opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 206 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Instalments of MPLAD Scheme
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Dinesh Chandra Yadav, Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.206

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07-12-2022

## INSTALMENTS OF MPLAD SCHEME

206. SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH: SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV: SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of instalments released under MPLAD Scheme after the corona (COVID) period;
- (b)  whether  MPLAD  scheme  has  been  restored  as  earlier,  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (c) whether the release of instalments under MPLAD Scheme has been delayed in many Parliamentary Constituencies due to non-availability of funds to be released by the Union Government; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION,  MINISTER  OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a)  &  (b)    The  MPLAD  Scheme  was  non-operational for  two  financial years 2020-21 & 2021-22 for managing the economic and health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and same has been restored in accordance with the decision taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 10-112021, for the remaining part of the Financial Year 2021-22 with release of MPLADS fund at the rate of ₹ 2 crore per Member of Parliament in one instalment and continued MPLAD Scheme up to 2025-26 with annual entitlement  per  Member  of  Parliament  ( MP)  at  ₹  5  crores.  After restoration of the Scheme, the Ministry has released 1199 instalments till 30.11.2022. (c)  &  (d)    Release  of  funds  under  MPLADS  is  strictly  subject  to fulfillment  of  fund-related  criteria  and  submission  of  fund-related documents by District Authorities as prescribed under extant MPLADS Guidelines.  Instalments  under  MPLADS  have  been  released  by  the Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation  in  all  cases fulfilling the said criteria.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 197 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: IT Park in Darbhanga
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Gopal Jee Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 197

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 07.12.2022

## IT PARK IN DARBHANGA

## 197.     SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has established second IT Park in Darbhanga district in the State of Bihar; and

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  time  by  which  it  will  be  formally  made operational?

## ANSWER

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

(a):  Yes  Sir.  Software  Technology  Parks  of  India  (STPI),  an  autonomous  society  under Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology,  is  instrumental  in  taking  digital technologies across the country to drive the Government's initiatives to the smaller towns. STPI is in the process of establishing a center in Darbhanga district in the State of Bihar. The said center will have Ground + 1 floor with total built up area of 16,171 Sq. ft.

(b):  The  infrastructure  development  work  of  STPI  centre  at  Darbhanga  (Bihar)  is  near completion.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 196 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: 5G Services by BSNL/MTNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Uday Pratap Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 196 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## 5G SERVICES BY BSNL/MTNL

## †196.   SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has made any demand with the Government to reserve 70MHz airwaves of 5G spectrum for its 5G;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether BSNL and MTNL have taken any steps and started trials to launch 5G services in the country;

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(e) whether the Government has signed any agreement with Indian and foreign companies for 5G services; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) As part of the Cabinet decision on the conduct of Spectrum Auctions held in July 2022, 10 MHz of paired spectrum in the 600 MHz band, 40 MHz in the 3300 MHz band and 400 MHz in  the  26  GHz  band  has  been  reserved  in  all  Licence  Service  Areas  for  providing  5G services  by  BSNL.  Further  BSNL  has  also  requested  for  reservation  of  10  MHz  of  paired spectrum in the 700 MHz in lieu of the already reserved 10 MHz in the 600 MHz band, and additional  30  MHz  and  400  MHz  of  spectrum  in  the  3300  MHz  band  and  26  GHz  band respectively in all Licence Service Areas (LSAs).

(c) & (d) 5G Non Standalone Access (NSA) upgrade has been kept as a deferred feature in BSNL's EOI (Expression of Interest) dated 01.01.2021 for Registration-cum- Participation and Proof  of  Concept  for  4G  tender  of  BSNL.  As  per  EOI  condition,  BSNL  has  asked  M/s  Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to offer the equipment for 5G NSA testing (deferred feature) so as to enable BSNL to start the trial for 5G services.

(e) & (f) The  Government  has  not signed any agreement with Indian and foreign companies for 5G services.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 194 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: BSNL/MTNL Customers Porting to another Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Kunwar Danish Ali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 194 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## BSNL/MTNL CUSTOMERS PORTING TO ANOTHER NETWORK

## 194. KUNWAR DANISH ALI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether a number of BSNL/MTNL customers are porting to another network, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor during the last five years;
- (b) whether BSNL/MTNL is going to provide 5G facility to their customers;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the steps being taken by the Government for the development of BSNL/MTNL in the country?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The details of port IN and port OUT of BSNL/MTNL users are as under:

| Period                   | BSNL                 | BSNL                | MTNL                 | MTNL                |
|--------------------------|----------------------|---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|
|                          | Port OUT subscribers | Port IN subscribers | Port OUT subscribers | Port IN subscribers |
| April-22 to September-22 | 3556245              | 1015852             | 23989                | 2745                |
| April-21 to March-22     | 5615802              | 3057626             | 56740                | 4816                |
| April-20 to March-21     | 6671056              | 1799124             | 68160                | 2655                |
| April-19 to March-20     | 3938880              | 4321220             | 107601               | 8764                |
| April-18 to March-19     | 3224829              | 5600446             | 145552               | 11294               |
| April-17 to March-18     | 3984637              | 5203773             | 198022               | 10020               |

(b) to (d) The  Government  has  reserved  the  spectrum  for  BSNL  in  various  bands  for providing 5G services, while conducting the spectrum auction in July, 2022. BSNL has floated the tender in October 2022 for finalizing its 4G/5G network through Atmanirbhar initiative of the Government from amongst the shortlisted vendors who have demonstrated their equipment in the Proof of Concept (PoC) conducted in BSNL.

- (e) The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 27.07.2022 has approved revival package of BSNL/MTNL amounting to Rs 1.64 lakhs crores. The Revival measures focus on infusing fresh capital  for  upgrading  BSNL  services,  allocating  spectrum,  de-stressing  its  balance  sheet, augmenting its fibre network by merging Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) with BSNL and sovereign guarantees to BSNL/MTNL.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 193 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Restoration of Pre-Covid Running Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Mahabali Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 193 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## RESTORATION OF PRE-COVID RUNNING TRAINS

†193.  SHRI MAHABALI SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of trains operated from Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction to Howrah from Dehri-on-Sone to Ranchi Palamu from Arah to Sasaram before  the  lockdown  under  Deendayal  Upadhyaya  Division  of  East Central Railway;
- (b) the number of the said trains which are not running at present;
- (c)  the  reasons  why  Dehri-on-Sone  Railway  Station  is  still  deprived from the basic facilities even after getting Grade A status; and
- (d) the time by which the Government intends to operate all the trains that have been discontinued?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d)    To  contain  the  spread  of  COVID  -  19  pandemic,  Indian Railways had discontinued all regular passenger carrying trains w.e.f. 23rd  March,  2020.    Prior  to  outbreak  of  pandemic,  Pt.  Deen  Dayal Upadhyay  station  was  connected  to  Howrah  by  45  pairs  of  train services, Dehri-on-Sone was connected  to  Ranchi  by  10  pairs  of  train  services  and  Ara  was connected to Sasaram by 07 pairs of train services.  Since, November2021, Mail/Express trains are being operated with regular number.  As per rationalized time table,   the said sectors are respectively being served by 41, 07  and  05  pairs  of  train  services.    Besides,  trains  are being restored in a phased manner. Dehri-on-Sone is  a  Non  Suburban  Grade-3  category  station.    All Minimum Essential Amenities have been provided at the station as per railway norms. In addition, recently, work of development of circulating area and provision of one additional Foot Over Bridge at the station has also been completed.  Further, upgradation/modernization of  stations  on  Indian  Railways  is  a  continuous  and  on-going  process and  priority  is  accorded  to  higher  category  of  stations  over  lower category  of  stations  while  sanctioning  and  executing  the  works depending upon need, volume of passenger traffic and availability of funds.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 192 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Construction of Nanded-Bidar New Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Prataprao Govindrao  Patil Chikhalikar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.192

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## CONSTRUCTION OF NANDED - BIDAR NEW RAILWAY LINE

## †192. SHRI PRATAPRAO PATIL  CHIKHLIKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to State :

- (a) whether approval has been accorded for laying of new railway line between Nanded and Bidar;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  Maharashtra  and  Karnataka  have  reached  any  agreement pertaining to sharing of their respective parts of land and bearing of respective costs;
- (d) if so, the details thereof  and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the  time  by  which  the  construction  of  this  railway  line  is  likely  to start?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS &  INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (e) Nanded - Bidar (155 km ) new line project has been included in  Budget  2018-19  subject  to  requisite  approvals.  Detailed  Project Report  has  been  prepared.  As  the project is having low  traffic projections,  Government  of  Karnataka  and  Maharashtra  have  been requested  to  provide  land  free  of  cost  and  to  share  50%  cost  of construction of the project for portions falling in the respective state. However, their consent has not been received.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 191 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Encroachment of Railway Lands
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Haji Fazlur Rehman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 191 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## ENCROACHMENT OF RAILWAY LANDS

†191. SHRI HAJI FAZLUR REHMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether major portions of railway lands have been encroached upon in
- various parts of the country including Northern Railway;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Minister of Railways has received any complaints regarding encroachment/illegal permission of the railway lands in Saharanpur;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the measures initiated by the Railways to remove the said encroachments?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b): As on 31.03.2022, out of 4.86 lakh hectare of Railway land, a total of 782.81 hectare (0.16%) of Railway land  is under encroachment in various parts of the country which also includes 157.89 Ha area of Northern Railway.
- (c)  &  (d):  One  complaint  regarding  encroachment  of  Railway  land  of  old narrow gauge line  between  Manani  -  Saharanpur  (which  is  not  existing  at present) has been received.
- (e):  Action  has  been  taken  for  joint  demarcation  of  the  said  location  with revenue officers of Saharanpur to identify encroachments.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 190 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Nuclear Power Plant in Rajasthan
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Kanakmal Katara

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 190

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## Nuclear Power Plant in Rajasthan

190. SHRI KANAKMAL KATARA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the progress report on setting up of a nuclear power plant of 2800 megawatt in Banswara, Rajasthan; and
- (b) the  details  of  funds  released  so  far,  for  the  construction  of  the  said  nuclear power plant?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES  & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) At the Mahi Banswara project, land acquisition is at an advanced stage, with about 99% of the Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) award distributed. The various  site  investigations,  construction  of  boundary  wall  and  construction  of Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) colony are underway.
- (b) The expenditure incurred on the project upto September 2022 is about Rs. 547 crore.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 189 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Space Projects in Ladakh
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Jamyang Tsering Namgyal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 189 SPACE PROJECTS IN LADAKH

189. SHRI JAMYANG TSERING NAMGYAL: Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:
2. (a) whether the Government has proposed detailed Space Projects in Ladakh, if so, the details thereof;
3. (b) whether the Government  has  details on the strength and weaknesses  of  space-related  exploration  in  Ladakh  and  its impact on the development of Space related projects in India, if so, the details thereof; and
4. (c) whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  open  space-related Institutions  to  pursue  space  related  degrees  and  research  in Ladakh and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

****

- (a) Government of UT - Ladakh has approached the Indian Institute of  Remote  Sensing  (IIRS),  a  unit  of  Indian  Space  Research Organisation  (ISRO) for developing  'Spatial Data Infrastructure geoportal 'Geo-Ladakh' for UT-Ladakh'. The project encompasses spatial  database  generation  (water  resources,  vegetation  and energy  potential)  using  remote  sensing,  geospatial  techniques and  the  development  of  a  Geo-portal  for  hosting  this  database. The project also aims towards training of UT-Ladakh officials on Geospatial techniques and applications. Portal provides geospatial data visualization and analytics for UT-Ladakh, consisting of Spatial viewer, Carbon Neutrality, Geospatial utlility mapping  and  Geo-Tourism.    An  MoU  was  also  signed  between IIRS  (ISRO)  and  UT-Ladakh  Administration  on  January  1,  2022 towards carrying out the above work.
- (b) The potential of space technology could be used for generating the  spatial  database  on  time  series  snow  cover,  fresh  water availability, sites for renewable energy potential (solar and wind), availability of alpine pastures/grazing lands for natural resource management and change assessment at periodic interval.
- (c) Presently, ISRO is setting up an optical tele-scope at Hanle for tracking spacecraft and space objects.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 187 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Diesel Consumption in Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dinesh Chandra Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION N0. 187 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022

## DIESEL CONSUMPTION IN RAILWAYS

- † 187.   SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the extent of success achieved in reducing the  consumption of diesel in Railways;
- (b) the  year-wise  details  of  diesel    consumption  and  the  amount spent there upon during the last three years; and
- (c) the time by which the railway electrification project is likely to be completed?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 187 BY SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV TO BE ANSWERED IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  07.12.2022  REGARDING  DIESEL  CONSUMPTION  IN RAILWAYS

(a):    The  extent  of  percentage  reduction  in  consumption  of  High  Speed Diesel (HSD) oil for three years is as under:

| Year    |   HSD Consumption (Kilo liters) | % reduction in consumption( year to year)   |
|---------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                         2641142 |                                             |
| 2019-20 |                         2365299 | 10.44%                                      |
| 2020-21 |                         1175901 | 50.29%                                      |

(Source:  Annual statistical statement)

(b): The year wise details of diesel consumption and amount spent there upon (including Freight and other taxes, etc. for three years is as under:

| Year    |   HSD Consumption (Kilo liters) |   Fuel Bill ( in crores of Rs.) Annual Statistical Statement |
|---------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                         2641142 |                                                      18587.1 |
| 2019-20 |                         2365299 |                                                      16377.6 |
| 2020-21 |                         1175901 |                                                      11438.7 |

(Source:  Annual statistical statement)

(c):  The  completion  of  Electrification  projects  depends  upon  various factors like clearances from concerned Departments of State Governments/Central Ministries, completion of Transmission Line works by State Power Utilities and resolution of law & order issues during  execution,  which  are  beyond  the  control  of  Ministry  of  Railways. Therefore, it is not feasible to fix time lines for completion of projects.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 185 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Submarine Optical Fiber
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Faizal P.P. Mohammed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 185 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## SUBMARINE OPTICAL FIBER

## 185. SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  status  of  implementation  of  submarine  optical  fiber  cabling  between Kochi and Lakshadweep ( KLI) project;
- (b) the present status of intra Optical Fiber cabling in Lakshadweep islands; and
- (c) the details of the status of ongoing expansion project of 4G saturation?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The  Cabinet  approved  the  KLI  project  on  18.12.2020.  Accordingly  BSNL,  the  project implementation  agency,  awarded  the  tender  to  M/s  NEC  Corporation  India  Private  Limited (NECCIPL) on 28.09.2021. Since then, the Marine survey for laying of submarine cable has been completed in April, 2022. The environmental and Costal Regulatory Zone clearance for the project has been taken. The equipment for the project has been manufactured and are being transported to respective islands. The submarine cable is manufactured and shall be laid from Jan, 2023 to May, 2023. The project is targeted for commissioning as per the schedule.
- (b) At present 44.9 KM of intra Optical Fiber cable has been laid in Lakshadweep Islands by BSNL.
- (c) 18 new sites and up gradation of 19 existing sites have been planned under 4G Saturation Project.  Site identification and Land acquisition for 14 out of 18 new sites has been completed for the project.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 184 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Increase in GST on Garments and Fabrics
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Girish Chandra

## INCREASE IN GST ON GARMENTS AND FABRICS

## 184. SHRI GIRISH CHANDRA:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  textiles  and  handlooms  sector  provide  second  highest employment in the country especially to middle class and lower middle class sectors and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the sector is affected due to increase in GST rates from 5 per cent to 12 per cent on garments and fabrics; and

(c) if so, the details thereof including the corrective steps proposed to be taken in this regard?

## उत्तर ANSWER )

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर्

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

(a): Government  is  aware  that  textile  sector  is  extremely  important  from  the  view  of  employment generation.  Traditional  textile  sectors  like  handloom,  handicrafts  and  small  scale  powerloom  units  are  the biggest source of employment for millions of people in rural and semi urban area, including a large number of women and rural population.

(b) & (c): The  GST  rates  are  prescribed  on  the  recommendations  of  the  GST  Council,  which  is  a constitutional  body  comprising  members  from  Union  Government  and  State/  UT  Governments.  Garments and fabrics continue to attract 5% GST as the decision to increase the GST rate from 5% to 12% has been deferred by the GST Council in its 46 th meeting held on 31 st December, 2021.