opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4593 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Incidents of Violence and Insurgency
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: T.R.V.S. Ramesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4593

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 TH  MARCH, 2023/ CHAITRA 7, 1945 (SAKA)

INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AND INSURGENCY

4593.  SHRI T.R.V.S. RAMESH:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  incidents  of  violence  and  insurgency  in  the Southern region has decreased;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether  it  is  also  a  fact  that  hundreds  of  militants  have  surrendered along with their weapons in the said region; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a) & (b):  Several parts of the country including some of the southern states have  seen  Left  Wing  Extremism  (LWE)  violence  in  the  past  decades. However, to address the LWE menace holistically, Government of India (GoI) approved  'National  Policy  and  Action  Plan  to  address  LWE'  in  2015.  The Policy envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security related measures,  development  interventions,  ensuring  rights  and  entitlements  of local communities, etc. Steadfast implementation of this policy has resulted in consistent decline in LWE violence across the nation including southern region of the country.

## L.S. USQ. NO. 4593 FOR 28.03.2023

The number of LWE related violent incidents in the country have come down by  77%  in  2022  in  comparison  of  high  of  2010.  The  number  of  resultant deaths (Security Forces + Civilians) have also reduced by 90 % from all time high of 1005 in 2010 to 98 in 2022.

Geographical spread of violence has also significantly reduced and only 176 Police Stations of 45 districts reported LWE violence in 2022 as compared to high of 465 Police Stations of 96 districts in 2010.

LWE related violence incidents reported from the southern region declined significantly by 87 % from high of 104 incidents in 2010 to just 13 incidents reported from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana only in 2022.

(c)  &  (d):  Improved  situation  in  the southern states has seen surrender by 435  LWE  cadres  from  2019  to  2022  including  one  Central  Committee member.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4589 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Compensation for Delays under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4589

ANSWERED ON 28/03/2023

## COMPENSATION FOR DELAYS UNDER MGNREGS

## 4589.   SHRI T.R. BAALU:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  as  per  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), if Stage 1 plus Stage 2 exceeds 15 days, then workers are entitled to a delay compensation for each day's delay; and
- (b) if  so,  the  initiatives  that  have  been  taken/  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government keeping in view the fact that the Union Government has not assumed any accountability by  paying  compensation  for  delays  despite  the  evident  damage  caused  by  caste-based segregation of payments?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) & (b)       As per the provisions mentioned in Schedule-II of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), wage seekers shall be entitled to receive payment of compensation for the delay, at the rate of 0.05% of the unpaid wages per day of delay beyond the sixteenth day of closure of muster roll.

Any delay in payment of compensation beyond a period of fifteen days from the date it becomes payable shall be considered in the same manner as the delay in payment of wages.

The State Government shall pay the compensation upfront after due verification within the time limits specified above and recover the compensation amount from the functionaries or agencies responsible for the delay in payment.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4588 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Upgradation of Broadcasting Infrastructure of Prasar Bharti
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Ramesh Bidhuri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4588

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2023)

UPGRADATION OF BROADCASTING INFRASTRUCTURE OF PRASAR BHARTI

## 4588. SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

Will  the  Minister  of  Information  and  Broadcasting  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has proposed to upgrade broadcasting infrastructure and network development of Prasar Bharti;
- (b)   if so, the details thereof;
- (c)   whether the Government has proposed to distribute over eight lakh Doordarshan dish setup boxes to people living in remote, tribal and border areas; and
- (d)   if so, the details thereof along with the timeframe fixed, if any?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a) to (d) The Government has approved continuation of the Central Sector Scheme 'Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development  (BIND)'  with  an  outlay  of  Rs.  2539.61  crore  for  the period  2021-26  for  upgradation  of  broadcasting  infrastructure  and network development of Prasar Bharati which also includes distribution  of  over  8  lakh  DD  Free  Dish  Set  Top  Boxes  (STBs)  to people living in remote, tribal, Left Wing Extremism affected, border areas and aspirational districts in consultation with State Governments.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4587 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Schemes launched under Khelo India Schemes
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Khan Saumitra

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS (DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4587 ANSWERED ON 28.03.2023

Schemes launched under Khelo India Schemes

4587.  SHRI SAUMITRA KHAN:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the budget of the Union Government for the promotion of sports in the State of Bihar;

(b)  whether  the  Government  is  providing  any  assistance  to  the  State  of Bihar to promote sports under the Khelo India Scheme; and

(c) if so, the details thereof?

## THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS

## ANSWER { SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR }

(a) 'Sports' being a State subject, the responsibility of promotion of sports in the country, including in the State of Bihar, rests primarily with the State/UT Governments.  The  Union  Government  only  supplements  their  efforts  by bridging critical gaps.

(b)  and  (c)  Yes,  Sir.  Under  the  Khelo  India  Scheme,  this  Ministry  has sanctioned 10 sports infrastructure projects, notified 01 Khelo India State Centre of Excellence and 33 district level Khelo India Centres in the State of Bihar.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4586 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Web Portal for Organic Products
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: S.R. Parthiban, Nihal Chand Chauhan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4586

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 Th  MARCH, 2023

## WEB PORTAL FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTS

4586. SHRI PARTHIBAN S.R.: SHRI NIHAL CHAND:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has proposed any plan to set up a web portal for direct sale of organic products:
- (b) whether the Government has taken any initiative to facilitate organic certification to the individiual farmers who are not a part of the organic schemes; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान काण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a): Government has developed web portal- www.Jaivikkheti.in/ as an online marketing platform for direct sale of organic products by farmers to the consumers to help them for better price realization. 6.09 lakh farmers have been registered under Jaivik kheti portal .
- (b) & (c): Under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) scheme provision has been made  for  providing  assistance  of  Rs.  2700/ha  for  3  years  for  Participatory  Guarantee System (PGS) / National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) organic certification to individual  farmers  who  are  not  part  of  the  PKVY  scheme.  States  are  required  to  identify individual farmers and encourage them to register with concerned Regional Council (RC) under  PGS-  India  programme/  Accreditation  certification  body  under  NPOP.  Enrolled farmers  will  have  to  register  on  the  Jaivik  Kheti  Portal  with  their  C-1  status.  State  will access the details of farmers from jaivik kheti portal. Based on state-wise registration and verification, funds are provided as reimbursement directly to RCs or certification bodies. In case a farmer is having land less than 1.00 ha, then the cost will be calculated on prorata basis.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4584 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Selection of Places for Pilot Testing under NMMS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4584

ANSWERED ON 28/03/2023

## SELECTION OF PLACES FOR PILOT TESTING UNDER NMMS

## 4584.   SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the  list  of  States/UTs  where  the  pilot  tests  of  the  National  Mobile  Monitoring  System have not taken place;
- (b) the  criteria  for  selecting  places  for  pilot  testing  under  the  National  Mobile  Monitoring System;
- (c) the  manner in which the workers of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) ensure that there is no discrepancy in their attendance registration;
- (d) the  manner  in  which  the  workers  can  resolve  their  grievances  related  to  attendance registration; and
- (e) the  alternative  platform  for  registering  attendance  of  the  MGNREGS  workers  if  the Panchayat Rojgar Sahayak (PRS) fails to register the attendance?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) to (e):  A field visit was made to the Alwar district of Rajasthan for pilot testing of National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App and after checking its applicability, the NMMS App was launched.

The capturing of attendance for all the works (except individual beneficiary schemes/projects) under  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS)  through NMMS App has been made mandatory from 1st January, 2023.

Worksite  supervisors  are  responsible  for  capturing  attendance  along  with  geo-tagged photographs  of  the  workers  through  the  NMMS  App. The  Ministry  has  been  providing training to the States/UTs to ensure smooth transitioning to NMMS app as and when requested by the States/UTs. The technical issues being faced are taken up with NIC, Rural Development on  a  real-time  basis.  The  new  provisions/  suggestions  requested  by  the  States/UTs  are  being incorporated. All the issues concerning the NMMS application are reviewed and resolved from time  to  time.  Some  important  decisions  taken  as  per  request  of  State  Governments  are  given below:

1. NMMS app has been modified to capture the second photograph just  after  4  hours  of uploading the attendance  and  first  photograph.  It  has  eased  out  the  specific  time  point requirement for capturing the attendance and photographs. The morning attendance along with the first photograph can be captured in offline mode and to be uploaded once the device comes into a network.
2. In case of exceptional circumstances due to which attendance could not be uploaded, the District  Programme  Coordinator  (DPC)  has  been  authorized  to  upload  the  manual attendance.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4583 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Communication and Official Languages
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Subrata Pathak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4583

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 28 TH  MARCH, 2023/ CHAITRA 7, 1945 (SAKA)

COMMUNICATION AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

†4583.  SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to make Sanskrit as the communication and Official  language  in  addition  to  Hindi  and  if  so,  the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has received any proposal in this regard; and

(c) if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a):  No, Sir. There is no proposal under consideration of the Government to make Sanskrit as communication and official language.

As per Article 343 (1) of the Constitution of India, the official language of the Union is Hindi in Devnagari script.

- (b): No Sir
- (c): Does not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4575 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Recruitment for SC/ST
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Bholanath (B.P. Saroj)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4575 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2023

## RECRUITMENT FOR SCIST

4575. SHRI BHOLANATH (B.P. SAROJ):

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state: -

- (a) whether the Government is considering any proposal to encourage recruitment of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) candidates under affirmative action;
- (6) if so, the details of the proposal;
- the decision of the Government and the manner in which the Government is planning to implement it; and
- (d) whether the Government has any plan to give special priority for any State and section for it; if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI A NARAYANASWAMY)

- (a) to (d): As per the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), a Coordination Committee for Affirmative Action in the Private Sector was set up by the Prime Minister's Office in 2006. Secretary (DoPT), Secretary (SJ&E), Secretary (Tribal Affairs) and Secretary  (DPIIT) are the members Committee. DPIIT is  providing the secretarial assistance to the committee. So far 9 meetings of Coordination Committee have been held. In the Ist Coordination Committee meeting, it was stated that the best course for achieving progress on the issue of affirmative action is through voluntary action by the industry itself:

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Dalit   Indian Chamber  of Commerce Industry (DICCI) have prepared Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for their member companies centered around education, employability and entrepreneurship to achieve inclusion. Measures undertaken by the members of Industry Associations, inter-alia, include scholarships, vocational training, entrepreneurship development programmes, coaching etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF)
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: M. Selvaraj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4573

ANSWERED ON 28.03.2023

## BACKWARD REGIONS GRANT FUND (BRGF)

## 4573. SHRI M. SELVARAJ:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) the names of the districts included by the Government under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) in Tamil Nadu;
- (b) the total funds allocated to the State Governments under the BRGF;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to amend the instructions for inclusion of backward regions of Tamil Nadu; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PANCHAYATI RAJ

## (SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL)

(a): Six  districts  of  Tamil  Nadu  namely,  Cuddalore,  Dindigul,  Nagapattinam,  Sivaganga, Tiruvannamalai  and  Villupuram  were  included  under  the  District  Component  of  Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme implemented by Ministry of Panchayati Raj during the period 2006-07 to 2014-15.

(b): Under the BRGF (District Component) Programme, a total of Rs. 27,638.11 crore were released to various states that includes Rs.632.53 crore for the state of Tamil Nadu.

(c): No Sir. BRGF programme has been delinked from the budgetary support of the Central Government since 2015-16 consequent upon the implementation of the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission under which the share of States in the net proceeds of the Union taxes was significantly enhanced from 32% to 42% that allowed the States with greater autonomy for financing and designing the developmental schemes, especially for the backward regions.

- (d): Question does not arise in view of (c) above.
Lok Sabha Question No. 4566 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Contract by Prasar Bharati with Hindustan Samachar
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Suresh Kodikunnil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4566

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2023)

## CONTRACT BY PRASAR BHARATI WITH HINDUSTAN SAMACHAR

4566. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Prasar Bharati, which runs Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), has signed an exclusive contract with Hindustan Samachar for daily newsfeed and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  reports  that  Hindustan Samachar having an ideological slant raising concerns of objectivity in news reporting and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the process under which the Prasar Bharati empanels a news agency for providing newsfeed;
- (d)  whether a panel was involved in selecting the newsfeed provider for Prasar Bharati and if so, the details of panelists and news providers who were shortlisted;
- (e) whether the Press Trust of India was revoked of its contract upon termination of their contract  period of subscription with Prasar Bharati; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER  OF  YOUTH  AFFAIRS  &  SPORTS  (SHRI  ANURAG  SINGH THAKUR) (a) & (b): No, Sir. Prasar Bharati gets news feeds from multiple sources agencies. Hindusthan  Samachar  was  providing  services  to  All  India  Radio  and Doordarshan  in  the  1970s,  even  before  formation  of  Prasar  Bharati. Based  on  requirement  of  All  India  Radio  and  Doordarshan,  Prasar including Hindusthan Samachar,  which is one of the Bharati engaged the services of Hindusthan Samachar.

(c)  &  (d):  Prasar  Bharati  enters  into  an  agreement  with  the  news agencies  for  obtaining  and  using  their  news  feed  with  pre-defined terms and conditions as mutually agreed.

(e) & (f): Prasar Bharati has informed that it availed the subscription to the Press Trust of India (PTI) services on the basis of an ad-hoc prorata arrangement from the year 2006 onwards. Prasar Bharati informed PTI on 15.10.2020 that Prasar Bharati Board had decided to end the ad-hoc arrangement.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4565 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-28
Subject: Budget Allocation under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Deepak Baij

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4565

ANSWERED ON 28/03/2023

## BUDGET ALLOCATION UNDER MGNREGS

## 4565.   SHRI DEEPAK BAIJ:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the labourers received wages in their homes and villages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during the Corona period which helped them in their livelihood and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the budget provisions made under the said scheme during each of the last five years;
- (c) whether budget allocation has been reduced under the said scheme during the year 202324; and
- (d) if so, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a)     Central Government is making wage payments directly into the Bank/Post office accounts of  the  beneficiary  as  per  the  DBT  protocol  through  a  National  Electronic  Fund  Management System  (Ne-FMS)  for  the  States/UTs  under  Ne-FMS  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS).

During the financial year 2020-21, a total of 389.09 crore person-days had been generated and a total of 1.91 crore new job cards were issued under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.

During the financial year 2021-22, a total of 363.22 crore person-days had been generated and a total of 1.22 crore new job cards were issued under the Scheme.

- (b)    The details of funds allocation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS at Budget Estimate stage and Revised Estimate stage for the last five financial years from 2017-18 to 2021-22 is given below:

(Rs. in crore)

|   S. No. | Financial Year   | Budget Estimate   | Revised Estimate   |
|----------|------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
|        1 | 2017-18          | 48,000            | 55167.06           |
|        2 | 2018-19          | 55,000            | 61830.09           |
|        3 | 2019-20          | 60,000            | 71001.81           |
|        4 | 2020-21          | 61,500            | 1,11,500           |
|        5 | 2021-22          | 73,000            | 98,000             |

(c)  &  (d)      There  is  a  budget  allocation  of  Rs.  60,000  crores  at  Budget  Estimate  stage  for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS for financial year 2023-24.

Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  is  a  demand-driven  wage  employment  scheme.  Funds  release  to States/UTs  is  a  continuous  process  and  Central  Government  is  committed  to  making  funds available to States/UTs for the implementation of the Scheme as per the demand for work on the ground.

The  Ministry  seeks  additional  funds  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  from  the  Ministry  of Finance as and when required for meeting the demand for work on the ground.

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