opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1003 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Strategic Reserves
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Vinod Chavda

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1003 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08 TH  FEBRUARY,2023

## STRATEGIC RESERVES

## 1003.   SHRI VINOD L. CHAVDA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  China  has  developed  strategic  reserves  of Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Antimony, Indium, Germanium and Molybdenum acid and other elements used in energy, electronics and defence ordinance supply chain, if so, the facts thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is taking measures to develop strategic reserve of the said elements to secure its supply chain; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h ¼Jherh vuqfiz;k iVsy½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a):  The Chinese Government does not release data regarding quantum of mineral reserves kept in Chinese strategic or commodity reserves. However, as per the publicly available data (report  of  U.S.  Geological  Survey,  Mineral  Commodity Summaries, January  2022), China accounts for 6.69% of the world's reserves of lithium.

(b) and (c):  The Government has taken steps to develop strategic reserves of these elements and other elements.    A joint venture Company named 'Khanij Bidesh India Limited' (KABIL) has  been  formed      under  the  aegis  of  Ministry  of  Mines,  to  acquire  assets  of  the  twelve identified  critical  and  strategic  overseas  minerals  including  Lithium  abroad.    Further Geological Survey of India (GSI) has also given emphasis on exploration of strategic and critical minerals across the country.

Atomic  Minerals  Directorate  for  Exploration  and  Research  (AMD),  a  constituent  of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, has a mandate to identify and evaluate  mineral  resources  of  uranium,  thorium,  niobium,  tantalum,  beryllium,  lithium, zirconium, titanium and rare earths containing uranium and thorium.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1002 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Reservation in Promotion
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: S. Gnanathiraviam

## GOVERNEMNT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOKSABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1002 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, OSTH

## FEBRUARY, 2023

## RESERVATION IN PROMOTION

## 1002. SHRI GNANATHIRA VIAM S.:

## Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether reservation in promotion is strictly followed and implemented in the Ministry as per the provisions made in the Constitution through 77th Amendment;
- (b) if so, the details of promotions made during the last five years in all the categories;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the time which the same would be completed?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY ANDEARTH SCIENCES (DR JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes Sir.
- (b) Details of promotions in Ministry of Earth Sciences are as under:

| Promotional Cadre   |   Total Nos. of promotees |   UR |   SC |   ST |
|---------------------|---------------------------|------|------|------|
| GroupA              |                        01 |   01 |   00 |   00 |
| GroupB              |                      1160 |  940 |  182 |   38 |
| Group C             |                       161 |  111 |   35 |   16 |
| Total               |                      1322 | 1052 |  217 |   54 |

UR: Unreserved

SC: Scheduled Caste

ST: Scheduled Tribe

- (c) and (d) Does not arise

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1001 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Sunil Kumar Mondal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1001

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 08.02.2023

## DIGITAL PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION BILL, 2022

## 1001.  SHRI SUNIL KUMAR MONDAL:

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

- (a) the details of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDPB), 2022;
- (b) whether any initiative is proposed to be taken by the Government for its progress;
- (c) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

(a) to (d): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has prepared a draft Bill, titled 'The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022'. A copy of the draft Bill is available on https://www.meity.gov.in/content/digital-personal-data-protection-bill-2022. The draft Bill sets out the rights and duties of the citizen (Digital Nagrik) and the obligations of the Data Fiduciary for protecting the same, thereby empowering the citizen to secure data privacy.

Extensive consultation on the draft Bill has been undertaken to generate necessary feedback to formulate the provisions of the related legislative proposal.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 999 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Certification of Organic Cotton
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: K. Shanmuga Sundaram

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 999 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08 TH  FEBRUARY,2023

## CERTIFICATION OF ORGANIC COTTON

## 999. SHRI SHANMUGA SUNDARAM K.:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मं त्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the ongoing scam in the certification of organic cotton where non-organic cotton is falsely certified as organic for the purposes of export and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) the steps taken by the Union Government in this regard to prevent the same?

## ANSWER

okf.kT; ,oa m|ksx ea=ky; esa jkT; ea=h ¼Jherh vuqfiz;k iVsy½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

- (a) :   No such specific information has been received in this Department.

(b) :    The  National  Programme  for  Organic  Production  (NPOP)  provides  standards  for  organic production,  system,  criteria  and  procedure  for  accreditation  of  Certification  Bodies  (CBs).  The standards  and  procedure  have  been  formulated  in  harmony  with  other  international  Standards regulating import and export of organic products.

NPOP is a third party accreditation and certification system carried out by Certification Bodies (CBs) for various organic agricultural crops, Livestock Production, Apiculture,  Aquaculture,  Food Processing and Handling.

In case of cotton, National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) Standards covers regulation up to production level for raw cotton. Further processing of cotton into textile for export is not covered under NPOP.

There are inbuilt provisions and checks for risk assessment, inspection and surveillance and sanctions under Chapter 4 of NPOP Standards.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 998 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Availability of Fibre Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Rajveer (Raju Bhaiya) Singh, Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 998 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 TH  FEBRUARY, 2023

## AVAILABILITY OF FIBRE NETWORK

## 998. SHRI RAJVEER SINGH (RAJU BHAIYA): SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the present availability of fibre network in the country is sufficient in view of the increasing demand for better bandwidth and high volume connectivity, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  present  framework  for  5G  puts  pressure  on  the  existing  resources  for  fibre infrastructure and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any step is being taken to improve fibre availability beyond Metro cities such as Aligarh, etc.; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

(a) & (b) As on 31.12.2022, a total of 36.3 Lakh Route Kms Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has already been laid in the country, which will facilitate the increasing demand for better bandwidth and high  volume  connectivity.  Optical  Fibre  Cable  has  the  enormous  capacity  to  handle  the  5G connectivity. Further, to facilitate faster and easier deployment  of telecom infrastructure, Government has amended the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016 on 17 th  August 2022. These amendments pave the way for deployment of 5G small cells and optical fibre cable on existing street infrastructure.

(c) & (d) Government as well as Telecom companies have laid optical fibre cable to strengthen urban and remote area connectivity. Metro cities and cities beyond Metro cities including Aligarh are adequately connected. BharatNet project is implemented in a phased manner to provide fibre connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. The scope of BharatNet project has been extended up to all inhabited villages beyond GPs in the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 997 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: National Technical Textile Mission
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Gautham Sigamani Pon

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 997 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## NATIONAL TECHNICAL TEXTILE MISSION

## 997. DR. PON GAUTHAM SIGAMANI:

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

(a) whether it is a fact that the National Technical Textile Mission (NTTM) was launched to achieve a market size of $ 40 billion and export of $ 10 billion in the technical textiles segment by 2024-25;

(b)  whether  it  is  also  a  fact  that  the  Government  has  issued  general  guidelines  to  update  existing conventional degrees in programmes with a new paper on technical textiles;

(c) whether it is also true that around 10,000 technology students will get the benefit of paid internship programme worth Rs. 20,000 per month under NTTM; and

(d) if so the details thereof?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES (SMT. DARSHANA JARDOSH)

(a): With a  view  to  boost  technical  textiles  sector  in  the  country,  the  Government  has  set  up  the National  Technical  Textiles  Mission  (NTTM)  for  a  period  of  4  years  (2020-21  to  2023-24)  with  an outlay of Rs. 1,480 crore. The Mission aims at achieving an average growth rate of 15-20% per annum taking the level of domestic market size to 40-50 Billion USD by the year 2024.  India's exports of 207 Technical  Textile  products  have  grown  from  USD  2.21  billion  in  2020-21  to  USD  2.85  billion  in 2021-22, registering a growth rate of 28.4%.

(b) to (d): The Government has issued General Guidelines for Enabling of Academic Institutes in Technical Textiles' Education in India for Private & Public Institutes, with the objective of improving learning  levels  by  encouraging  new  Technical  Textiles  Degree  Programme  (UG  &  PG),  updating existing conventional degree programmes with new papers of Technical Textiles etc.

Apart from this,  the  Government  has  approved  the  Grant  for  Internship  Support  in  Technical Textiles (GIST) with the objective of supporting academic industry linkages in the domain of technical textiles. As  per the guidelines, financial assistance upto INR  20,000  per student per month (for  a  maximum  period  of  2  months)  would  be  given  to  empanelled  companies  on  re-imbursement basis, for onward release to eligible students.  The two Guidelines were launched on 5th January 2023. The details of both the Schemes can be accessed from www.nttm.texmin.gov.in.
Lok Sabha Question No. 993 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Introduction of Superfast Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 993 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## INTRODUCTION OF SUPERFAST TRAINS

993.  DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  there  is  severe  scarcity  of  superfast  trains  in backward rural areas of the country including from Thawe/Gopalganj junctions of Bihar despite commercial feasibility and revenue availability;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is a fact that there is a nexus between private bus operators and railway  officials  for  not  introducing  super  fast  trains  from  Thawe/Gopalganj junctions of Bihar despite commercial feasibility and revenue availability;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Ministry has taken any steps to break the nexus and introduce the super fast trains from Thawe/Gopalganj junctions; and
- (f) if so, the details in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f) At present, Thawe is being served by 03 pairs of Mail/Express and 09 pairs  of  Passenger  Specials  services,  while  Gopalganj  is  being  served  by  02 pairs  of  Mail/Express  and  02  pairs  of  Passenger  Specials  services,  providing connectivity  to  the  passengers  of  Thawe/Gopalganj  inter  alia  for  destinations like Siwan, Patliputra, Gorakhpur, Lucknow etc. Further, passengers of Thawe/Gopalganj  may  also  avail  changeover  at  Siwan  (28  kilometre  from Thawe),  which  is  well  connected  to  major  stations  of  the  country.  Besides, Indian Railways, subject to operational feasibility, traffic justification, competing demands, etc., constantly endeavours to provide connectivity between  stations.  Factors,  including  lack/  non-availability  of  infrastructural facilities at originating/terminating stations, as in the case of Thawe/Gopalganj, precludes introduction of long distance trains therefrom. There is no nexus of Railways' officials with private bus operators.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 992 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Assessment of Vacancies
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Geetha Viswanath Vanga

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 992

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023)

## ASSESSMENT OF VACANCIES

## 992. SHRIMATI VANGA GEETHA VISWANATH:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  made  any  assessment  of  the  vacancies  across  all  Central Government Ministries;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  including the  estimated timeline for completion of recruitment for the said vacancies;
- (c) whether the Government has considered increasing the number of posts for recruitment to compensate the effect of the pandemic on livelihoods during the year 2021-22;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the reasons for declining posts each year for All India and Central services?

## 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)  to  (e):    Vacancies  across  all  central  Ministries/  Departments  are  available  in  the  Annual Report of Department of Expenditure.

Recruitment against vacant posts is a continuous process. Rozgar Mela events are being held  across  the  country.  These  Rozgar  Melas  are  expected  to  act  as  a  catalyst  in  further employment  and  self  employment  generation  and  provide  gainful  service  opportunities  to  the youth.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 991 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Increase in General Class Coaches
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Deepak Baij

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 991 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## INCREASE IN GENERAL CLASS COACHES

†991.  SHRI DEEPAK BAIJ :

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of general class coaches increased in various trains in Railways during the last five years;
- (b)  whether  the  number  of  general  class  coaches  is  increased  in  the various trains during the festive season; and
- (c) if so, the facts and details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c) To facilitate General class passengers, Indian Railways, during the  last  five  years  have  augmented  876  General  Class  coaches  on permanent  basis  in  the  regular  trains  services  and  attached  1684 General  Class  coaches  on  temporary  basis  to  cater  to  the  extra  rush during festive season.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 990 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Study on Specific Needs of Railway Passengers
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sanjeev Kumar Singari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 990

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## STUDY ON SPECIFIC NEEDS OF RAILWAY PASSENGERS 990. DR. SANJEEV KUMAR SINGARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  or  survey  to understand the specific needs of the railway passengers;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in response to the findings;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  initiatives  to  obtain feedback and suggestions from railway passengers; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (c):  Indian  Railways  continuously  endeavor    to  provide  better passenger services for the convenience of travelling passengers. Passenger feedback  on  grievances  resolved  and  suggestions  are  received  through various  channels  including  social  media  platforms,  RailMadad  etc.  In addition,  Railway  officers/officials  while  doing  onboard/station  inspections do  interact  with  passengers.  Improvement  in  passenger  services  based upon passenger feedback is a continuous and ongoing process.
- (d)  &  (e):  There  is  an  existing  system  of  receiving  feedback  from  railway passengers about resolution of their grievances on Indian Railways grievance redressal portal -RailMadad. In addition, railway passengers/general  public  can  also  give  suggestions  on  RailMadad  portal which are auto-assigned to concerned authorities.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 989 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: 5G Services in the Country
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Kunwar Danish Ali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 989 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 TH  FEBRUARY, 2023

## 5G SERVICES IN THE COUNTRY

## 989. KUNWAR DANISH ALI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Telecom Service Providers have started providing 5G services in the country from 01.10.2022 onwards;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  set  any  target  to  make  5G  services  available  in  the  entire country, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the time by which it is likely to be made available in all the cities and towns of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

(a) & (b) Yes Sir. Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have started providing 5G services in the country from 01.10.2022 onwards. As on 31.01.2023, 5G services have been started in 238 cities distributed across all license service areas.

(c) & (d) The Government has established a road map to make 5G services available in different parts of the country through rollout obligations. As per the Notice Inviting Application (NIA) dated 15-06-2022 for auction of spectrum and the license conditions, the rollout obligations are required to be met over a period of five years, in a phased manner, from the date of allocation of spectrum. Further expansion of mobile networks beyond the mandatory rollout obligations, depends on the techno-commercial consideration of the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 987 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: Providing Convenience to Candidates by RRB
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Malook Nagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 987 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2023

## PROVIDING CONVENIENCE TO CANDIDATES BY RRB

## † 987  SHRI MALOOK NAGAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railway  Recruitment  Board  (RRB)  has  taken  a decision  to limit  the  distance  of  examination  centre  from  the candidate's  home  itself  for  the  convenience  of  the  candidates appearing  for  the  examination  of  Railway  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  RRB  has  made  any  additional  provision  for  the women candidates and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  time  by  which  said  decision  of  RRB  is  likely  to  be implemented; and
- (d) the other steps taken by the RRB for the convenience of the candidates appearing in the examination of the Railway's recruitment?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a): Railway  Recruitment  Boards  (RRBs)  conduct  examination covering different Geographical locations/ States all over the country even  as  far  as  all  seven  North-East  States,  Islands  of  Andaman  &

Nicobar as well as Lakshadweep & Kashmir valley in north. Due to large number of candidates i.e. more than one crore, it is not always possible to allot centres near the place of residence of the candidates. However, in allotting of centre it is ensured that Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) & female candidates are allotted centres  near  their  residence.  In  the  recent  examinations  to  avoid long  distance  travel,  it  was  decided  that  as  far  as  possible  no candidates should travel more than 500 kilometers. (b): To  encourage  women  candidates  application  fee  collected from  female  candidates  by  RRBs  is  fully  refunded  to  those  who appear  in written examination.  Further, certain relaxations are provided such as in upper age limit to certain eligible categories of female  candidates,  and  for  Level-1  recruitment,  in  the  qualifying standards for the Physical Efficiency Test (PET). (c): Does not arise. (d):

RRBs give the place of exam about ten days before the actual date of exam. A Google map link for examination centre is provided in  the  Admit  Card.  At  every  stage  of  examination,  important  SMS/ email  alerts  are  sent  to  the  candidates.  Also,  mock  tests  are conducted before actual Computer Based Test (CBT).

*****