opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 345 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Appointment Through Lateral Entry
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Shri Ramprit Mandal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  345

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024)

## APPOINTMENT THROUGH LATERAL ENTRY

## 345 SHRI RAMPRIT MANDAL:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of appointment of specialists so far through the Government's Special Lateral Entry mode from private sector in Government Departments since 2018;
- (b) whether the reservation policy has been taken into consideration in this Lateral Entry mode appointment;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the details of the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a):  The  lateral  recruitment,  at  the  levels  of  Joint  Secretary,  Director  and  Deputy  Secretary  in Government of India, has been undertaken since 2018 to appoint persons for specific assignments, keeping  in  view  their  specialized  knowledge  and  expertise  in  the  domain  area.  So  far  63 appointments have been made through lateral entry out of which 35 appointments have been from private sector. Presently, 57 officers are in position in Ministries/Departments.

(b) to (d): Eligible candidates from reserved categories are considered along with other eligible candidates. However, reservation is not applicable to such single post appointment.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 343 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Chandigarh-Yamunanagar Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Varun Chaudhry

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 343 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## CHANDIGARH-YAMUNANAGAR RAILWAY LINE

343.  SHRI VARUN CHAUDHARY :

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)    the  action  taken  by  the  Government  on  proposed  ChandigarhYamunanagar via Naraingarh railway line; and
- (b)     the time by which the project will be completed?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) & (b): Chandigarh - Yamunanagar via Naraingarh Railway Line project has been identified by Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (HRIDC), a Joint Venture company controlled by State Government of  Haryana  (51%)  for  development.  HRIDC  has  prepared  a feasibility study report of the project.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 342 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: BSNL Network Connections
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 342 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## BSNL NETWORK CONNECTIONS

## †342   SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the network of BSNL is very poor, due to which the consumers in large numbers are surrendering BSNL connections;
- (b) whether 5G network has started its operation in some areas of the country while in other areas 2G and 3G network services are not even working properly;
- (c) if so, the time by which the said anomaly is going to end;
- (d) whether  BSNL  towers  are  likely  to  be  installed  in  the  remote  villages  like  Chitrakoot, Baraundha, Karigohi, Parasmaniya, Maudha, Khamaria, Makandey and Shivrajpur under Parliamentary Constituency, Satna; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the said work is likely to be completed?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) to (e) Telecom services provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are meeting most of the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters as per Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

As of April 2024, out of 6,44,131 villages in the country (village data as per Registrar General of India), around 6,20,629 villages i.e. 96.35% villages are covered with mobile connectivity. To further improve telecom connectivity in the country, Government is implementing various schemes.

-  A total of 41,160 mobile towers have been sanctioned with an outlay of Rs. 41,331 Cr to provide 4G connectivity to about 55 thousand villages.
-  Scope of BharatNet program has been expanded to connect all inhabited villages with an outlay of Rs. 1.88 Lakh Cr.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 340 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Vande Bharat Trains in Kerala
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri N K Premachandran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 340 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## VANDE BHARAT TRAINS IN KERALA

## 340 SHRI N K PREMACHANDRAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  start  more  Vande  Bharat trains  in  the  country  especially  Kerala  &  Kollam  through  Kollam Schenkottah route;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  avoid  delaying  other  train
- services to keep the time schedule of Vande Bharat trains;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e)  whether  the  Government proposes to introduce coaches in Vande Bharat trains for the low income group;
- (f) if so, the details thereof;
- (g) the details regarding the profit from Vande Bharat trains;
- (h) whether the Government proposes to introduce Vande Bharat trains
- through Kollam/Schenkottah route; and
- (i) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (i)  As  the  Railway  network  straddles  across  State  boundaries, trains are introduced, as per  network  requirement,  across  such boundaries.  Vande  Bharat  services  are  fully  Air-conditioned  services and non-AC Coaches cannot be operationally attached to these trains. As on 19th July, 2024, 102 Vande Bharat train services are operating across  the  Indian  Railways(IR)  including  two  pairs  of  trains  viz. 20631/20632 Mangaluru Central-Thiruvananthapuram Vande  Bharat Express and 20633/20634 Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande

Bharat  Express,  serving  the  stations  located  in  the  state  of  Kerala. Kollam  is  presently  being  served  by  79  pairs  of  train  services  and Sengottai  by  14  pairs  of  train  services.  Besides,  introduction  of additional  Vande  Bharat  services,  is  an  on-going  process  subject  to traffic  justification,  operational  feasibility,  resource  availability,  etc. On IR, passenger train services, including Vande Bharat services, are operated as per charted time table and General Order of Precedence of Trains,  without  infringing  other  services.  IR  makes  all  efforts  to  run trains  as  per  their  schedule.  Further,  train-wise  profitability  is  not maintained.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 338 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Discontinuation of Trains between Rajgir and Howrah
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 338 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

DISCONTINUATION OF TRAINS BETWEEN RAJGIR AND HOWRAH †338. SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  Rajgir-Howrah  fast  passenger  train  (5304/44)  running between Rajgir and Howrah before Covid-19 has been discontinued;
- (b)  whether  Rajgir-Howrah  fast  passenger  train  was  the  means  of traveling  for  the  Buddhists,  the  followers  of  Jainism  and  tourists coming to the tourist spots at Nalanda in large number and are facing problems due to discontinuation of the said train;
- (c) whether large number of devotees in and around Nalanda used to reach at Deogharh Baba Bholenath situated in Jharkhand by the said
- fast passenger train for Darshan; and
- (d) if so, the time by which Rajgir-Howrah fast passenger train is likely to be made operational and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d) Presently, Rajgir is connected to Bakhtiyarpur by 08 pairs of train  services  which  in  turn  is  connected  to  Kolkata  by  09  pairs  of train services and to Deoghar/Jasidih by 18 pairs of train services.   Besides,  introduction  of  trains  is  an  ongoing  process  on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, availability of resources etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 336 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: New Sugar Mills
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.336 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24th JULY, 2024

## NEW SUGAR MILLS

## t 336 SHRI RAVINDRA SHUKLA ALIAS RAVI KISHAN

Will  the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUtION WitH Tna, mu all HT#qfjq fhm ;Ht be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to set up new and state-of-the-art sugar mills  with the help of Central assistance;
- (b) if  so, the details thereof;
- (C) the number of sugar mills set up by the Government  during the last three years; and
- (d) the number  of  sugar  mills  likely to  be set up in the country  including Uttar  Pradesh?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRINIATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

- (a) to (c): The Central Government does not set up sugar mill in any part of the country. Further, sugar industry  was deleted from list of industries requiring  compulsory licensing, vide press note dated 31.08.1998. After, that, any entrepreneur is free to set up sugar mill  in any part of the country as per provisions laid down in clause 6A to 6E of Sugarcane (Control), Order as amended from time to time,
- (d): Further, during sugar season 2023-24, about 534 sugar mills were operating across the country, out of which 121 sugar mills were in Uttar Pradesh State.

88)k+)k

## ORIGINAL IN HINDI
Lok Sabha Question No. 335 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Uranium Deposit
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Amra Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-335 ANSWERED ON- 24/07/2024

## URANIUM DEPOSIT

## 335.      SHRI AMRA RAM

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:-

- (a) the details of estimated quantity of Uranium explored in Sikar Parliamentary Constituency along with the names of the places where uranium deposits are found;
- (b) the details of action plan for uranium extraction in Sikar; and
- (c) the time by which the mining work is likely to be started?

## ANSWER

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

(a)     Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of  Department  of  Atomic  Energy,  has  established  three  (03)  Uranium  deposits  i.e.  Rohil, Rohil (West) and Geratiyon Ki Dhani located in Sikar district in parts of Sikar Parliamentary Constituency,  Rajasthan.  As  on  date,  a  total  of  11,801  tonne  (t)  in-situ  uranium  oxide resource has been estimated in these deposits, which includes 8,813t in-situ uranium oxide in Rohil; 1,086t in Rohil (West) and 1,902t in Geratiyon Ki Dhani.

(b)     Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) has initiated the process for grant of mining lease and other pre-project activities. Letter of Intent (LOI) has been obtained from Government of Rajasthan on 22.06.2022. As per the conditions of the LOI, UCIL applied for the  Environmental  Clearance  of  the  project  and  obtained  Terms  of  Reference  (ToR)  from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) on 23.12.2022.

As per ToR,  data collection and report preparation for Environmental Impact Assessment  (EIA)  and  Environmental  Monitoring  Plan  (EMP)  is  under  progress.  Also

fulfilling  the  condition  of  LOI,  Mining Plan with Progressive Mine Closure Plan has been approved  by  AMD.  The  process  of  land  acquisition  under  Rajasthan  Right  to  Fair Compensation  and  Transparency  in  Land  Acquisition,  Rehabilitation  and  Resettlement (RRFCTLARR) Rules-2016 has been initiated for acquisition of 519.56 Ha of land.

Along with the pre-project activities, exploratory mining under the ownership of AMD is  being  carried  out  to  establish  the  process  parameters  of  the  mineral  beneficiation  plant. Construction of mines and mineral beneficiation plant shall be after possession of land and environmental clearance from (MOEF&CC).

(c)     The mining is expected to start by 2030-31.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 332 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: R&D in Coal Technologies
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Dr. Amar Singh

## 332. DR. AMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of Coal be pleased to state:

(a)   whether there is an urgent need to increase our investment in Research & Development (R&D) in coal technologies and in identifying new sources, domestic and overseas, of this invaluable commodity;

(b)   if so, the details of the steps proposed to be taken by the government in this regards; and

- (c)  if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a)   Government  has  given  high  thrust  on  Research  &  Development  (R&D)  in  coal technologies for improvement in existing uses and also in futuristic fields for diversification for long term sustainable growth. During 2023-24, Rs. 18.00 Cr was allocated for Research & Development under Central Sector Scheme. Further, during 2024-25, Rs. 21.00 Cr has been allocated under this scheme. Apart from this scheme, CIL & other CPSEs in coal sector are also making significant expenditure for the R&D activities.

(b)   The following steps have been taken by the Government in this regard:

(i)   A  'National  Centre  for  Coal  &  Energy  Sector'  (NaCCER)  has  been  planned  to  be established at CMPDI, Ranchi.

(ii)   Thrust areas identified for R&D activities, are as under:

- Production, Productivity, Safety and Exploration.
- Environment, Ecology, Conservation and Sustainability.
- Coal mining waste to wealth.
- Clean Coal Technologies and Coal Beneficiation.
- Alternative use of coal.
- Renewable Energy.
- AI/ML/IoT based smart mining.
- Technology Innovation and Indigenisation.

(iii)   'Hackathon on Coal Gasification' has been organized during 2024-25 to harness a vital natural  resource  to  meet  the  energy  and  chemical  needs  of  the  nation,  fostering  economic independence and environmental sustainability.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 332

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## R&D in Coal Technologies

(iv)  'Hackathons on R&D' are organized to promote 'Make in India' initiatives in coal sector by giving wide publicity and make efforts to promote / encourage start-ups in coal and lignite sector.

- (c)   Does not arise in view of above replies.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 330 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Ban on Indian Spices
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Ranjan

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 330 (OIH) TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## BAN ON INDIAN SPICES

330. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN: (OIH)

## Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether many spices produced in India have been banned in some of the countries;
- (b) if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the same packaged spices are being sold and consumed across the country;
- (d) whether pesticides are being used to make the packaged spices usable for longer periods; and
- (e) if so, whether the Government has made any analysis of their adverse effects, if any on health?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री बी.एल. वर्मा )

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L.VERMA)

(a)  &  (b)  :  Department  of  Commerce,  Ministry  of  Commerce  &  Industry  has  informed  that  in May  2024, Government of Nepal prohibited importers from import, sale and distribution of four specific lots of spice mixture pertaining to two brands on account of media news and reports of higher levels of Ethylene Oxide than specified levels and also advised recall of these items from the market.

Pursuant to this, Spices Board took up the matter with the Indian Mission in Nepal for intimating to the Department of Food Technology & Quality (DFTQC), Government of Nepal, the steps that have been put in place by Spices Board in order to facilitate compliance of ETO standards of importing countries by exporters of  Indian  Spices,  which  inter  alia  included  issuance  of  Comprehensive  Guidelines  to  the  Exporters  for monitoring of ETO in raw materials procured by them as well as finished goods dispatched for exports by them.

- (c ) to (e) : Does not arise in view of (a) and (b) above.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 328 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Role of Supercomputers in Climate Research
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Manoj Tiwari, Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor, Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama, Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab

- (a) Yes.
- (b) India has made significant strides in supercomputing for weather forecasting and climate research.Supercomputer facilities are crucial to improving weather forecasting for seasonal, long, and short-range predictions, ensemble predictions with more members, and climate change scenario generation for hundreds of years.These computationally intensive processes require advanced computational resources and high storage capacities. Supercomputers have been the backbone of significant improvements in weather forecast accuracy over the past two decades.
- (c) Yes.
- (d) Supercomputers  are  used  for  weather  and  climate  modeling,coupled  ocean-atmospherebiosphere-cryosphere models, and associated data assimilation, which are highly computeintensive tasks. The existing supercomputer details are as follows:
1. Pratyush:
- o Located at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune.
- o Peak speed: 6.8 PetaFlops
- o Purpose: Weather forecasting and climate research work

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 328 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## ROLE OF SUPERCOMPUTERS IN CLIMATE RESEARCH

SHRI JASWANTSINH SUMANBHAI BHABHOR: SHRI CHUDASAMA RAJESHBHAI NARANBHAI:

328.  SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  the  significance  of  supercomputers  in  tackling challenges of climate change and research;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the supercomputers in India are installed for climate research;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

2. Mihir:
2. o Located at the National Centre for Medium-Range  Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) in Noida.
3. o Peak speed: 2.8 PetaFlops
4. o Used for the operational activity of MoES for monsoon prediction, air quality assessment, extreme event forecasting (like cyclones), natural disaster management, etc.
5. (e) Does not arise.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 326 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: High Speed Train Facility
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Gopal Jee Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 326 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## HIGH SPEED TRAIN FACILITY

†326. SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  Darbhanga  station under Samastipur Railway division is the largest revenue generating station but high speed train facility to the big cities is not available from here;
- (b) whether the Government propose to operate Vande Bharat train from Darbhanga to New Delhi and Kolkata keeping in view redressal of inconvenience caused to people of Darbhanga; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c) Amrit Bharat services, which have modern and State-of the Art  technology  have  been  introduced  by  Indian  Railways.   These services  are  aimed  to  cater  to  the  needs  of  passengers  desirous of travelling by non-AC Sleeper class and General Class. These 22coaches  fully  non-Air-Conditioned  services,  comprising  12  Non-AC Sleeper Coaches and 08 non-AC General Class Coaches, along with two Coaches with facilities for Divyangjan Passengers, are being operated on Push-Pull mode. These are equipped with advanced  features  like  Semi-Permanent  couplers  for  jerk  free travel, horizontal  sliding  windows,  foldable  snack  table  and  bottle holders, mobile holders  etc. The  first  Amrit  Bharat  service  viz.  15557/58  Darbhanga-Anand Vihar(T) Express, commenced its operation from Darbhanga station, w.e.f. 01-01- 2024. Besides, Darbhanga is presently being served by 52 pairs of train services which include 04 pairs of trains connecting it to Delhi, 08 pairs of train services each connecting it to Kolkata & Patna,  02  pairs  of  train  services  each  connecting  it  to  Mumbai, Secunderabad  &  Ahmedabad.  Furthermore,  introduction  of  train services  including  Vande  Bharat  trains  is  an  ongoing  process  on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, availability of resources etc. *****