opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2794 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Electrification of Railway Linesin Maharashtra
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2794 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2020

## ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY LINES IN MAHARASHTRA

2794.  SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any plans to take up electrification  of  railway  lines  in  the  country  with  funds worth  Rs. 35,000 crore;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any railway lines have been identified in the State of Maharashtra to be taken up under this programme;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the funds earmarked for this purpose for Maharashtra?

## 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. 2794 BYSHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  11.03.2020 REGARDING ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAY LINES IN MAHARASHTRA (a)and(b) Yes,  Sir.    Ministry  of  Railways  has  planned  to  electrify balance Broad Gauge (BG) Routes of Indian Railways by December,2023including in the State of Maharashtra.Presently, Indian Railways have taken up 165 electrification projects of length of 29,252 km costing ` 30,539 crore, which are in different stages of execution/planning. Out of which, commissioning of 5,261 km has been achieved. (c)and (d) Railway Electrification projects are not confined to State/Union  Territories  (UT).However,  these  165  projects  include  12 electrification  projects  of  2,691  km  length  falling  fully/partly  in  the state of Maharashtra. Out of which, commissioning of 144 km has been achieved.1,046Route Kilometer (RKM) are electrified during 201419 in Maharashtra against Nil electrification during 2009-14. (e) Funds  for  Railway  Electrification  projects  are  not  allocated  in terms  of  State/Union  Territories. ` 6,960  crore  have  been  allocated during  2019-20  for  Railway  Electrification  projects  across  Railways. The  details  of  allotments  of  fund  and  expenditure  project  wise  are made  available  in  public  domain  on  Indian  Railways  website  i.e. www.indianrailways.gov.in >Ministry of Railways >Railway Board >About Indian Railways >Railway Board Directorates >Finance(Budget) >Railway  wise  works  Machinery  &  Rolling  Stock  Programme\_Regular Budget 2019-20.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2793 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: WANI Project
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sumalatha Ambareesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2793 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  MARCH, 2020

## WANI PROJECT

## 2793. SHRIMATI SUMALATHA AMBAREESH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  launched  a  free  Wi-Fi  service  under  the  project  Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (WANI) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  and  launched  a  pilot  project  in  this regard and if so, the details and the findings thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  received  any  objection  from  telecom  companies  in  this regard and if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereon; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government with regard to this project in view of objection, if any, raised by the telecom companies?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had issued suo moto Recommendations on 'Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks' on 9 th  March 2017. The recommendations inter-alia mention that a new framework should be put in place for setting up of Public Data Offices (PDOs). Under this framework, PDOs in agreement with Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) are envisaged to provide Broadband services through Wi-Fi based on certain tariff.

To establish the proof of concept of Public Wi-Fi network using Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (WANI) architecture, TRAI conducted a pilot project from October 2017 to January, 2018. On completion of the Pilot project, a report was released by TRAI on 5 th April, 2018.

- (c) & (d) Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and other stakeholders have made certain submissions to Department of Telecommunications in relation to recommendations made by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the subject 'Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks'. These submissions, inter-alia, include: internet services to be provided only through License, level playing field, security  and perceived revenue loss to the exchequer.

This  matter,  including  WANI  based  architecture  and  submissions  received  from COAI, is under examination in the Department.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 2792 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Financial Distress in Telecom Sector
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2792 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  MARCH, 2020

## FINANCIAL DISTRESS IN TELECOM SECTOR

## 2792. SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the telecom sector is in financial distress and the private telecom companies are under huge debt and if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto; and
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to reduce the financial distress in the telecom sector and prevent these companies from failing?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) The  Cellular  Operators  Association  of  India  has  sought  intervention  of  the Government  to  avert  such  an  unprecedented  impact  on  the  financial  health  of  their  member companies. The Government has offered a moratorium to the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to defer payment of the spectrum auction instalments dues for 2020-21 and 2021-22, either for one or both of years.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 2789 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: ROB at Narketpally
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2789 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2020

## ROB AT NARKETPALLY

## 2789.  SHRI KOMATI REDDY VENKAT REDDY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received any request of proposal to sanction ROBs at Narketpally between Chityal and Srirampuram Railway  Stations  and  Mahabubabad  station  between  Warangal and Dornakal Junction in South Central Railway;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the status of the above ROBs?

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## ANSWER (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (c):  Yes, Sir. Request for construction of Road over Bridge (ROB) in  lieu  of  Level  Crossing  (LC)  No.  32  at  Km  56/4-5  at  Narketpally between Chityal and Srirampuram railway stations has been received. However, this LC does not qualify for ROB on cost sharing basis, as traffic density at this LC is less than one Lakh. However, ROB at this location can be constructed on deposit terms provided State Government  agrees  to bear complete cost of construction and maintenance subject to its feasibility. No proposal in this regard has been received from State Government.

The  work  of  ROB  in  lieu  of  LC  No.  80  at  Km  436/11-13  at Mahabubabad  Station  between  Warangal  and  Dornakal  junction  has been  sanctioned  on  cost sharing basis  with  State  Government. Construction  of  ROB  is  not  feasible  at  location  of  the  existing  LC. Therefore, new alignment has been finalized in consultation with State Government at 750 meters away from this LC. General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) is under scrutiny and estimate is under preparation. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2787 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: New Delhi Railway Station as World Class Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ajay (Teni) Misra, Khagen Murmu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2787 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2020

## NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION AS WORLD CLASS STATION

†2787. SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISRA TENI: SHRI KHAGEN MURMU:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any proposal to make New Delhi railway station the most prominent railway station of the capital of the country as world class station;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the said work is likely to be completed; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## 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. 2787 BY SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISRA TENI AND  SHRI  KHAGEN  MURMU  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON 11.03.2020  REGARDING  NEW  DELHI  RAILWAY  STATION  AS  WORLD CLASS STATION (a)  to  (c):  Yes,  Sir.  Ministry  of  Railways  have  entrusted  the  work  of redevelopment of New Delhi Railway station to Rail Land Development Authority  (RLDA)  under  Public  Private  Partnership  (PPP)  mode.  The process for preparation of Detailed Project Report, Master plan and Bid documents has been initiated by RLDA.  Station redevelopment projects at this scale in PPP mode are first of its kind and complex in nature and require detailed techno-financial feasibility studies and statutory clearances from urban/ local bodies etc.  Therefore, no time-frame can be indicated at this stage.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2786 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Candidate with Criminal Background
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: A.K.P. Chinraj, A. Ganeshamurthi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2786

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 11 th  MARCH, 2020

## CANDIDATE WITH CRIMINAL BACKGROUND

2786. SHRI A.K.P. CHINRAJ: SHRI A. GANESHAMURTHI:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Union Government has taken any action to implement the Supreme Court's ruling that all political parties must publicise the details  of  candidates  with  criminal  backgrounds  who  have  been fielded  to  contest  elections  and  also  must  explain  the  reasons  for selecting the candidate with criminal backgrounds;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the total number of parties that have followed the Supreme Court's rulings  and  published  in  its  websites  and  other  print  and  electronic media;
- (d) whether any action is being taken by the Government against those parties not following the Supreme Court's rulings; and
- (e)  if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (b) : The Election Commission has informed that in pursuance of the  Supreme  Court's  Judgment  dated  25th  September,  2018  the Commission has issued instructions  to  all  Chief  Electoral  Officers  and political parties whereby  it has  directed that people  with criminal antecedents contesting elections are required to publish the declaration about  such  cases,  for  wide  publicity  in  newspapers  and  TV  channels.

The  Political  Parties  are  also  required  to  publish  such  details  of  their candidates in newspapers, TV Channels and websites. (c): The Election Commission has informed that the political parties are required to submit a report in the prescribed format to the Chief Electoral Officer of  the  election  bound  State,  who,  in  turn,  will  furnish  the compliance  report  to  the  Election  Commission.  A  list  of  27  political parties  has  been  prepared  as  per  the  compliance  report  submitted  by the  Chief  Electoral  Officers  of  the  States  and  election  expenditure statements of National and State Political Parties. (d)  to  (e)  :  The  Election  Commission  has  informed  that  the  failure  to comply  with  the  instructions  laid  down  by  the  Commission  by  the candidates or political parties may be a ground for post election action like  election  petition  or  contempt  of  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court.  However, so  far  no  action  has  been  taken  against  any  political  party  for  non compliance of the direction.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2784 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Gold Reserves
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Sudheer Gupta, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shrirang Appa Barne, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2784 ANSWERED ON 11.03.2020

## GOLD RESERVES

2784.  SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIV RAO MANDLIK:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the estimated current gold reserves in  the  country  at  present;
- (b) whether  the  Geological  Survey  of  India  and  the  Uttar  Pradesh  Directorate  of Geology and Mining has discovered  two  gold  mines  in  Sonbhadra  district  of Uttar Pradesh recently;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  estimated  quantum  of  gold  deposits  in  the said areas;
- (d) the time by which the gold extraction work is likely to be started in these areas;
- (e) whether  the  Union  Government/State  Government  has  closed  down  some  gold mines in the country;
- (f)  if so, the details thereof along with the reasons for the same; and
- (g) the status of Gold exploration in the country in general, State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (g): As per National Mineral Inventory maintained by the Indian Bureau of Mines, the gold ore reserves, as on 01.04.2015, stood at 1,72,28,174 tonnes.

Geological Survey of India [GSI] and Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Geology and Mining  [DGM-UP]  have  not  discovered  any  gold  mine  in  Sonbhadra  District  of  Uttar Pradesh.  However,  GSI  has  estimated  a  gold  ore  resource  of  52,806.25  tonnes  with average  grade  of  3.03  gram/tonne  in  sub  block  -  H,  SonaPahari  area,  Sonbhadra District.  The  DGM-UP  has  also  estimated  gold  ore  resource  of  21,53,000tonnes  with average grade of 0.30 gram/tonne in Hardi area (Eastern Block), Sonbhadra District.

Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015,  for  major  minerals,  the  mineral  concession  can  be  allotted  through  auctioning. The power to grant these mineral concessions vests with the State Governments.

Bharat Gold Mines Limited [BGML], a Public Sector Undertaking under Ministry of Mines was referred to Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction [BIFR] when its net worth became negative. On its operators becoming economically unviable, BIFR vide its Order dated 12.06.2000 ordered winding up of BGML. Operations of BGMLwere closed with effect from 01.03.2001.

As a part of annual field season programme in 2019-20, GSI has taken up 31 nos. of gold exploration projects viz. Arunachal Pradesh (1), Bihar (1), Chhattisgarh (2),  Madhya Pradesh (1), Jharkhand (7), Odisha (3), Telangana (2), Karnataka (7), Tamil Nadu (1), Rajasthan (4), West Bengal (1) and Uttar Pradesh (1).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2783 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Pending Court Cases
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Mahua Moitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE

## DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2783 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 11 th  MARCH, 2020

## Pending Court Cases

## 2783. SHRIMATI MAHUA MOITRA:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  total  pending  litigations  in  the  Supreme  Court  where  appeals  have been  filed  by  the  Central  Government  and  State  Government  entities  along with the details of civil and criminal cases pending; and
- (b)  the total pending litigations between Central Government entities?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a)  :  As  per  the  information  provided  by  the  Supreme  Court,  total  60,603  cases  are pending  in  Supreme  Court,  out  of  which  49,088  are  Civil  matters  and  11,515  are Criminal  matters  as  on  03.03.2020.    Total  number  of  pending  appeal  cases  filed  by Central Government and State Government is 9458, out of which Civil cases are 7195 and Criminal cases are 2263.
- (b):  All  the  Central  Government  Ministries  and  Departments  update  data  on  pending litigations  involving  them  on  the  web-portal  created  by  Department  of  Legal  Affairs, namely ,  Legal  Information  Management  and  Briefing  System  (LIMBS).    As  per  the

information available on LIMBS portal, details of cases involving Ministries/ Departments of the Central Government entities pending in various courts are as given below:

| Court                                                   | Number of cases pending.   |
|---------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| Supreme Court                                           | 14,108                     |
| High Courts                                             | 1,41,001                   |
| District / Subordinate Courts / Tribunals / Forums etc. | 2,76,750                   |
| Total                                                   | 4,31,859                   |

However,  no  data  as  such  is  maintained  in  respect  of  pending  litigations  between Central Government entities.

************
Lok Sabha Question No. 2779 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Poor BSNL Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Jugal Kishore Sharma, Riti Pathak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2779 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  MARCH, 2020

## POOR BSNL SERVICES

## †2779. SHRI JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA: SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  services  quality  of  Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  is  reportedly  poor  in Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the network signal of BSNL is not available in remote villages;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the steps taken by the Government in this regard;
- (e) the details of all the mobile towers of BSNL in Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir; and
- (f) the  details  of  locations  in  the  said  States/UTs  where  the  Government  has  proposed  to  set  up mobile towers, especially in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri and Sambha region?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reported that network quality of its Mobile Service is working satisfactory in Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and in general meeting the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters prescribed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The network signal of BSNL is available in most of the villages of Madhya Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. BSNL is continuously in the process to improve their services on PAN India basis and augmenting its GSM  Cellular  Mobile  Network  progressively,  by  carrying  out  the  expansion  of  mobile  network  in different phase so as to enhance coverage/capacity and to further improve Quality of Service (QoS).
- (e) BSNL has 8142 mobile towers/Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) in Madhya Pradesh and 1264 in Jammu  &  Kashmir.In  its  Phase  VIII.4  expansion  plan,  BSNL  has  installed  972  BTSs  in  Jammu  & Kashmir and 4505 BTSs in Madhya Pradesh.
- (f) BSNL has installed 240, 24, 53 and 73 BTSs in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri and Sambha region respectively.

**********
Lok Sabha Question No. 2776 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Change in RTI Act
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Kaushalendra Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2776

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2020)

## CHANGE IN RTI ACT

## †2776. SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  bring  certain  changes  in  the  Right  to Information Act, 2005;
- (b) if so, the details of these rules which are likely to be changed by the Government; and
- (c) the reasons behind bringing the aforesaid changes along with the details thereof?

## 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):    No Sir.

- (b) & (c):    Do not arise.

*****