opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4814 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Tungsten and Lithium
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Hanuman Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4814

ANSWERED ON 29.03.2023

## TUNGSTEN AND LITHIUM

## 4814. SHRI HANUMAN BENIWAL:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  exploration/survey,  etc.  is  being  done  by  the  GSI  for  minerals  like Tungsten, Lithium, etc. on the Rewant hill and nearby areas in Degana area of Nagaur district;
- (b) if so, the status of the availability of Tungsten, Lithium, etc. as per the latest report of the exploration survey;
- (c)  whether the Government proposes to take any step for restarting the mining of these minerals in view of the availability of these in the said area; and
- (d) if so, the time by which it is likely to be done and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b): Yes, Sir. During Field Season (FS) 2022-23, two G2 stage projects have been taken up by Geological Survey of India in the North-West extension and SouthEast extension of Rewat hill block in order to check the continuity of tungsten and lithium bearing mineralized zones. Further, one G3 stage exploration for tungsten and associated element is also under progress in FS 2022-23 in Pipaliya Block, Nagaur district Rajasthan. Presently the work is in progress.
- (c)  &  (d):  As  per  the  provisions  of  the  Mines  and  Minerals  (Development  and Regulation)  Act,  1957  and  rules  made  thereunder,  the  State  Governments  are empowered to  grant  the  mineral  concessions  for  the  minerals  located  within  their respective boundaries.

In so far as mineral lithium is concerned, it is informed that lithium bearing minerals are listed as atomic minerals in Part-B of Schedule I of the MMDR Act, 1957. For the atomic minerals, mineral concessions are granted as per the procedure specified in the Atomic Mineral Concession Rules, 2016 (AMCR, 2016) framed under Section 11B of the MMDR Act.

In order to take further action for mining of any lithium block, the agency conducting the prospecting operation shall submit a geological report to DAE. Upon receipt of the report, DAE shall compare the grade of atomic minerals in the prospecting area with the threshold value.

As per AMCR, 2016 if the grade of atomic minerals is equal to or above the threshold value (as specified in Schedule A of AMCR, 2016), the mining lease is granted to a Government  company  or  corporation  owned  or  controlled  by  the  Government. Otherwise,  mineral  concessions  are  granted  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of Section  10B  or  Section  11  or  Section  17A  of  the  Act  by  the  State  Government concerned. For lithium bearing minerals the threshold value is 0.5% (5,000 ppm) Li2O in ore, except brine (200 ppm Li, i.e. 200 g/ tonne Li).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4812 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Cutting of Internet Facility
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: N.K. Premachandran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4812

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 29.03.2023

## CUTTING OF INTERNET FACILITY

## # 4812. SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN:

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

- (a) whether the Government has cut the internet facility to various States during the last nine years and if so, the details thereof along with the period in which internet facility was cut including the reasons therefor, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has implemented the order of the Supreme Court regarding the  restoration  of  the  Internet  facility  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the action taken thereon;
- (c) the  details  regarding  the  alternate  arrangement  made  by  the  Government  for  the smooth functioning of banks and Government offices depending on internet for their daily work during the period in which internet facility was banned;
- (d) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that cutting of internet adversely affect the privacy of the citizen; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  action  taken  by  the  Government  to  protect privacy?

## ANSWER

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

(a),  (b)  and  (c):  Police  and  public  order  are  State  subjects  as  per  seventh  schedule  of  the Constitution. Department of Telecommunications notified 'Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 on 07.08.2017 under the Indian  Telegraph  Act,  1885  under  which,  the  directions  to  suspend  the  telecom  services, including  internet  in  an  area,  can  either  be  issued  by  the  Union  Home  Secretary  or  Home Secretary of  State  Government concerned as the case may be, due to  public emergency or public safety. Centralized database in this regard is not maintained by the Ministry of Home affairs.  However,  copies  of  the  permissions  granted  by  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  for Temporary Shutdowns of telecom services are available on MHA website i.e. mha.gov.in. Internet Shutdowns are imposed for managing law & order situation for the specified period only and suspension is revoked as and when the situation comes under control.

(d) and (e):  No such study has been undertaken by the Government.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4808 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Indian Startups
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: L.S. Tejasvi Surya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4808. TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 29 TH  MARCH, 2023.

## INDIAN STARTUPS

## 4808.  SHRI L.S. TEJASVI SURYA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps to protect Indian startups and assist Indian investors to tide over the Silicon Valley Bank crisis in the USA;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  this  crisis  has  any  lessons  for  Indian  startups  and  Indian  banking system; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री सोम प्रकाश ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI SOM PARKASH)

- (a) to (d) :

As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India has a well-regulated and well supervised banking sector. Keeping up with the evolving trends in the financial sector, the RBI has suitably strengthened regulation and supervision of the banking and financial sector over the years.

The regulatory steps include, among other things, the implementation of leverage ratio, large exposures framework, guidelines on asset liability management, managing  interest  rate  risk  and  prudential  valuation  of investment book of bank, guidelines on securitisation of standard assets, scale-based regulatory (SBR) framework for NBFCs, revised regulatory framework  for  microfinance,  revised  regulatory  framework  for  Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and guidelines on digital lending.

Simultaneously,  RBI's  supervisory  systems  have  been  strengthened significantly in recent years through measures which include a unified and  harmonised  supervisory  approach  for  Commercial  Banks,  NonBanking Financial Companies and Urban Co-Operative Banks.

Furthermore, on the stability of the financial sector, the RBI publishes the Financial Stability Report biannually in June/July and December/January, reflecting collective assessment of financial sector regulators and the Ministry of Finance.

be pleased to state:

Supported  by  various  measures  undertaken  by  the  Government  to promote  funding  to  startups,  many  Indian  banks  have  also  started catering to startups as a separate client category owing to their unique needs.

The  Government  has  also  notified  International  Financial  Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) to develop and regulate financial services, financial institutions and financial products in the International Financial Services Center (IFSC). The mandate of IFSCA is to create a world class international financial center to enable onshoring of the activities that are currently  carried  out  in  offshore  financial  centres  by  Indian  corporate entities.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4807 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Transfer of Track Maintainers
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Raksha Nikhil Khadse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4807 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.03.2023

## TRANSFER OF TRACK MAINTAINERS

4807.    SHRIMATI RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has constituted a committee to take review of current position for transfer of track maintainers to other departments against 10% quota and transfer of Level-1 employees of other departments to workshops against 40% quota; and

(b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  and  (b):  Yes,  Sir.  A  Committee  of  Executive  Directors  has  been constituted to review the existing provisions of Indian Railway Establishment Manual (IREM) regarding transfer of Track Maintainers to other departments of Indian Railways against 10% quota, and transfer of Level-1 employee of other departments to workshops against 40% quota. The Committee was constituted on 28.10.2022 and since has submitted its report.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4806 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Operation of Trains from Darbhanga to Ajmer Sharif Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Gopal Jee Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4806 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.03.2023

OPERATION OF TRAINS FROM DARBHANGA TO AJMER SHARIF STATION

†4806. SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  train  number  15237/38  from  Darbhanga  railway  station  to Ajmer Sharif railway station was announced in the Budget for the year 2014;
- (b) if so, whether the operation of the said train was started a few days ago;
- (c) whether this train has been discontinued inspite of sufficient number of passengers travelling in the above said train;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and reasons therefor; and
- (e)  the  time  by  which  the  operation  of  the  said  train  is  likely  to  be
- resumed?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  Yes,  Sir.    Introduction  of  a  weekly  service  between  Darbhanga  and Ajmer had been announced in the Railway Budget, 2012-2013.
- (b)  to  (e)  To  cater  to  the  needs  of  the  passengers  of  Darbhanga-Ajmer sector,  05537/05538  Darbhanga-Ajmer  Special  Express  (weekly)  was being operated w.e.f. 20.07.2022 and was temporarily discontinued due to foggy weather.  Resumption of operations of 05537/05538 DarbhangaAjmer Special Express (weekly) has been scheduled w.e.f. 05.04.2023.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4803 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Less Wheat to Ration Depot Holders
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Amar Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4803

## LESS WHEAT TO RATION DEPOT HOLDERS

4803. DR: AMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC

- (a) whether it has come to the notice of the Government that 12% less wheat is given to Ration Depot Holders of Punjab State under Pradhan
- if the details of the corrective steps that are proposed to be taken by the Government to fulfil the demands of Ration Depot holders of Punjab?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a) & (b): Under Phase VII of Pradhan MantriGaribKalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY); as per entitlement, a quantity of 2,12,269.53 MT wheat has been allocated to Punjab 70,756.51 MT per month) based on number of beneficiaries identified by State which is about 141.51 lakh (and also the maximum permissible limit under NFSA):

No reduction in allocation of entitled quantity of foodgrains has been done under PMGKAY in Punjab.

The allocation of free foodgrains, under PMGKAY was in addition to normal allocation done under the National Food Security Act (NFSA); 2013 to existing NFSA beneficiaries. The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is operated under the joint responsibility of the Central and the StatelUt Governments. Central Govt is responsible for allocation and transportation of foodgrains upto the designated depots of the FCI: The operational responsibilities for allocation of foodgrains within the States/UTs, identification of eligible beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them, distribution of foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries rest with the concerned StatelUt Govt:

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4801 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Mumbai Urban Transport Project
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rajan Baburao  Vichare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4801

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.03.2023

## MUMBAI URBAN TRANSPORT PROJECT

†4801.  SHRI RAJAN VICHARE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has approved  Mumbai  Urban  Transport  Project  (MUTP)  3A  project  for construction of fifth and sixth line under the Western Railway Zone;
- (b) if so, the names of the eight stations proposed to be developed at the deck level on the lines of Borivali Railway Station; and
- (c) the  time  by  which  the  said  project  is  likely  to  be  started  after obtaining  necessary  environmental  clearances  and  the  timeline  for completion of this project?

## 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.  4801 BY  SHRI  RAJAN  VICHARE  TO  BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 29.03.2023 REGARDING MUMBAI URBAN TRANSPORT PROJECT

(a)    The  work  of  5 th   and  6 th   lines  between  Borivali-Virar  (26  km)  was approved  under  MUTP  3A  in  March  2019  by  Cabinet  Committee  on Economic Affairs (CCEA).

(b) There  are  eight  stations  between  Borivali-Virar  5 th &  6 th lines including Borivali and Virar Railway Station. Out of eight stations in this section, four stations namely Mira Road, Bhayandar, Nallasopara & Vasai Road have been proposed to be developed at the deck level on the lines of  Borivali  Railway  Station.  Also  4  more  stations  on  Western  Railways suburban  section  namely  Kandivali,  Mumbai  Central,  Khar  Road  and Santacruz will be developed at deck level.

(c) Preparatory works including forest clearance for MUTP 3A have been taken  up.  The  completion  of  any  Railway  projects  depends  on  various factors  like  land  acquisition  by  State  Government,  forest  clearance  by officials  of  forest  department,  shifting  of  infringing  utilities,  statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions  of  area,  law  and  order  situation  in  the  area  of  project  site, number of working months in a year for particular projects site etc. All these  factors  affect  the  completion  time  of  the  projects.  With  above constraints,  Railway  is  making  all  efforts  for  expeditious  execution  of projects.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4800 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Mobile Internet Coverage
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Veena Devi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4800 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH   MARCH, 2023

## MOBILE INTERNET COVERAGE

## †4800. SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the percentage of mobile internet coverage in Bihar at present including the urban areas;
- (b) the present status of BharatNet scheme along with the number of beneficiaries covered under the said scheme;
- (c) the  time  by  which  100  per  cent  coverage  is  likely  to  be  achieved in  Bihar  particularly  in Vaishali/ Muzaffarpur district;
- (d) the status of PM WANI Yojana along with the approved number of beneficiaries in the State; and
- (e) whether internet facility is still not available in remote areas of Bihar and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) 100% of urban areas and 99.53% of rural areas in Bihar state are covered with mobile internet.
- (b) Out of 8404 Gram Panchayats (GPs) planned under BharatNet Scheme in Bihar, 8316 GPs are service ready. There are 13534 beneficiaries of the scheme.
- (c) 100% coverage in Vaishali and Muzaffarpur Districts has been achieved in Bihar.
- (d) Under PM-WANI framework, 3765 Wi-Fi hotspots have been deployed in Bihar state.
- (e) 209 Villages are still not covered with mobile services in Bihar state which are under the scope of 4G saturation project of USOF.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4799 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Tobacco Board
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Imtiaz Jaleel Syed

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4799 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 th  MARCH,2023

## TOBACCO BOARD

## 4799.   SHRI SYED IMTIAZ JALEEL:

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

- (a) whether the Tobacco Board has conducted any survey regarding the cultivation of tobacco in the country;
- (b) if so, the details of total area under cultivation of tobacco in the country during the last five years;
- (c) whether the total area under cultivation of tobacco has increased or decreased in the country over the past years;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if such data is not maintained, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to discourage tobacco farming in the country and provide alternative livelihood to tobacco farmers; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof?

## 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) to (d) The  Tobacco  Board  has  not  conducted  any  survey  regarding  the  cultivation  of tobacco in the country as the Board is mandated to regulate the cultivation of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco only. As per estimates of the Directorate of Economics & Statistics in Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the area under tobacco cultivation from 2016-17 to 2020-21 is at Annexure .

(e) to (f) Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has extended Crop Diversification Programme (CDP), an ongoing sub scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to encourage tobacco growing farmers to shift to alternative crops/cropping system in tobacco growing states namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal w.e.f. 2015-16. An amount of Rs.10 crore for CDP for replacing tobacco farming with alternate crops/cropping system have been earmarked for implementation of the programme during 2022-23.

*****

## Annexure referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4799 for answer on 29.03.2023

## Total area of cultivation under tobacco in India from 2016-17 to 2020-21

| Year    |   Area under tobacco (000 Hectares) |
|---------|-------------------------------------|
| 2016-17 |                              399.63 |
| 2017-18 |                              410.62 |
| 2018-19 |                              408.7  |
| 2019-20 |                              404.29 |
| 2020-21 |                              357.16 |

Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, DA&FW

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4796 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Penetration of Broadband Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4796 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH   MARCH, 2023

## PENETRATION OF BROADBAND NETWORK

4796.   DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government have district-wise data of the penetration of broadband network in India;
- (b) if so, the details of the presence of broadband connectivity in the West Champaran region of Bihar;
- (c) the details of the leading private and public sector operators in the West Champaran region of Bihar in terms of presence; and
- (d) the details of the cumulative data for the State of Bihar in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) As per data provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), field units of Department of Telecom,  all urban area and 44577 villages out of total 44888 villages are covered with 3G/4G mobile  broadband  connectivity  in  Bihar.  State  wise  data  of  Telecom  subscribers  is  available  in Telecom Subscription Report of TRAI. As per data provided by TRAI, total number of Broadband in the State of Bihar as on 31.12.2022 are 611,96,755. Broadband connectivity is available in West Champaran region of Bihar except in Dokhani, Narkatia, Kataha and Damrapur villages. The leading Public Sector operator is Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL) and leading Private operators are Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd. in the West Champaran district of Bihar.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4792 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: LHB Coaches
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dayakar Pasunoori, Venkatesh Netha Borlakunta, Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, Kavitha Malothu

- (a)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4792

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.03.2023

## LHB Coaches

4792.  SHRI PASUNOORI DAYAKAR:

SHRI VENKATESH NETHA BORLAKUNTA:

DR. G. RANJITH REDDY:

SHRIMATI KAVITHA MALOTHU:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Railways  has  placed  an  order  to  procure  39,000 wheels for LHB coaches from M/s. Taiyuan, China;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the reasons for placing orders with the above Chinese companies
- when SAIL and Durgapur Steel Plants can manufacture such wheels;
- (d) whether this is likely to defeat the Prime Minister's goal of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan; and
- (e) if so, the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- to  (e):  LHB  Coaches  require  Forged  wheels.    The  requirement  is met  by  supplies  from  SAIL/  Durgapur  Steel  plant,  Rashtriya  Ispat Nigam  Limited(RINL)/Rae  Bareli  and  imports.  Another  plant  under 'Make in India'  initiative  is  also  being  established.    Since  existing plants  are  unable  to  meet  the  current  requirement,  global  tender has  been  invited  from  time  to  time  and  the  lowest  bidder,  in  this

case M/s TZ(Taizhong) Hongkong International Limited with manufacturer M/s Taiyuan, China,  was awarded the contract. With the initiatives taken, India is on the way to become Atmanirbhar in Forged wheels.

- *****