opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4613 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Battery Swapping Policy
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Sanganna Amarappa Karadi, Annasaheb Shankar Jolle, B. Y. Raghavendra, Prathap Simha, Umesh G. Jadhav, S. Muniswamy, L.S. Tejasvi Surya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4613 ANSWERED ON 31 ST  MARCH, 2022

## BATTERY SWAPPING POLICY

## 4613.  SHRI SANGANNA AMARAPPA:

SHRI ANNASAHEB SHANKAR JOLLE:

SHRI B.Y. RAGHAVENDRA:

SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

DR. UMESH G. JADHAV:

SHRI S. MUNISWAMY:

SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to introduce a battery swapping policy for Electric Vehicles (EVs);
- (b) if so, the details and the objectives thereof;
- (c) the timeframe set for drafting and implementation of the said policy;
- and
- (d) the measures being taken by the Government to ensure affordability of the battery packs?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a)  to  (d)    During  the  Union  Budget  2022-2023,  the  Government  has announced plans to introduce a Battery Swapping Policy and interoperability standards, as under:-

'Considering  the  constraint  of  space  in  urban  areas  for  setting  up charging  stations  at  large  scale,  a  battery  swapping  policy  will  be brought  out  and  inter-operability  standards  will  be  formulated.  The private sector will be encouraged to develop sustainable and innovative business models for 'Battery or Energy as a Service'. This will improve efficiency in the EV ecosystem.' NITI  Aayog  is  leading  Battery  Swapping  Policy  and  Battery Swapping Standards with all relevant stakeholders. The Ministry of Road Transport  and  Highways,  vide  letter  dated  12th  August,  2020,  has advised all States and Union Territories that  vehicles without batteries can be sold and registered based on the type approval certificate issued by the Test Agency. It was further clarified that as per Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) 1989, there is no need to specify the Make/ Type

or any other details of the Battery for the purpose of Registration.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4611 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Rapid Rail Transport System
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Vinod Chavda

NO. 4611.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA

To BE

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4611 ANSWERED ON MARCH 31, 2022

## RAPID RAIL TRANSPORT SYSTEM SHRI VINOD L CHAVDA

Will Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be   pleased to the state:

- a) Whether there is any proposal by the Government to commence Rapid
2. Rail Transport System in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in near future;
- b) If so, the details thereof;
4. If not, the reasons therefor; and
- d) The future objectives of the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE OF HOUSING

## MINISTRY AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI KAUSHAL KISHORE)

- (a ) to (c): Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) a Joint Venture Special Purpose Vehicle of Government of India and Government of Gujarat is implementing Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project (Phase [ & II) of total length of about 64 km. Out of total ength, 6.5 km of Phase Lis operational since March 2019.
- (d): Urban transport, which is an integral part of urban development, is a State subject. Hence,  respective State GovernmentIUnion Territory is responsible for initiating and developing urban transport infrastructure including Metro/Rapid Rail projects: The Central Government considers financial assistance for such projects in cities or urban agglomerates, based on feasibility of the proposal and availability of resources, as and when posed by the concerned State GovernmentIUnion   Territory: No further proposal for implementation of metro rail project in Ahmedabad city has been received from Government of Gujarat for central financial assistant-
Lok Sabha Question No. 4607 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Commission of Railway Safety
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Sisir Kumar Adhikari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

Lok Sabha

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4607

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  31st March 2022 )

## COMMISSION OF RAILWAY SAFETY

## 4607.    SHRI SISIR KUMAR ADHIKARI Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) is  working  under  the  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation  to  avoid  direct subordination, justification in administration and for maintenance of independence, impartiality, accountability and transparency in safety  of  rail  travel  train  operation  and  investigation  of  railway accidents and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  justification  for  keeping  CRS,  Directorate  General  of  Civil Aviation  (DGCA),  Aircraft  Accident  Investigation  Bureau  (AAIB), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under the Ministry for the same  reasons  and  creating  discrimination  between  two  sets  of Central Government agencies therefor; and
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  merge  all  such investigative  bodies  under  the  Home  Department  and  if  so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of (GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD))

CIVIL  AVIATION

- (a) & (b): Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), erstwhile known as ' Railway Inspectorate ' was placed under the administrative control of the ' Department of Posts and Air ' in May 1941 on the basis of the recommendations of Pacific Locomotive Committee (1939) that the Railway  Inspectorate  should  be  separated  from  the  control  of

Railway Board. CRS has remained thereafter under the administrative control of the Ministry concerned with Civil Aviation.

Unlike Railways, the Civil Aviation sector operations include private and  foreign  airlines,  airports  under  Airports  Authority  of  India (AAI)/Private  sector/Public  Private  Partnership/Joint  Venture  and other stakeholders which include both private as well as Government  (Public  Sector  Undertakings  (PSU)).  Further,  the  Civil Aviation  sector  functions  in  a  realm  which  transcends  national boundaries  and  requires  adherence  to  prescribed  standards  and practices of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). DGCA, AAIB  and  BCAS  are  attached  offices  of  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation with  adequate  autonomy.  Moreover,  all  the  safety/security  related rules/guidelines  issued  by  DGCA,  AAIB  and  BCAS  are  subject  to audit by ICAO.

(c): There is no such proposal under consideration.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4606 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Pre and Post Matric Scholarships
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Mohammad Jawed, D. Ravikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4606

ANSWERED ON 31.03.2022

## PRE AND POST MATRIC SCHOLARSHIPS

## 4606. DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED: SHRI RAVIKUMAR D. :

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  number  of  minority  students  who  have  applied  for  Pre  and  Post  Matric Scholarships in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and the number of girls out of them;
- (b) the number of girls who applied and received the scholarship; and
- (c)  the  details  of  total  expenditure  on  scholarships  for  Muslims  during  the  last  three years, year-wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

- (a) & (b): In 2019-20 and 2020-21, 1,54,08,111 States/UTs verified applications from the notified minority community were received out of which 81,90,978 were from girls under Pre-Matric and Post Matric scholarship schemes and 64,66,444 girls were sanctioned scholarship.
- (c):  The  details  of  year-wise  total  expenditure  on  Scholarships  sanctioned  to  the beneficiaries  from  Muslim  community  under  the  3  Scholarship Schemes  namely, PreMatric, Post Matric and Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme during 2018-19 to 2020-21 is as follows:

| Financial Year   |   Amount (in Rs. Crore) |
|------------------|-------------------------|
| 2018-19          |                 1575.56 |
| 2019-20          |                 1747.13 |
| 2020-21          |                 1473.95 |
| Total            |                 4796.64 |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4602 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Drinking Water Facility in Tribal Areas
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Kuruva Gorantla Madhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4602 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31/03/2022

## DRINKING WATER FACILITY IN TRIBAL AREAS

## 4602.  SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has taken any step to provide safe purified drinking water in the tribal areas of the country;
- (b)   if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)   whether the Government has established solar drinking water units in the tribal areas; and
- (d)  if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH  PATEL)

(a) & (b) Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country, including those in tribal areas, by 2024. As reported by States, as on date, out of 212.19 lakh  rural  households  in  ST  dominated  areas,  82.84  lakh  (39%)  rural  households  have  been provided with tap water connection.

Further, 10% weightage  is assigned for population residing in SC/ ST dominated areas, while allocating the fund, to prioritize the coverage in these areas.

(c)  &  (d)  Drinking  Water  being  a  State  subject,  it  is  States,  who  plan,  design,  approve  and implement drinking water supply schemes. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States  by  providing  technical  and  financial  assistance.  As  such  details  of  individual  projects/ schemes for rural water supply projects are not maintained at the Government of India level.

However, under JJM, States/ UTs have been advised to explore technological interventions such as  Solar  energy  based  stand-alone  water  supply  systems  so  as  to  reduce  O&M  charges  and dependence of electric supply for scattered/ isolated/ tribal villages.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4601 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-31
Subject: Roads in Coastal Areas
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether the Government proposes to construct sturdy roads in the coastal areas of the country; and
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the Government in this regard so far?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT & HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) & (b) Different components of National Highways like pavement, bridges, structures etc. are designed and constructed as per Indian Roads Congress (IRC) standards & guidelines and specifications and policy  guidelines  of  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  &  Highways.  These standards, guidelines and specifications have provision for design and construction of different components of National Highways in different climate and exposure conditions including coastal areas. Design and construction of National Highways in coastal areas is done meeting the appropriate requirements of standards, guidelines and specifications.

*****

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4601 ANSWERED ON 31 st  MARCH, 2022

## ROADS IN COASTAL AREAS

4601.  SHRIMATI RANJANBEN DHANANJAY BHATT:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री
Lok Sabha Question No. 394 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Handloom Cluster
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Goddeti Madhavi, M V V Satyanarayana

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *394 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## HANDLOOM CLUSTER

- *394.  SHRIMATI GODDETI MADHAVI: SHRI M.V.V. SATYANARAYANA:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES वस्त्र मंत्री be pleased to state :

- (a) the status of allocation of funds for establishing a handloom cluster in Ponduru, Andhra Pradesh;
- (b) whether the Government has devised any plan for international recognition and remunerative prices for products made using Ponduru Khadi; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र मंत्री ( श्री पीयूष गोयल )

MINISTER OF TEXTILES (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a) to (c):A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Statement referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *394  for answer on 30.03.2022.

(a) to (c): Ponduru in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh is a known centre for Khadi weaving, which falls under the purview of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). However, need  based  schematic  interventions  under  schemes  of  Ministry  of  Textiles  in  synergy  with  MSME schemes can be undertaken for development of handloom cluster in Ponduru, based on proposals from the  state  Government.  Two  handloom  clusters,  namely  Tilaru  and  Akkulapeta  in  Srikakulam  district have been provided financial assistance of Rs. 75.52 lakh so far by Ministry of Textiles.

The following steps have been taken for promotion of products made using Ponduru Khadi:

- i. Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Commission  (KVIC)  is  in  the  process  of  filing  application  for Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Ponduru Khadi to prevent unauthorized replication, as well as provide international recognition.
- ii. KVIC  popularizes  its  products  including  Ponduru  Khadi  through  exhibitions  to  make  them accessible in the domestic and international markets, a cost-effective medium for publicity, by creating public awareness, and providing marketing opportunities for Khadi products.
- iii. KVIC  also  provides  marketing  support  for  selling  of  khadi  products  through  online  sales platforms,  ekhadiindia.com  and  khadiindia.gov.in.  More  than  3,300  products  have  been  onboarded on the portal.  A Mobile app has been created for the portal, and KVIC products are delivered at the doorstep of the customers.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 386 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Stoppage of Trains at Karnal Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sanjay Bhatia

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO.386

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## STOPPAGE OF TRAINS AT KARNAL RAILWAY STATION

†*386. SHRI SANJAY BHATIA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  about  124  trains  pass  through  the  Karnal  railway  station daily and it includes Jan Shatabdi to passenger and freight trains;
- (b) if so, whether more than half of these trains do not have stoppage at this station as 58 trains have been provided stoppage while 66 trains do not have halt at this station;
- (c)  if  so,  whether  the  citizens  and  the  passengers  have  been  writing letters  to  the  Chief  Minister  and  Member  of  Parliament  for  providing stoppage of the  trains at the said station for the last many years but no action has been taken so far;
- (d) if so, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether passengers have to take long distance trains from Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonipat and Ambala junctions due to this reason; and
- (f)  if  so,  the  action  taken/proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 386 BY SHRI SANJAY BHATIA TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 30.03.2022 REGARDING STOPPAGE OF TRAINS AT KARNAL RAILWAY STATION

(a) and (b) Of the 109 passenger carrying trains passing through Karnal station, 51 trains have scheduled stoppage thereat, which is considered adequate for the present level of traffic offering at the station. (c)  to  (f)  Requests,  including  those  from  the  Hon'ble  Member  of Parliament,  for  provision  of  stoppage  of  trains  at  Karnal,  have  been received.  These  have  been  examined  but  stoppage  of  additional  train services  at  Karnal  have  neither  been  found  operationally  feasible  nor commercially  justified  as  per  the  extant  policy  guidelines  relating  to provision of stoppages. However, subject to operational feasibility and traffic  justification  provision  of  stoppage  is  an  on-going  process  on Indian Railways.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4599 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Eliminating Railway Crossings
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: L.S. Tejasvi Surya, Prathap Simha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4599 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## ELIMINATING RAILWAY CROSSINGS

## 4599. SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  unmanned  railway  crossings,  manned  railway crossings, Railway Under Bridges (RUBs), Railway Over Bridges (ROBs) in the country and in particular, within the city limits of Bengaluru and Mysuru;
- (b) whether the Government is making efforts  to  eliminate  railway crossings, manned, unmanned or with signal, within city limits, particularly  of  Bengaluru  and  Mysuru,  to  ease  traffic  and  if  so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of railway crossings converted into RUBs/ROBs, etc. in the cities of Bengaluru and Mysuru since 2014 and the funds sanctioned  and  utilised,  along  with  the  details  of  ongoing  and pending projects with the funds disbursed; and
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  set  any  target  to  remove  such railway crossings in the country and if so, the details thereof and the progress made in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a):  As  on  01.04.2021,  there  were  3660  Road  Over  Bridges  (ROBs), 10935 Road Under Bridges (RUBs) and 19532 Manned Level Crossings

(MLCs) in the country.

All  Unmanned level crossing (UMLCs) on Broad Gauge (BG) have been eliminated before 31.01.2019. Only 863 UMLCs on Meter Gauge (MG) and Narrow Gauge (NG) sections are existing  which are planned for elimination during Gauge conversion. There  are  26  Nos.  of  MLCs  in  Bengaluru  and  8  Nos.  of  MLCs  in Mysuru. (b):    06  Nos.  of    ROBs/RUBs in Bengaluru and 02  Nos. in Mysuru are being constructed to ease traffic. (c):  06  Nos. of railway crossings have been converted in Road Under Bridges/Road Over Bridges (RUBs/ROBs) in the cities of Bengaluru and Mysuru  since  2014  at  an  estimated  cost  of ` 32  crore.    06  Nos.  of ROBs/RUBs  in  Mysuru  and  15  Nos.  of  ROBs/RUBs  in  Bengaluru  are sanctioned  at an estimated  cost  of ` 30 crore and  250  crore respectively. (d):  Generally,  there  is  no  problem  of  construction  of  ROBs/  RUBs  in Railway  portion.    However,  the  problem  is  faced  in  construction  of approaches because of many factors such as fixing the alignment of approaches,  land  acquisition,  encroachments,  finalization  of  General Arrangement  Drawing  (GAD),  acceptance  of  estimate,  allocation  of requisite funds by State Government etc. Therefore, it is not feasible to fix timelines for completion of these ROB/RUBs.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4598 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Charging Service Tax in Restaurants
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Kirti Vardhan Singh

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Government of India Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4598 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## CHARGING SERVICE TAX IN RESTAURANTS

## 4598.  SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH:

## Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry is aware of the fact that several restaurants in Connaught Place area in Delhi are charging service tax on the bills generated for dining in the restaurant on the pretext that they have made a reference of it on the notice board at the entrance regarding the same;
- (b) if so, the action being contemplated to stop this malpractice by the restaurants;
- (c) whether the Ministry has received any complaints regarding this matter; and
- (d) if so, the punitive action taken by the Government, State-wise and city-wise?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री अश्विनी क ु मार चौबे)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (d) : Department of Revenue has informed that, at present, Service Tax is not leviable on bills generated in restaurants. No such complaints of charging of service tax on the bills generated for dining in the restaurants in Connaught Place area in Delhi have been received.  Further, with the launch of Goods & Service Tax (GST) w.e.f 01.07.2017, service tax has been subsumed under GST .

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4597 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Using Waterways to Transport Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4597 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## Using Waterways to Transport Coal

## 4597. SHRI T.R. BAALU:

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

(a) whether India does not use its extensive waterways unlike China or Indonesia to transport  coal,  making  facilities  reliant  on  expensive,  time-  consuming  road  and rail transport; and

(b) if so, the remedial steps proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, COAL AND MINES

## (SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)

(a): Coal  companies  dispatch  coal  as  per  Freight  on  Board  (FoB)  basis  and consumers  have  the  liberty  to  lift  coal  in  various  modes  such  as  rail,  road  and captive  modes  (Merry  Go  Round  (MGR),  Belt,  Rope  etc.)  The  choice  of  mode  of transportation is decided by the coal consumers.  In 2020-21, National Waterways (NWs) in India carried about 25.92 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal and coke out of total cargo movement of 83.61 MT through waterways.

(b): Taking  ahead  the  vision  of  the  Government  of  India  to  promote  inland waterways as a supplementary mode of transport, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) have considered waiver of waterway user charges initially for  a  period  of  three  years  from  July  2020.  Government  is  considering  required policy support and also provide necessary incentives to logistics operators to shift from  other  modes  of  transport  to  Inland  Water  Transport.  The  efforts  made  for development of inland waterways for shipping inland cargo movement from road and rail to water transport are detailed: i.  For  improvement  in  cargo  traffic  on  National  Waterways,  i.e.  by  diverting  the cargo from rail/road to water transport, concept papers on potential of movement of  fertilizers,  coal,  Liquefied  petroleum  gas  (LPG),  iron  &  steel  and  textiles  were prepared and shared with respective Ministries. The matter has been pursued with respective  Ministries  on  regular  basis  and  response  has  been  received  from Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Steel, and Ministry of Textiles and recently from Indian Farmers  Fertiliser  Cooperative  Limited,  (IFFCO)  for  movement  of  fertilizers  on waterways. ii.Pilot/scheduled movements were also conducted for transportation of textiles and steel to various destinations in Bangladesh, using IBP routes.

- *****