to   the   available information, Department of Fisheries has a non-plan scheme on Soft Loan Package for replacement of fishing vessels held captive in Pakistan. This scheme envisages one time replacement of a total of 326 fishing vessel

held captive in Pakistan with a capital subsidy to the tune of 30% cost of each vessel subject to a ceiling of Rs 6 lakhs. The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has been designated as an implementing agency. In addition, Department of Fisheries has been providing insurance coverage through Group Accident Insurance Scheme for active fishermen.

***