opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 107 (STARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Annual Bill for Imported Fuel
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Chandra Prakash Joshi, Rodmal Nagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION N0. 107

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## ANNUAL BILL FOR IMPORTED FUEL

- † *107.   SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI: SHRI RODMAL NAGAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  amount  spent  annually  by  Indian  Railways  on high-speed diesel;
- (b)   the amount of the annual bill for the imported fuel;
- (c) the details of the amount spent annually by the Indian railways on the maintenance of electric  and diesel locomotives separately;
- (d)    whether  it  is  possible  to  develop  and  operate  such  locomotives which can use ethanol or bio-diesel; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF STARRED QUESTION  NO.  107  BY  SHRI  CHANDRA  PRAKASH  JOSHI  AND  SHRI RODMAL  NAGAR  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  14.12.2022 REGARDING ANNUAL BILL FOR IMPORTED FUEL

- (a)   the year wise details of amount (including Freight and other taxes etc.) spent by Indian Railways on high speed diesel;
- (b)  There has been no direct import of HSD (High-speed diesel) by Indian Railways.
- (c) The amount spent annually by the Indian Railways on the maintenance of electric and diesel locomotives for three years is as under:

| Year    |   Amount spent in Crores of |
|---------|-----------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                     18587.1 |
| 2019-20 |                     16377.6 |
| 2020-21 |                     11438.7 |

| Year    | Amount in Crores of   | Amount in Crores of   |
|---------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|         | Electric              | Diesel                |
| 2018-19 | 2262.90               | 3669.48               |
| 2019-20 | 2430.76               | 3508.27               |
| 2020-21 | 2344.86               | 2687.28               |

(d)  &  (e)  Yes,  Sir.  It  is  possible  to  operate  locomotives  on  ethanol/biodiesel  after  blending  with  other  fuels.  Operation  of  diesel  locomotives with B-5 Bio-diesel have been tested by Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 105 (STARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Introduction of Trains between Tirupati and Shirdi
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Maddila  Gurumoorthy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 105

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

INTRODUCTION OF TRAINS BETWEEN TIRUPATI AND SHIRDI

*105. SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether progress has been made on the recommendation of Standing Committee  on  Railways  (2018-2019)  on  the  introduction  of  more  trains between  Tirupati  and  Shirdi  and  widening  the  connectivity  of  these stations from other parts of the country to meet the increasing demand of tourists; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) and (b)  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) AND (b) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. 105 BY SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY TO BE ANSWERED IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  14.12.2022  REGARDING  INTRODUCTION  OF  TRAINS BETWEEN TIRUPATI AND SHIRDI (a) and (b) The final response of Ministry of Railways on the recommendation  number  08  of  24th    Report  of  Standing  Committee  on Railways had been submitted in May, 2019.  At present, there is a direct weekly  train  service  between  Tirupati  and  Sai  Nagar  Shirdi.    Besides, there are three weekly  trains services which  provide connectivity between  Tirupati  and  stations  like  Nagarsol,  Manmad  and  Aurangabad, which  are  the  nearby  stations  to  Sri  Sainagar  Shirdi.  Further,  for  the convenience  of  passengers,  one  weekly  special  train  is  also  being operated between Tirupati and Aurangabad w.e.f. 07.08.2022. Introduction of additional train between Tirupati and Sri Sainagar Shirdi is not found feasible, at present, owing to operational constraints including terminal  constraint  at  Tirupati  and  Sainagar  Shirdi  and  severe  line capacity constraints on sections en-route. However, introduction of train services is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to operational feasibility, commercial viability and availability of resources.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1380 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Export of Handicraft
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Bharatiben Dhirubhai Shyal, Shankar Lalwani

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1380 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## EXPORT OF HANDICRAFT

## 1380. DR. BHARATIBEN DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL: SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI:

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

- (a) the details of the quantum of export of handicraft products over the last two years, year-wise;
- (b)  the  details  of  the  process  through  which  maximum  business  was  transacted  and  the  quantum  of business transacted through e-commerce platform; and
- (c) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to augment the transaction of Handicraft business?

## उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

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

- (a) & (b): Details of export of handicraft products including through e-commerce platform over the last two year is enclosed at annexure-1.
- (c): Ministry  of  Textiles  organized  marketing  events  both  in  domestic  as  well  as  international markets to provide direct marketing platform to artisans. In financial year 2020-21 & 2021-22 a total of 397 domestic & 55 international marketing events were organized.

## Annexure referred to the reply of part (a) and (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1380 to be answered on 14.12.2022

The details of the quantum of export of handicraft products over the last two years, year-wise.

|                              | Rs. In Crore   | Rs. In Crore   | US $ in Millions   | US $ in Millions   |
|------------------------------|----------------|----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Items                        | 2020-21        | 2021-22        | 2020-21            | 2021-22            |
|                              | (April-March)  | (April-March)  | (April-March)      | (April-March)      |
| Art metal Wares              | 3,344.01       | 4,179.83       | 450.52             | 560.58             |
| Woodwares                    | 6,620.85       | 7,891.24       | 892.00             | 1,058.34           |
| Handprinted Textiles         | 2,463.99       | 2,995.76       | 331.96             | 401.78             |
| Embroidered &Crocheted Goods | 4,399.77       | 5,674.17       | 592.76             | 761.00             |
| Shawls as Artwares           | 2.39           | 7.95           | 0.32               | 1.07               |
| Zari& Zari Goods             | 120.10         | 104.16         | 16.18              | 14.01              |
| Imitation Jewellery          | 1,250.37       | 1,660.52       | 168.46             | 222.70             |
| Agarbatties &Attars          | 1,214.86       | 1,587.86       | 163.67             | 212.96             |
| Misc. Handicrafts            | 6,263.64       | 8,315.41       | 843.87             | 1,115.23           |
| Total                        | 25,679.98      | 32,417.20      | 3,459.74           | 4,347.67           |

Source: The directorate General of Commercial intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S)

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Policies to Develop Textile Production
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Indra Hang Subba

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## POLICIES TO DEVELOP TEXTILE PRODUCTION

## 1378. SHRI INDRA HANG SUBBA:

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

(a) whether the Government has any policies to develop textile production by tribal communities and if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the details of the policies put in place by the Government to encourage indigenous textiles in the villages?

## उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

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

(a) & (b): Government is implementing various policy initiatives in the form of schemes/programmes on Pan India basis including tribal  communities  for  promotion  and  overall  development  of  textile  sector.  In order to encourage indigenous textiles in the villages, Government is implementing different schemes under Handlooms, Handicrafts, Silk, Jute and Wool sectors  viz. National Handloom Development Programme, Raw  Material  Supply  Scheme,  National  Handicraft  Development  Programme,  Silk  Samagra,  Integrated Wool Development Programme and SAMARTH-Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector etc.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1376 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Development of Jute Sector
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Mohammad Jawed

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1376 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## DEVELOPMENT OF JUTE SECTOR

## 1376. DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  plan  for  the  development  of  the  jute  sector  and  to increase the quality and productivity of raw jute including for diversification and modernization of the jute sector in the Seemanchal region of Bihar other than Purnea District, if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the decision taken by the Government for boosting and sustaining the demand for jute products in Kishanganj District?

उत्तर

## ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

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

(a) & (b): The Government of India has approved an Umbrella Programme namely National Jute Development  Program  (NJDP)  with  an  outlay  of  Rs.  485.58  crore  for  overall  development  and promotion of jute sector during the period of 2021-22 to 2025-26. NJDP also comprises schemes for increasing the quality and productivity of raw jute including diversification and modernization of the jute  sector.  NJDP  is  a  Pan  India  program  which  also  covers  districts  (Araria,  Madhepura,  Saharsa, Supaul, Purnea, Kishanganj and Katihar) of Seemanchal region of Bihar State.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1373 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Coal Shortage for the Production of electricity
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: D.K. Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1373 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## Coal Shortage for the Production of Electricity

## 1373. SHRI D.K. SURESH:

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

- (a) whether the Country is facing acute coal shortage for the production of electricity; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the percentage of electricity produced from coal in total electricity production in the Country?

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

(a) to (b): The all India coal production in the year 2021-2022 was 778.19 Million  Tonne  (MT)  in  comparison  to  716.083  MT  in  the  year  2020-2021. Further, in the current financial year (upto November'22), the country has produced about 524.2 MT of coal as compared to about 448.1 MT during the same  period  of  last  year  with  a  growth  of  about  17%.  Central  Electricity Authority (CEA)  informed  that the coal stock available at coal based thermal power  plants  in  the  country  is  about  31  MT  as  on  07.12.2022,  which is  sufficient for an average of about 11 days at a requirement of 85% PLF. As such, there is no coal shortage in the country.

The details of coal based power generation, total generation and percentage of generation from coal vis-à-vis total generation in the country during 202021, 2021-22 and 2022-23 (April to November) are given as under.

| Fuel                                  |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23 (April to November)* |
|---------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|--------------------------------|
| Coal based generation (Billion Units) |     950.9 |    1041.5 |                          747.8 |
| Total Generation (Billion Units)      |    1381.9 |    1491.9 |                         1089.9 |
| % of Coal based Generation            |      68.8 |      69.8 |                           68.6 |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1371 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Kanhangad-Kaniyoor Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1371 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## KANHANGAD-KANIYOOR RAILWAY LINE

## 1371. SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) the Kanhangad - Kaniyoor railway line has been in demand by the people of Kasaragod for many years;
- (b) whether  no  action  has  been  taken  by  the    Government  after  the preliminary survey of the project, if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether there are other hurdles like technical, financial and ecological feasibility for implementing  this project, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Union  Government  has  received  consent  from  the  State Governments  i.e.  Karnataka  and  Kerala  for  sharing  the  cost  of  this project, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps likely to be taken by the Government to make  this Kanhangadu-Kaniyoor railway line a reality?

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e): Survey  for Kanhangad - Kaniyuru via Panathur (90.5 Km) new line has  been  completed  in  2020.  As  per  survey  report  the  proposed  alignment passes  through  State  of  Kerala  and  Karnataka.  State  Government  of  Kerala has given consent for sharing only 50% of land cost for portion falling in the State  of  Kerala.  Survey  report  has  been  considered.  However,  project  could not be taken forward due to low traffic potential.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1370 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Sub-standard Food in Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Harish Dwivedi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1370

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

SUB-STANDARD FOOD IN TRAINS

†1370. SHRI HARISH DWIVEDI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government has launched an option to provide food to passengers as per their choices during train journey and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the passengers are continuously complaining regarding substandard foods being served to them during train journey; and (c) is so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a):  Yes,  Sir.  'Optional  Catering  Service'  has  been  introduced  in  all premium  trains  (Rajdhani,  Shatabdi,  Duronto,  Gatiman,  Tejas,  Vande Bharat) w.e.f. 01.09.2019. In this scheme, passengers are being provided with the option at the time of booking tickets, to opt out of the pre-paid catering facilities being provided in these trains.

- (b)  and (c):  During  the  period  01.04.2022  to 31.10.2022, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has received a total of 5869 complaints of food quality in trains. On receipt of any complaint of food quality, appropriate action including penalty is taken against the service provider of IRCTC. It is the continuous endeavour of Indian Railways (IR) to  provide  good  quality  and  hygienic  food  to  the  passengers  as  per norms and standards prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1367 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Arati Cotton Mills Limited
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Prasun Banerjee

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1367 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## ARATI COTTON MILLS LIMITED

## 1367. SHRI PRASUN BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of TEXTILES be pleased to state :

## वस्त्र मंत्री

- (a) the details of the amount spent for modernisation in Arati Cotton Mills Limited, Howrah;

(b) the current status of Arati Cotton Mills Limited, Howrah;

- (c) whether the Government has made any review in this regard; 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): As per the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) approved revival scheme (MS-08), an amount of Rs. 48.69 crores has been spent towards modernization in Arati Cotton Mills, Howrah, a unit of National Textile Corporation Ltd. (NTC).

(b) to (d): Production activity  in  NTC  working  mills  including  Arati  Cotton  Mills,  Howrah  were suspended  due  to  Covid-19  pandemic  and  nationwide  lockdown  imposed  by  the  various  State Governments from March, 2020.   Normal operations were resumed in some of the NTC mills including Arati  Cotton  Mills,  Howrah  from  January,  2021  but  could  not  be  continued  due  to  unavailability  of working capital  and other financial constraints.   In  light  of  the  continued  poor  economic  viability  of NTC  mills,  Ministry  of  Textiles  is  preparing  an  action  plan  for  a  way  forward  in  the  matter  in consultation with NITI Aayog and Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1364 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Connecting Towns by Railway Lines
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Thomas Chazhikadan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1364 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## CONNECTING TOWNS BY RAILWAY LINES

## 1364.   SHRI THOMAS CHAZHIKADAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any proposal for connecting towns with population more than 50,000 by railway lines, if so, the details thereof;
- (b)
- whether the Government has conducted any survey in this regard;
- (c) if  so, the details of the report so conducted and the agency which conducted the said survey;
- (d) the  names  of  towns  identified  by  the  Indian  Railways  for  this purpose, State-wise; and
- (e) the proposed date for completion of the works?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)to(e). At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  for  sanction  for  connectivity  to towns with population more than 50,000 by railway lines.

Survey for new railway lines in areas which are not connected by Railway  network  is  a  continuous  and  ongoing  process  of  Indian Railways and are done based on demands raised by State Governments, Ministries of Central Government, Members of Parliament, other elected representatives, organizations/rail users and Railways' own operational requirements.

Based  on  Survey  reports,  projects  are  taken  up  on  the  basis  of remunerativeness, last mile connectivity, missing links and alternate routes,  augmentation  of  congested/saturated  lines,  socio-economic considerations etc. depending upon throw forward of ongoing projects, overall availability of funds and competing demands.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1362 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: New Catering Policy
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Ravi Kishan Shukla, Ravindra Kushawaha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1362 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022 NEW CATERING POLICY

†1362. SHRI RAVI KISHAN:

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  to  formulate  a  new catering policy;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether the courts have stayed the implementation of the present catering and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  to  formulate  a  uniform policy for multi- purpose stalls of all kinds and if so, the time by which it is likely to be done?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) and (b): Review /revision of existing policies or formulation of a new policy  is  a  continuous  process  and  the  same  is  done,  as  and  when necessitated,  to  address  urgent  and/or  important  issues,  emerging priorities of the travelling passengers with objective to bring qualitative improvement in catering services on Indian Railways.

- (c): No, Sir. The management of catering services on Indian Railways is done  in  accordance  with  the  extant  Catering  Policy  2017  issued  on 27.02.2017.

(d): No, Sir.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1359 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Handloom Research Center
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Basanta Kumar Panda

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1359 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2022

## HANDLOOM RESEARCH CENTER

## 1359. SHRI BASANTA KUMAR PANDA:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to establish 'Handloom Research Center, Sambalpur Vastra' in Bargarh district of West Odisha;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the quantum of financial assistance likely to be provided to establish the said research center?

## उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

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

- (a) to (c): Ministry of Textile is implementing National Handloom Development Programme with various  components  including  need  based  special  and  infrastructure  projects.  Under  the  scheme, financial  assistance  is  provided  on  receipt  of  complete  proposal  as  per  the  guidelines  from  State Government.

No proposal  to  establish  Handloom  Research  Centre,  Sambalpur  Vastra  in  Bargarh  district  has  been received from State Government of Odisha.

***