opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3508 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: GST Evasion
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt

(a) Yes, Sir.

(b) & (c) Government takes several steps from time to time to check GST evasion and it is an ongoing exercise. Some of the recent measures taken by the Government to check tax evasion are as under:

1. Using  robust  data  analytics  and  artificial  intelligence  to  identify  and  track  risky  taxpayers  and detect tax evasion.
2. Carrying out a nationwide special drive against unscrupulous entities for availing and passing on input tax credit (ITC) fraudulently on the strength of fake/bogus invoices. Further, availment of ITC has been restricted to invoices and debit notes furnished by the supplier in their statement of outward supplies.
3. Sharing of data with partner law enforcement agencies for more targeted interventions.
4. Mandatory  Aadhaar  based  authentication  for  new  GST  registrations  as  well  as  centralized suspension of registrations of registered persons who default in timely filing of returns.
5. Reduction in threshold limit for issue of e-invoice for B2B transactions from Rs. 20 crore to Rs. 10 crore w.e.f. 01.10.2022. Similarly, generation of e-way bills by non- compliant taxpayers has been restricted.
6. Beneficial owner  made  liable  for  penal  action  and  prosecution  similar  to that of actual supplier/recipient, in cases where a supply has been made without the issuance of an invoice, or invoice has been issued without supply, or excess ITC has been availed/distributed.
7. (d) Does not arise in view of (b) and (c) above.

*****

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3508

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2022/SRAVANA 17, 1944 (SAKA)

## 'GST EVASION'

## 3508. SHRIMATI RANJANBEN DHANANJAY BHATT:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- a. whether incidents of Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion through fake firms have come to light in the country;
- b. if so, whether the Government proposes to take concrete steps to check GST evasion;
- c. if  so, the details thereof along with the time by which the said steps are likely to be taken; and
- d. if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHOUDHARY)
Lok Sabha Question No. 3507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Miyawaki Method of Afforestation
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Vishnu Dutt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOKSABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO. 3507

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## Miyawaki Method of Afforestation

## 3507.  SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  cognisant  that  Miyawaki  method  of  afforestation  can increase carbon stock of forest areas in short time span so as to help meet obligations, as submitted in Nationally Determined Contributions, under Paris Climate Deal, 2015; and
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  adopted  or  considering  to  adopt  Miyawaki  method  of afforestation on large scale, to grow dense forests in shorter time span, in the country and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) to(b) The Ministry has been making constant efforts to promote plantation across the country  and  has  taken  several  initiatives  to  increase  carbon  stock  of  the  forest areas,  so  as  to  meet  national  and  international  obligations.  Afforestation/tree plantation, being a multi-departmental, multi-agency activity, is also being taken up cross-sectorally by ministries/ organizations and also by States/UTs.

Although,  there  is  no  proposal  under  consideration  in  the  Ministry  to  adopt Miyawaki method of afforestation on large scale to grow dense forests in shorter time  span,  in  the  country,  various  States  have  undertaken  several  techniques including Miyawaki method of plantation through their own resources on either pilot or experimental basis.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3506 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Account Aggregators
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Rajveer (Raju Bhaiya) Singh, Raja Amareshwara Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3506

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 8 th  AUGUST, 2022, SRAVANA 17, 1944 (SAKA)

## ACCOUNT AGGREGATORS

3506. SHRI RAJVEER SINGH (RAJU BHAIYA):

SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has given in-principle approval/license to six firms including the National e-Governance Services Asset Data as account aggregators;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Reserve Bank of India has made online the Account Aggregator Framework in the country to enable consumers to consolidate all their financial data at one place;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the other steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (DR. BHAGWAT KARAD)

- (a)  to  (b):  Reserve  Bank  of India  (RBI)  has  informed that  they  have  granted  Certificate  of Registration  to  six  companies  as  Account  Aggregator  (AA),  as  on  date.  The  name  of  the companies are:
- (i) Finsec AA Solutions Private Limited,
- (ii) Cams Financial Information Services Private Limited,
- (iii)    Cookiejar Technologies Private Limited,
- (iv)    National E-Governance Services Limited (NESL) Asset Data Limited,
- (v) Perfios Account Aggregation Services Private Limited and
- (vi)    Yodlee Finsoft Private Limited.
- (c)  to  (e):  RBI  issued  the  Master  Direction  viz  Non-Banking  Financial  Company  (NBFC)  Account Aggregator (Reserve Bank) Directions, dated September 02, 2016 (updated upto October  05,  2021)  vide  which  the  AA  network  was  introduced  as  a  financial  data-sharing system that could facilitate investing and credit, giving consumers access and control over their financial records and expanding the potential pool of customers for financial sector entities and fintech companies. AA take data from one financial institution to another based on an individual's  direction  and  consent.  However,  registering  with  an  AA  is  fully  voluntary  for consumers. As on date all the Public Sector Banks are onboard on the AA platform.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Impact of Entrance Examinations on Reservation
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Dayanidhi Maran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3505 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## Impact of Entrance Examinations on Reservation

## 3505.   SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has carried out any study or survey on the impact of entrance examinations  on  reservations  in  education,  opportunities  of  rural  students  and  firstgeneration  learners  from  marginalised  communities  entering  into  institutes  of  higher learning and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  or  analysis  of  the  results  of  various entrance  examinations  and  prepared  reports  on  the  representation  of  students  from different communities and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  entrance  examinations  has  impacted  the  reservation  policy  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (d) whether  the  impact  of  entrance  examinations  is  creating  a  skewed  playing  field  that disproportionately favours students from urban and economically strong backgrounds and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (d) The Government has undertaken a number of initiatives, including providing financial assistance to rural students and first generation learners from marginalized communities, keeping certain percentage of seats reserved for students from disadvantaged communities for creating a level  playing  field  for  all  students.  The  Government  has  introduced  the  National  Test  Abhyas App t o help  and  support  candidates  in  their  preparation . The  National  Test  Abhyas  is  an  AIpowered app for conduct of mock tests for JEE Main, NEET and other competitive exams. The App gives immediate feedback to the students so that they know the areas for improvement.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Development of Tourism in Karnataka under PRASHAD Scheme
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: D.K. Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.3504 ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN KARNATAKA UNDER PRASHAD SCHEME

3504. SHRI D.K. SURESH:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  destinations/places  selected  for  development  of tourism  in  Karnataka  State  under  PRASHAD  scheme  of  the  Union Government;
- (b) whether the Union Government has allocated adequate funds for the development  of  the  said  destinations  to  improve  tourism  sector  in Karnataka State; and
- (c) if  so,  the  details  of  the  funds  allocated  and  spent  during  the  last three years under the scheme?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a): Chamundeshwari  Devi  temple  of  Mysuru  in  the  state  of  Karnataka has  been  included  for  development  of  pilgrimage  tourism  infrastructure under  PRASHAD  Scheme  of  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  for  the  state  of Karnataka.

(b) & (c): Allocation  of  funds  for  development  of  tourism  infrastructure under PRASHAD Scheme is subject to receipt of suitable project DPR from the respective State Government and approval thereof by the Ministry of Tourism in line with the guidelines of the Scheme.  An amount of Rs.25.00 lakh has been provided to the State Government of Karnataka in the year 2019-20 under the DPPH Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry of Tourism has also sanctioned an amount of Rs.5.41 crore for development of Railway Station at Hospet in the State of Karnataka in the year 2016-17.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Implementation of Schemes of ESIC
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Ramapati Ram Tripathi, P.P. Chaudhary, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Mahendra Singh Solanky, Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, Rajbahadur Singh

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3503 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHEMES OF ESIC

## 3503. DR. RAMAPATI RAM TRIPATHI:

SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

SHRI MAHENDRA SINGH SOLANKY:

SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA:

SHRI BRIJBHUSHAN SHARAN SINGH:

SHRI RAJBAHADUR SINGH:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  has  data  regarding  implementation  of Employees'  State  Insurance  Corporation  (ESIC)  Scheme  in  the States of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha;
- (b)if so, the details thereof;
- (c)the  details  regarding  the  number  of  hospitals  and  dispensaries  in Uttar  Pradesh  under  ESIC  with  respect  to  the  total  number  of
- hospitals and dispensaries required in the State;
- (d)whether  the  Government  has  implemented  any  measures  to  refer people  to  other  hospitals  or  dispensaries,  if  there  are  no  beds available in the hospitals covered under this scheme and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)whether  the  Government  has  details  regarding  people  who  have benefitted under the ESI scheme, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) & (b): Presently, the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) scheme has been  implemented  in  42,  33,  51  and  24  districts  of  Uttar  Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha respectively.

- (c): At present, there are 16 ESI hospitals and 98 ESI dispensaries in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Further, based on the need assessment vis-à-vis the request received from the State Government and in accordance with the ESIC norms, the ESI Corporation has given in-principle approval for setting up of 6 new ESI hospitals and 14 new dispensaries in Uttar Pradesh.

- (d): ESIC  has  made  tie-up  arrangements  with  private/public hospitals  and  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Arogya  Yojna  (PMJAY)  empaneled hospitals across the country for cashless secondary and tertiary care medical  services  to  ESI  beneficiaries.  In  case  of  non-availability  of services  in  ESIC/ESIS  hospitals,  the  ESI  beneficiaries  are  provided cashless  treatment  from  the  tie-up/empanelled  hospitals  on  referral basis.
- (e): The number of Insured Persons and beneficiaries who have availed Indoor Patient Department (IPD) services and Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) services during the year 2020-21 are 35,43,883 and 5,88,98,924  respectively.    In  addition,  cash  benefits/relief  towards sickness  benefit,  maternity  benefit,  disablement  benefit,  dependant benefit and funeral expenses were provided to 4,62,157 beneficiaries.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3501 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Tax Exemptions to District Mineral Foundations
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Achyutananda Samanta, Pramila Bisoyi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

*****

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3501

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY THE 8 th  AUGUST 2022/SRAVANA 17, 1944 (SAKA) ******

' Tax Exemptions to District Mineral Foundations '

## 3501.  SHRI ACHYUTANANDA SAMANTA: SHRIMATI PRAMILA BISOYI:

'Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  continue  the  exemptions  given  to  specified  incomes  of District  Mineral  Foundations  including  the  District  Mineral  Foundation  Trusts  of  Odisha  under  the Income Tax Act, 1961 from the financial year 2022-23 onwards so that the benefits extended to the people, especially those in mining affected areas, in the form of development and welfare under the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana, can continue seamlessly;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  its  timeframe,  as  the  current  exemptions  were  only  from financial year 2017-18 to financial year 2021-22; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER of STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHOUDHARY)

*********

- (a) All eligible bodies including District Mineral Foundation Trusts can apply for exemptions as per the provisions of Section 10(46) of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Specified income arising to such body or authority or  Board or Trust or Commission (by whatever name called), or a class thereof shall be exempt, if found eligible and the Central Government issues a notification in the Official Gazette in this regard.

- (b) & (c) In view of (a) above, it does not arise.

*********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3499 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: SHREYAS
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Prathap Simha, L.S. Tejasvi Surya

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3499 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## SHREYAS

## 3499. SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA: SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)   the total number of individuals who have applied and secured assistance under Scheme for Higher  Education  Youth  in  Apprenticeship  and  Skills  (SHREYAS)  since  inception,  yearwise;
- (b)  the  number  of  individuals  who  have  secured  employment  opportunities  in  Government service upon successful completion of the apprenticeship under SHREYAS;
- (c)   the total number of educational institutions that have implemented the Scheme, State-wise;
- (d)  whether the Scheme has been successful in placing 10% of the workforce of the country; and
- (e)   if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (e) SHREYAS was not an approved scheme of Ministry of Education (MoE) but an action plan/program for implementing apprenticeship and skill embedded courses through the education system. There was no budgetary allocation for SHREYAS. SHREYAS portal was launched on 27.02.2019  for  linking  industry  apprenticeship  with  degree  courses  through  the  National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS) of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). It was a programme basket comprising the initiatives of three Central Ministries,  namely  MoE,  MSDE  &  the  Ministry  of  Labour  &  Employment  viz  NAPS,  the National Career Service (NCS) and introduction of BA/BSc/BCom (Professional) courses in the higher  educational  institutions.  Under  SHYERAS  portal  the  conversion  of  opportunities  to contracts were insignificant. The portal was, therefore, not pursued further.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3498 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Disinvestment of BPCL
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: K. Subbarayan, Vellalath Kochukrishnan Nair. Sreekandan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF INVESTMENT AND PUBLIC ASSET MANAGEMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3498

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 08, 2022

## SRAVANA 17, 1944 (Saka)

## Disinvestment of BPCL

## 3498 .  SHRI SUBBARAYAN K.:

## SHRI V.K. SREEKANDAN:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  it is a fact that the  Government  has  decided  to  cancel  the current disinvestment process of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) as there are no bidders;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government is bent upon to continue the disinvestment process of BPCL in a later appropriate time;
- (d) if so, whether  the  Government  proposes  to  cancel the disinvestment process considering the protest from the workers against the disinvestment of BPCL; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN MINISTRY OF FINANCE (DR. BHAGWAT KISHANRAO KARAD)

- (a) to (e):  Government had invited Expression of Interest (EoI) on 7 th March, 2020 for strategic disinvestment of the equity shares held by the Government of India in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).

In  response  to  the  invitation,  multiple  EoIs  were  received  from  interested  parties. However, the Covid pandemic, energy transition issues and geo-political conditions affected  several  industries  globally,  particularly  oil  and  gas  industry.  Due  to  these factors,  the  majority  of  Qualified  Interested  Parties  (QIPs)  have  expressed  their inability to continue in the current process of disinvestment of BPCL.

In view of this, Government of India has decided to call off the present EoI process for  strategic  disinvestment  of  BPCL.  The  decision  on  re-initiation  of  the  strategic disinvestment process of BPCL depends on the review of situation in due course.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3495 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Welfare of Tobacco Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Sadashiv Kisan Lokhande

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3495

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## WELFARE OF TOBACCO WORKERS

## †3495. SHRI SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)whether  the  Government  has  formulated  or  proposes  to  formulate any scheme for the welfare of tobacco workers;
- (b)if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

- (a) to (c): There  is  a  Labour  Welfare  Scheme  for  upliftment  and welfare of Beedi workers and their family members.  The scheme has three components namely Health, Scholarship & Housing. The details are as follows:
- (i)  Health: Health care facility is provided to Beedi workers and their family members with a network of 285 dispensaries and 10 hospitals located across the country. There is  also provision for reimbursement of expenditure for specialized treatment under the  Government recognized hospitals in case of critical diseases i.e. Cancer, Tuberculosis, Heart Diseases, Kidney Transplantation, Hernia, Appendectomy, Ulcer, Gynecological diseases and Prostrate diseases to the beneficiaries.
- (ii) Scholarship: Provision for Financial Assistance for education to the wards of Beedi workers from class-I to college/university ranging from Rs.1000/-  to  Rs.25,000/-  per  student  per  annum,  depending  upon class/course.
- (iii)  Housing:  Subsidy  of  Rs.1,50,000/-  (per  beneficiary)  in  three  (03) installments at 25:60:15 ratio i.e. Rs.37,500, Rs.90,000 and Rs.22,500 respectively  for  construction  of  own  pucca  houses,  under  Revised Integrated  Housing  Scheme  (RIHS).  RIHS  has  now  been  converged with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

******