opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 527 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Cess on Domestic and Imported Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: K. Shanmuga Sundaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 527 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2019

Cess on Domestic and Imported Coal

## 527. SHRI SHANMUGA SUNDARAM K:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Central Government in 2010-11 imposed a cess of Rs. 50 per tonne on domestic and  imported  coal  to  create  a  corpus  i.e.  National  Clean  Energy  Fund  (NCEF)  for  promoting clean energy initiatives and research;
- (b) the total amount of the fund raised till date and the details of utilization of the fund for the current year and for the past three years;
- (c) the details of Ministries which have received funds from NCEF and their utilization;
- (d) whether unspent balance has been returned to NCEF and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the amount has been released to Power Ministry for the current year and for the past three years; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (f)  Information is being collected from other departments and will be provided.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 525 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Solar Panels at Stations in Tripura
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rebati Tripura, Gautham Sigamani Pon, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 525 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## SOLAR PANELS AT STATIONS IN TRIPURA

## 525. SHRI REBATI TRIPURA:

SHRI GAUTHAM SIGAMANI PON:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to State:

- (a) whether the Government has any proposal for fixing solar panels at all the railway stations across Tripura;
- (b)     if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  aims  and  objective  behind  the move;
- (c) the financial allocation for this purpose alongwith the time fixed for fixing solar panels and the success achieved;
- (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  solar  generated electricity  to  all  railway  stations  of  the  country  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (e)
- the details of funds allocated for the said purpose for Tripura;
- (f) the time by which the said scheme is likely to be completed; and
- (g) whether Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited which had undertaken project  with  Indian  Railways  has  commissioned  solar  energy project and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a)  to  (d):  Indian  Railways  provides  solar  panels  at  Railway  Stations based  on  the  technical  feasibility  and  viability.  Out  of  a  total  of  26 railway  stations  in  Tripura,  16  numbers  of  feasible  stations  have already been

provided with solar panels. At present, there is no plan for  providing Solar Panels in the remaining 10 stations. Indian Railways has plans to progressively provide solar power generated electricity to many of the Railway stations by providing rooftop solar panels.

- (e)  &  (f)  200  KW  capacity  of  solar  panels  were  installed  on  the  16 stations  in  the  State  of  Tripura  for  which  funds  allocated  were approximately ₹ 1.36 Cr.
- (g) Yes, Sir. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has successfully commissioned:
- i) 1.7 MW land based solar power plant at Bina in Madhya Pradesh.
- ii) 2  MW  rooftop  solar  plants  in  Diesel  Locomotive  Modernization Workshop, Patiala.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 524 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: India Post Payment Bank
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Krishna Pal Singh Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 524 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH  SEPTEMBER, 2020

## INDIA POST PAYMENT BANK

## †524.   DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prepared any plan to provide India Post Payments Bank service in all the rural areas of the country; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) services are provided in all parts of the country including all the rural areas subject to technical feasibility considerations.

(b) IPPB  has  650  branches/controlling  offices,  almost  one  in  each  district  across  the  country. IPPB has also enabled 1.36 lakh Post Offices (including 1.10 lakh in rural areas) to provide Banking services at the counters. It has also equipped nearly 1.8 lakh Postmen and Grameen Dak Sevaks with Smartphones and biometric devices to enable them to provide Doorstep Banking Services.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 523 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Pending Rail Line Projects
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Nishikant  Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 523 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## PENDING RAIL LINE PROJECTS

523.  DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  railway  line  projects  from  Godda  to  Mehgama  section and Mehgama to Pirpaiti Section are pending;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (c)  the  current  status  of  these  projects  and  the  time  line  fixed  for  its completion?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a)  to  (c):  Godda-Mahagama  (30  Km)  and  Mahagama-Pirpainti  (32  Km) New Line sections are part of Godda-Pirpainti leg of Pirpainti-Jasidih (97 Km)  New  Line  project  which  was  sanctioned  in  the  year  2013-14  on 50:50 cost sharing basis with the  State Govt. of Jharkhand. However, execution of Godda-Pirpainti (60 km) section has been stopped by the State Govt. due to notification issued by Ministry of Coal, notifying that land  falling  between  km  58.42  to  km  77.47  of  the  alignment  coming under coal bearing notified area.

Further, in this regard Ministry of Coal has been requested for granting permission  to  Railway  for  going  ahead  with  original  alignment  of  the project to avoid time and cost overruns.

Completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like quick land  acquisition  by  State  Government,  forest  clearance  by  officials  of forest  department,  shifting  of  infringing  utilities,  statutory  clearances from  various  authorities,  geological  and  topographical  conditions  of area,  law  and  order  situation  in  the  area  of  project  site,  number  of working  months  in  a  year  for  particular  project  site,  due  to  climatic conditions, etc. and all these factors differ from project to project and affect the completion time of the project. As such, firm completion time of the project cannot be indicated at this stage.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 521 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Supreme Court Bench in Chennai
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: A.K.P. Chinraj, S. Jagathrakshakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 521

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 16.09.2020

## Supreme Court Bench in Chennai

## 521. SHRI A.K.P. CHINRAJ:

## SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

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

- (a) whether the Government has received any proposal from the Lawyers Association to open a Supreme Court branch/bench in Chennai, Tamil Nadu for the convenience of people of Southern States and to reduce time and money on litigations;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the action taken by the Government on these requests?

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

## (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a)  to  (c):  Representations  have  been  received  from  time  to  time  from  various  quarters  for establishment  of  Benches  of  Supreme  Court  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  The  Law Commission, in its 229 th Report had also suggested that a Constitutional Bench be set up at Delhi and four Cassation  Benches be set up in the Northern region  at Delhi, the Southern region  at Chennai/Hyderabad, the Eastern region at Kolkata and the Western region at Mumbai. The idea of  a  separate  Bench  of  Supreme  Court  outside  Delhi  has  not  found  favour  with  the  Supreme Court of India.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 517 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Iran-China Deal
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Rahul Kaswan, Balashowry Vallabbhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.517 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## IRAN-CHINA DEAL

## 517. SHRI VINAYAK RAUT: SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the manner in which India look at the trade and military deal between Iran and China;
- (b)     whether the Ministry has assessed the impact of Chinese involvement in the Middle East on India;
- (c)     if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)     the impact of this move on India-Iran trade and other relations?

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

(a) to (d) India and Iran have historical ties and close civilizational links. Our relations with Iran stand on their own footing and are independent of its relations with third countries.

India accords highest priority to our relations with countries in the West Asia and has extensive ties in the fields of culture, education, trade and investments.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 516 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Misclassification of Export Items
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Ravneet Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  516 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 th SEPTEMBER, 2020

## MISCLASSIFICATION OF EXPORT ITEMS

## 516. SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वािण�य एवं उ�ोग मं�ी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that there are increasing cases of misclassification of items by the importers as 'Others';
- (b) if so, the details thereof, sector-wise and the action taken against the defaulting importers:
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  curb  import  of  uncategorised  items  and  impose requirement of special licences for them and take other related measures;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=h ( Jh ih;w'k xks;y ) THE MINISTER OF  COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to   (e):   About one fourth of India's  total imports  are under the 'Others' category of Indian Trade Classification  (Harmonized  System)  [ITC  (HS)],  2017,  Schedule  I  (Import  Policy).  Accordingly, Government has initiated a review of the imports under 'Others' category and advised Trade and Industry to accurately  mention the specific ITC (HS) code of the item sought to be imported while filing the Bill of Entry. In  addition  to  efforts  being  made  by  the  Government,  trade advisories  were  issued  requesting importers to propose separate new  ITC (HS) codes where no  such codes exists for a specific item. As part of this initiative, the Finance (No.2) Act, 2019 dated 1st August, 2019 created new specific ITC (HS) codes for a number of items, which were earlier in the 'Others' category.

Matters related to  mis - classification of  export-import items are dealt with by the Customs Authorities under the relevant provisions of law.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 512 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Social Media Platform
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Anto  Antony

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 512

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM

## 512.     SHRI  ANTO  ANTONY

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

- (a)   whether the Government has noticed that some social media platforms are allegedly trying to destroy our democracy;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether the Government has written any letter to the social media authorities/management in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has any plan to ban
- any social media platform in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has any plan to set up an enquiry including a Joint Parliamentary Committee to enquire into the aforesaid matters; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  and  (b)  :  There  were  media  reports  that  Facebook's  hate-speech  Rules  collide  with  Indian politics, thereby trying to bias the democratic system of the country.
- (c)  :  Minister  for  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  has  written  to  CEO,  Facebook  about alleged bias of the platform and to ensure integrity and neutrality of the Facebook and the people working for Facebook.
- (d): There is no such proposal with Ministry for Electronics & Information Technology.
- (e) and (f) : Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology has already taken up the matter with Facebook.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 511 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Support of Software Industry in the Fight againstCOVID-19
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  511

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 16.09.2020

## SUPPORT OF SOFTWARE INDUSTRY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

## 511. SHRI HIBI EDEN:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  leveraged  Information  Technology  (IT)  in  the  fight  against COVID-19 pandemic;
- (b) whether the Government is utilising Indian Software Industry's potential to fullest extent in the fight against the pandemic and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of support provided by software companies to deal with the pandemic?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (b):  Yes, Sir. There are various initiatives in which Government is utilising the potential of Indian Software Industry in the fight against COVID-19 which includes the following:

- (i) Launch of Mobile Application i.e. 'Aarogya Setu' to facilitate awareness and tracking for COVID-19,
- (ii) Telemedicine solution 'eSanjeevaniOPD' which is a patient to doctor tele-consultation system which is operational in Twenty-One States,
- (iii) customization of Health informatics solution such as e-RatkKosh (Blood Bank Management  System  and  e-Aushadi  (Drug  Supply  Chain  Management)  for  Covid-19 purposes,
- (iv) National Analytical Platform for Dealing with Intelligent Tracing, Tracking and Containment of COVID-19 for infected persons and quarantined people (NAADI),
- (v) Extended support to Ayushman Bharat Platform, which has issued more than 7.8 crore ecards and more than 1 crore hospital admissions have been facilitated.
- (vi) Doorstep delivery of cash to poor citizens through AADHAR Enabled Payment System through India Post Payment Bank.

(c): As per National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), IT industry has actively participated in innovating and executing solutions to help fight against COVID-19. Around 80 technology solutions have been devised by over 35 companies (including MSMEs and startups)  to  actively  combat  the  pandemic  under  five    pillars:  Containment,  Prevention, Communications, Treatment and Recovery. Software companies in India have channelized their CSR spends towards pandemic recovery, like  distribution of cooked meals, PPE kits, masks, soaps, sanitizers, monetary donations to PM CARES, CM relief funds, providing office premises to set up hospitals etc.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 509 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Closing of Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

- (a) No, Sir.
- (b) Does not arise.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 509 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## CLOSING OF STATION

509.   SHRIMATI KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is considering to close the Thathankulam Railway Station in the district of Thoothukkudi; and (b)  if  so,  the  reasons  therefor,  as  this  is  an  important  station  for around 25 gram panchayats in that region?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: New Railway Line from Joghigpa to Ghy
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Abdul Khaleque

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 507 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## NEW RAILWAY LINE FROM JOGHIGOPA TO GHY

507.  SHRI ABDUL KHALEQUE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that a demand of new railway line from Joghigopa to Ghy via  Lengtisinga,  Barpeta  Sarthebari  Hajo  vide  letter  no  639186/A, 512  dated  24.01.2020  to  the  concerned  directorate  for  consideration and necessary action;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether  the  Government  will  consider  the  demand  for  the  new  line considering the socio- economic and cultural importance of the places?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): Yes, Sir.

(b)  and  (c):        First  survey  from  Jogighopa  to  Guwahati  via  BarpetaSarthebari-Hajo (136 km) was completed in 2011-12.  As per survey report, the Rate of Return (ROR) of the project was (-) 11.95%.  Second survey from Bongaigaon  (near  Jogighopa)  to  Agthori  (near  Guwahati)  via  LengtisingaBarpeta-Hajo-Sarthebari (136 km) was completed in 2017-18.  As per Survey report,  the  ROR  of  the  project  was  (-)  8.18%.    As  per  survey  report, alignment of this project is almost parallel to the existing New Bongaigaon Rangiya line and doubling of this existing line has also been taken up.

In view of large shelf of ongoing new line projects on Indian Railways, presently it is not possible to consider one more new line in this region.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: 4G Services in Gujarat
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 505 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH  SEPTEMBER, 2020

## 4G SERVICES IN GUJARAT

## 505. SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether BSNL is providing 4G services in all the districts of Gujarat;

- (b) if so, the details thereof;

- (c) whether Government has taken any steps to improve the services of BSNL in all parts of the country, particularly in Gujarat;

- (d) if so, the details thereof; and

- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a)&(b) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is providing 4G services on a limited scale at few locations in Gujarat covering 8 districts, 121 towns and 210 villages.

- (c) to (e) BSNL has informed the steps taken by them to improve its services in all its Licensed Service areas (LSAs) including Gujarat State. Details of steps taken by BSNL are as under:
- (i) Progressively augmenting its network under various network expansion plans, depending on techno-commercial viability and availability of funds.
- (ii)  Regular conduct of Drive tests/audit/surprise checks and optimising its network for improving its performance.
- (iii) Continuous monitoring of the Call drop related issues in its network for better performance.
- (iv)  Continuous monitoring of its GSM based Cellular Mobile Network for improving its services in all its Licensed Service Areas (LSAs) including Gujarat.
- (v) Efforts towards induction of  4G services on large scale to provide high speed data services to its customers.

************
Lok Sabha Question No. 504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Doubling of Railway Lines in Bharatpur
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ranjeeta Koli

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.09.2020

## DOUBLING OF RAILWAY LINES IN BHARATPUR

504.  SHRIMATI RANJEETA KOLI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state the details of works carried out for doubling railway line in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan during the last three years?

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

Railway  projects  are  not  sanctioned  District-wise/State-wise  but zone-wise, as Indian Railways' network spans across various Districts/State  boundaries.  However,    Agra  Fort-Bandikui  (150  Km) doubling  project  falling  partly  in  the  district  of  Bharatpur  has  been included  in  the  Budget  2018-19  subject  to  requisite  Government approvals.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-09-16
Subject: Export of Medical Items
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Kuruva Gorantla Madhav, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Pocha Brahmananda Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  503 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 th SEPTEMBER, 2020

## EXPORT OF MEDICAL ITEMS

503. SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV: SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU: SHRI POCHA BRAHMANANDA REDDY:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वािण�य एवं उ�ोग मं�ी ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  removed  the  ban  on  exports  for  diagnostic  kits,  PPEs, sanitizers, Hydroxychloroquine and other medical items;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether after the ban on exports of said items, the indigenous production of the above items has increased drastically; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=h ( Jh ih;w'k xks;y ) THE MINISTER OF  COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) and (b): The prohibition on export of various medical items such as PPE Coveralls, 2/3 Ply masks,  Face  Shields,  Sanitizers  (except  when  exported  in  containers  with  dispenser  pumps), Hydroxychloroquine API and its formulations, 13 other Pharmaceutical APIs and its formulations and Ventilators has been removed. While export of Diagnostic Kits, N -95/FFP2 masks is currently restricted, their export is allowed subject to a monthly quota.

(c) & (d): The  prohibition  on  export  of  medical  items  was  imposed  to  ensure  domestic availability of these items to fight COVID-19. These have been relaxed based on an assessment, from  time  to  time,  of  the  domestic  requirement,  production  capacity  and  surplus  available  for export.

Prior to 20 th March, 2020, the requirement for PPE Coveralls was largely met through imports as there was very limited domestic production suitable for COVID-19 requirements. The export ban on PPE Coveralls was removed when the domestic production of PPE Coveralls subsequently reached 1.5 crore units per month. The availability of Alcohol based Hand Sanitizers was 10 lakh litres per annum. This manufacturing capacity subsequently increased to 38 Lakh litres per day, enabling the prohibition on the export of Alcohol based hand sanitizers (except when exported in containers with dispenser pumps) to be removed.

Ventilators production in country, which was negligible prior to January 2020, was ramped up to enable export of domestically manufactured ventilators today.

******