opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3574 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Funds allocated to South Indian Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: M. Selvaraj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3574 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH MARCH, 2020

## FUNDS ALLOCATED TO SOUTH INDIAN CULTURAL CENTRE, THANJAVUR

3574.  SHRI M. SELVARAJ:

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

- (a) whether  the  South  Indian  Cultural  Centre,  Thanjavur  is  providing  indigenous cultures of the zone closer to the masses especially to the rural populace and to the under privileged people;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of funds allocated during the last three years; and
- (d) the details of current schemes being implemented and its target?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (I/C) FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) & (b)  South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), Thanjavur through its various programmes and  activities  is  making  the  general  masses  including  rural  populace  and  the  under privileged people aware about the indigenous cultures of the zone and its member States viz.  Andhra  Pradesh,  Telangana,  Karnataka,  Kerala,  Tamil  Nadu,  Union  Territories  of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

Activities/festivals organized by SZCC during 2019-20 are Hathi Varathar Vaibhavam2019  at  Tamil  Nadu;  Fete-de-Puducherry  at  Puducherry;  Mysore    Dasara    Festival  at Karnataka;  Srivari    Brahmotsavams-2019  at  Andhra  Pradesh;  Island  Tourism  Festival  at Andaman  and Nicobar  Islands; Onam Festival-2019 at Kerala; Bharatheeya Lok Utsav at Tamil  Nadu;  Pongal  Festival-2020  at  Tamil  Nadu;  Sankranthi  Festival-2020  at  Telangana; Hampi  Festival-2020  at  Karnataka;  Indian  Festival-2020  at  Tamil  Nadu  and  Vaikunda Ekadesi-2020 at Tamil Nadu.

(c)     The  details  of funds released to SZCC, Thanjavur during the last three years are as under:

| Sl. No.   | Year    |   (Rs. in lakh) Amount |
|-----------|---------|------------------------|
| i.        | 2016-17 |                 841.27 |
| ii.       | 2017-18 |                 529.05 |
| iii.      | 2018-19 |                 513.45 |

Apart from the funds allocated by Ministry of Culture, the SZCC uses the interest of the Corpus Fund (Rs. 29.50 crore) available with them.

- (d) The following schemes are being implemented by SZCC:
- i. Award to Young Talented Artistes
- ii. Guru Shishya Parampara
- iii. Theatre Rejuvenation
- iv. Research & Documentation
- v. Shilpgram
- vi. Octave
- vii. National Cultural Exchange Programme

Activities  to  be  conducted  under  these  schemes  are  decided  by the  Programme Committee of SZCC and as such there is no fixed target.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Development of Bhuban Hills as an Attractive Tourist Destination
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Rajdeep Roy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3573 ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## DEVELOPMENT OF BHUBAN HILLS AS AN ATTRACTIVE TOURIST DESTINATION

3573. DR. RAJDEEP ROY:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Bhuban  Hill  in  the  South  East  of  Barak  valley bordering Manipur and Mizoram is a popular pilgrimage destination where the Shiva Temple, nestled on top of the hills covered  with  deep  forests  is  associated  with  many  legends, Lakhs of people congregate during the traditional Bhuban Mela organized  on  Mahashiv  Ratri  every  year  about  40  kms  from Silchar town but due to narrow and tough hilly path it becomes difficult to climb the hill which results in accidents, injury and death;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- whether after considering the faith and historical background of this holy place the Government plans to develop the Bhuban hill as an attractive tourist destination like Kamakhya temple
- (c) (Guwahati); and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) to (d): Development and maintenance of Pilgrimage Centre/Tourist  centres  is  the  responsibility  of  respective  State Governments/Union  Territories. Ministry of Tourism, under the schemes  viz., Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation  Drive  (PRASHAD)  and  'Integrated  Development  of Theme Based Tourist Circuit in the Country, Swadesh Darshan (SD)"

provides Central Financial Assistance for infrastructure development  and  beautification  of  pilgrim  places  on  receipt  of suitable DPRs  from  the respective State Governments/Union Territories,  subject  to  availability  of  funds,  liquidation  of  pending utilisation certificate against the fund released earlier and adherence to the relevant scheme guidelines.

No proposal for development of Bhuban Hill in the South East of  Barak Valley bordering Manipur and Mizoram has been received from the State Government of Assam.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3571 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Funds for Maintenance of Hindu Religious Places
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Pragya Singh Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. † 3571

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE OF HINDU RELIGIOUS PLACES

## † 3571.  SADHVI PRAGYA SINGH THAKUR:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government provides funds for the maintenance and management of Hindu religious places and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  funds  received  as  donations  at  these  religious  places  are spent on Hindu Religious places along with spending them for other social development works; and
- (c) if so, whether  there  is  any  system/rule/Act  in  place  for  utilizing  the said funds for the development of persons belonging to some other beliefs and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE  AND TOURISM (PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

- (a) Funds  are  provided  through  budgetary  allocation  for conservation of protected  monuments  under  the  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  (ASI) including for Hindu religious places. The details of expenditure incurred for conservation  of  protected  monuments  in  the  country  including  Hindu religious places,  during the last three years are given below:

:

|   Sl. No. | Year    |   Expenditure incurred (Rs. in Lakhs) |
|-----------|---------|---------------------------------------|
|         1 | 2016-17 |                               30129.4 |
|         2 | 2017-18 |                               41076.8 |
|         3 | 2018-19 |                               40502   |

- (b) There is no control of ASI over the donations received by the any religious
- & place under the protection of ASI.

(c)
Lok Sabha Question No. 3570 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: FDI
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Raja Amareshwara Naik, Jayanta Kumar Roy, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Bhola Singh, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3570

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## FDI

## 3570. SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK:

DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY:

SHRIMATI SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO:

DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Education Sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to put in place legislative framework to regulate the entry and operations of the foreign educational institutions in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has proposed that external commercial borrowings and FDI be enabled for the Education Sector and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps being taken by the Government for promotion of FDI in Education Sector?

## ANSWER

## Minister of Human Resource Development (Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank')

(a to d): One of the Budget 2020 announcements of the Government is to enable sourcing of  External  Commercial  Borrowings  and  FDI  in  Higher  Education.  Presently,  no  such regulatory  framework  has been  established to  regulate  the  entry  and operation of the  foreign educational institutions. However, FDI is permitted in the higher education sector under auto route.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3568 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Fake Currency
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO\_ 3568 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03. 2020/ PHALGUNA 26, 1941 (SAKA)

## FAKE CURRENCY

+3568. SHRIMATI RANJANBEN DHANANJAY BHATT:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- whether it is a fact that the business of fake notes is thriving in different parts of the (a) country;
- (b) if so, whether the Government proposes to take any and stringent measures to put a check on the said business; special
- (c) if so, the steps proposed in this regard and the time by which they are likely to be taken; and
- (d) if not; the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

- (a) to (d) As per data of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there is declining trend in Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) seized during the 2017, 2018 and 2019. years

The Government of India has taken various measures to check the smuggling and circulation of FICN in the country, which inter alia, include:

- FICN Coordination Group (FCORD) has been formed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to share intelligencelinformation   among the security   agencies of the statelcentre to counter the problem of circulation of fake currency cases;
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between India and Bangladesh to prevent and counter smuggling and circulation of fake currency notes.
- A Terror Funding and Fake Currency Cell (TFFC) has been constituted in NIA to investigate terror funding and fake currency cases.
- IV Security at the   international borders has been strengthened by  using new surveillance   technology, deploying additional manpower for  round the  clock surveillance , establishing observations along the international border; erection of border fencing and intensive patrolling: posts
Lok Sabha Question No. 3567 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Inclusion and Removal of Tourist Sites from UNESCO World Heritage Sites’ List
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Khan Saumitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3567 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## INCLUSION AND REMOVAL OF TOURIST SITES FROM UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES' LIST

## 3567. SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state :

- a)  whether  Kailash  Mansarovar  has  been  removed  from  UNESCO  tentative  list  of Heritage Sites;
- b)  if so, the reasons therfor;
- c)  whether  India  has  nominated  Ramappa  Temples  for  WHC  Session  2020  and Deccan Sultanate Sites for WHC Session 2021; and
- d)  whether the Ministry considers pursuing Bishnupur  Temples,  Neora  Valley National Park and Shantiniketan for UNESCO world Heritage sites?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM (PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

- (a)  &  (b)  No  Sir.  However,  the  property  titled  'Sacred  Mountain  Landscape  and Heritage Routes', Pithoragarh, District-Uttrakhand, India has been withdrawn from UNESCO's tentative list at the request of Director, Wildlife Institute of India citing the technical correction with respect to coordinates of the proposed property.
- (c) Yes Sir, India has nominated Ramappa Temples for WHC session 2020. For the year 2021, two dossiers namely 'Dholavira: A Harappan City' and 'Monuments and Forts  of  Deccan  Sultanate'  were  submitted  to  WHC  and  as  per  Operational Guidelines, dossier of 'Dholavira: A Harappan City' has been prioritized.
- (d)  Yes Sir, all the three sites namely Temples at Bishnupur, Neora Valley National Park  and  Santiniketan  have  been  included  in  the  Tentative  List,  which  is  a prerequisite condition for further inscription process.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3566 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Review of Compensation Cess on Tobacco Products
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Krupal Balaji Tumane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

*****

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3566

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY THE 16 TH  MARCH, 2020 PHALGUNA 26, 1941 (SAKA)

## REVIEW OF COMPENSATION CESS ON TOBACCO PRODUCTS

3566. SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a difference in the tax collections of pre-GST and post GST from all tobacco products;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to review compensation cess imposed on all tobacco products; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

- (a) and (b): In pre-GST regime, there were several taxes and levies, including VAT, which varied from state to state. Hence, comparing collections for two periods is not feasible.
- (c)  and  (d): GST  rates  and  Cess  on  goods  are  fixed  on  the  basis  of  the recommendations  of  the  GST  Council.  At  present  there  is  no  proposal  to  review compensation cess imposed on tobacco products by GST Council.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3565 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Domestic Production of Steel
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Ravindra Kushawaha

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3565 FOR ANSWER ON 16/03/2020

## DOMESTIC PRODUCTION OF STEEL

3565.  SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the share of domestic production in consumption of Steel is declining in the country whereas the share of import is increasing over the years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  increase  the  custom  duty  in  order  to minimize the share of import in consumption of Steel; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STEEL

## ANSWER

(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a)&(b): No, Sir. Data on total consumption, share of domestic production and imports in consumption for the last three years is given below. This indicates a declining trend in  the  share  of  imports  and  a  positive  growth  of  share  of  domestic  production  in consumption of total finished Steel.

| Year                            | CONSUMPTION (in MT)             | CONSUMPTION (in MT)             | CONSUMPTION (in MT)             | %Share of Import in Consumption   | %Share of Domestic Production in Consumption   |
|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| Year                            | Total                           | Share of Domestic Production    | Share of Import                 | %Share of Import in Consumption   | %Share of Domestic Production in Consumption   |
| 2016-17                         | 84.04                           | 76.81                           | 7.23                            | 8.6                               | 91.4                                           |
| 2017-18                         | 90.70                           | 83.22                           | 7.48                            | 8.2                               | 91.8                                           |
| 2018-19                         | 98.71                           | 90.87                           | 7.84                            | 7.9                               | 92.1                                           |
| Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes | Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes | Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes | Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes | Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes   | Source: JPC, mt= million tonnes                |

(c)&(d): Decision for notifying changes in Import or Export duties are dependent on multiple factors.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3564 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Disinvestment of Salem Steel Plant
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: M.K. Vishnu Prasad

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3564 FOR ANSWER ON 16/03/2020

## DISINVESTMENT OF SALEM STEEL PLANT

3564.  DR. VISHNU PRASAD M.K.:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any proposal to allow disinvestment in Salem Steel Plant, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the terms and conditions for the disinvestment in Salem Steel plant has been decided by the Government;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the time likely to be taken in disinvestment of the said Plant?

## ANSWER

(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

## THE MINISTER OF STEEL

(a)to(d): The Government has taken a decision for Strategic Disinvestment of Salem Steel Plant - a Unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), to a strategic buyer identified  through  two  stage  auction  process  in  the  year  2016.    The  intermediaries like  transaction  Advisers,  Legal  Advisers  and  Asset  Valuers  etc.  to  execute  the transaction have been appointed. The Expression of Interest (EOI) inviting expression  of  interest  from  prospective  interested  bidders  was  floated  on  4 th July, 2019 and after several extension of date the final extension for submission of bid was till 10 th September, 2019.  The process of strategic disinvestment of an entity involves a  long  term  process  with  detailed  consultations  and  deliberations  for  settlement  of issues and taking approvals of the requisite authorities at appropriate levels.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3563 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Impact of Coronavirus on Economy
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal, Shankar Lalwani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3563

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2020

## IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON ECONOMY

† 3563. DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL: SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether coronavirus has become a serious threat to human health as well as the economy and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether imports and exports have been affected due to it and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether all those industries which depend upon China for raw material or which send their products to China will suffer due to it and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps likely to be taken by the Government to lessen the impact of coronavirus on the economy?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a)  to  (d):  The  outbreak  of  Novel  Coronavirus  (COVID-19),  first  in  China  and  now  having  being confirmed in more than 100 countries, has emerged as a key risk to human health as well as global growth  outlook  through  numerous  channels  like  trade,  production  and  supply  chain  disruptions; decline in demand; lower tourism and business travel; loss of investor confidence; and productivity losses from the health impact on morbidity & mortality of work force. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been coordinating the efforts of the Central Government in terms of preparedness, control and containment measures and has also been working with State Governments in order to mitigate the impact of the virus outbreak in India.

As is  true  for  the  world  at  large,  India's  near-term  macroeconomic  outlook  is  also  vulnerable  to disruption of trade with China and second-round effects arising from expected slowdown in global growth. However, latest available data on trade and indicators of domestic output do not suggest any adverse impact on the economy. Additionally, a positive impact on India's economy may arise from decline in global oil prices triggered by the outbreak of COVID-19.

In order to address the possibility of trade-induced adverse impact on the economy, Government is constantly engaging with Export Promotion Councils and trade bodies, particularly in pharmaceutical, electronics and automobile sectors where the supply chains are sourcing imports from China. These agencies have been put in touch with Indian Missions abroad to secure and transport inventories available with the existing suppliers. Indian Missions abroad have also been asked  to  explore  alternate  sources  of  supply  of  raw  materials  in  their  respective  countries  for supporting India's domestic production.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3562 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Withdrawal of Bank Notes
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: D.K. Suresh, Abdul Majeed Ariff

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3562 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03. 202O/PHALGUNA 26, 1941 (SAKA)

## Withdrawal of Bank Notes

3562. SHRI D.K SURESH: ADV. AM. ARIFF:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the GovernmentISBI has any proposal to withdraw bank notes of Rs\_ 2000 from circulation/ATMs;
- (b) if the details thereof and the reasons therefor; SO,
- (c) whether the Government has consulted the Reserve Bank of India and other stakeholders before 2000 thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has studied the impact of withdrawal of the said bank notes on the economy and the society; and
- (e) the details thereof with the response of the Government in this regard? along

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

- (a)and (b) There is no proposal of the Government to withdraw bank notes of Rs. 2000 from circulation.

In view of higher circulation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 200 denomination bank notes, State Bank of India issued communication to its Local Head Offices to reconfigure ATMs for currency notes However, many ATMs are still dispensing Rs. 2,000 currency notes: has

- (c) to (e) In view of answer to parts (a) and (b) above, questions do not arise.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3561 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-16
Subject: Agricultural Income under Income Tax
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Rajveer Diler

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3561

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY 16 TH  MARCH, 2020 PHALGUNA 26, 1941 (SAKA)

## AGRICULTURAL INCOME UNDER INCOME TAX

## 3561. SHRI RAJVEER DILER:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any scheme for exempting agricultural income of the farmers from taxation;
- (b) if so, the time by which it is likely to be implemented; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a) and (b): Agricultural income is exempt from income-tax under clause (1) of section 10 of the Incometax Act, 1961.

- (c): Not applicable in view of the answer to part (a) and (b).

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