opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 861 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Doppler Weather Radars
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangre, Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 861 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 7 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## DOPPLER WEATHER RADARS

861.    SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE: SHRI RANJEETSINGH NAIK NIMBALKAR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the difference between C-Band and X-Band Radars along with the coverage range of each of the C and X bands;
- (b) the  reasons  for  which  C-Band  radar  is  proposed  to  be  installed  at  Aurangabad (Maharashtra) instead of X-Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), as demanded;
- (c) the present status of the implementation of the project along with the details of sites selected for the purpose; and
- (d) the  fresh  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  install  an  X-Band  Doppler  radar  at  a suitable  site  in  Aurangabad  (Maharashtra)  in  order  to  provide  correct  weather information to the farmers of whole of the Marathwada Region?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES

## (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

- (a)-(b)  C-Band  radars  are  functioning  at  about  5  cm  wave  length,  whereas  X-Band  radars functions  at  3  cm.  The  C-Band  radar  antennas  are  larger  than  the  X-Band  radar antennas. The C-Band radar provides the radial coverage of 250 kms from its centre, whereas X-Band radar covers 100 kms. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has proposed toinstall C-Band radar at Aurangabad in Maharashtra due to its better radial coverage.  It  will  cover  the  Aurangabad  as  well  as  adjoining  areas  of  Marathwada region.
- (c) Site  survey  for  the  installation  has  been  completed  and  the  radar  is  proposed  to  be installed  at  Mhaismal  Hills,  Aurangabad  and  necessary  approvals  are  being  sought from the Forest Department for the land acquisition. Tender for the procurement and installation of C band DWR at Aurangabad has already been published.
- (d) The  C  band  Doppler  radar  is  much  superior  and  has  larger  area  coverage  when compared to the X band Doppler radar. And hence there is no requirement for X band Doppler radar at this location.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 860 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Growth of Handloom Sector in North Eastern Region
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Agatha K. Sangma

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 860 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## GROWTH OF HANDLOOM SECTOR IN NORTH EASTERN REGION

## 860. KUMARI AGATHA K. SANGMA:

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

- (a)  the  details  of  the  budget  allocated  for  the  handloom  sector  in  the  current  financial  year  and  any plans for its growth of handloom in North Eastern Region;
- (b)  the  details  of  non-Governmental  organizations  or  international  agencies  to  support  handloom workers in North Eastern Region; and
- (c)  whether  any  financial  aid  programs  and  Central  sponsored  schemes  are  available  for  handloom workers in Meghalaya and manner in which it is accessible to rural and remote areas?

## उत्तर ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज्  य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् ) THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES

## (SMT. DARSHANA JARDOSH)

(a) to (c): Ministry of Textiles is implementing the following schemes to promote handlooms and welfare of handloom weavers across the country, including the North Eastern Region for which a budgetary allocation of Rs.360 crore has been made for the year 2023-24:

1. National Handloom Development Programme;
2. Raw Material Supply Scheme;

Under  the  above  schemes,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  eligible  handloom  agencies/weavers  for  raw materials,  procurement  of  upgraded  looms  &  accessories,  solar  lighting  units,  construction  of  workshed, skilling, product & design development, technical and common infrastructure, marketing of handloom products in domestic/overseas markets, concessional loans under weavers' MUDRA scheme and social security etc. No specific collaboration with International agencies to support handloom workers is there at present.

In  order  to  support  handloom  workers  and  growth  of  handloom  sector  in  the  State  of  Meghalaya  and  North Eastern Region, following steps have been taken by the Government of India:

- i. 200  handloom  clusters  have  been  taken  up  for  financial  assistance  in  the  North  Eastern  Region, including 6 clusters in Meghalaya.
- ii. 2  Mega  Handloom  Clusters  at  Sivasagar(Assam)  and  East  Imphal(Manipur)  have  been  taken  up  for financial assistance.
- iii. 27,561 handloom workers imparted skill up-gradation training in the North Eastern Region, including 1,108 workers from Meghalaya.
- iv. To  integrate  Craft  promotion  with  tourism,  Craft  Handloom  Villages  are  being  set  up  at  Mohpara (Assam) and Moirang (Manipur).
- v. To enhance productivity, marketing capabilities and facilitate better incomes, 32 Handloom Producer companies (PCs) have been formed in the North Eastern Region.
- vi. Design  Resource  Centre  has  been  set  up  in  Weavers'  Service  Centre,  Guwahati  to  build  and  create design-oriented excellence in the Handloom Sector and to facilitate weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers to access design repositories for product development.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 858 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Consumer Expenditure Survey
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 858 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## CONSUMER EXPENDITURE SURVEY

858.  SHRIMATI KANIMOZHI KARUNANIDHI:

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

- (a) whether the Government did not release the Expenditure Survey (CES) data of 2017-18;
- (b)
- Consumer
- whether the last available CES data is for the year 2011-12;
- (c) whether the lack of release of data is a dampner on the right to  information  and  also  questions  the  credibility  of  the  data collecting agencies;
- (d)
- whether the Government has collected the data for next CES;
- (e) if  so,  the  details  of  the  completion  of  the  data  collection process,  expected  compilation  of  the  results  and  expected data of release of data; and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor?

## 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): The Consumer Expenditure Survey result of 2017-2018 has not been released.
- (b): Yes Sir. The last available CES data published by MOS&PI is for the year 2011-12.
- (c): This Ministry has carried out an All India survey on Household Consumer  Expenditure  during  NSS  75 th   round  (July  2017-  June

2018). The Ministry has followed a rigorous procedure for vetting of data and reports which are produced through surveys. The results of this  survey  were  examined  and  it  was  observed  that  there  was  a significant variation in the levels in the consumption pattern as well as  in  the  direction  of  the  change  while  comparing  with  other administrative  data  sources.  The  matter  was  also  referred  to  a Committee of Experts which has recommended refining the survey methodology and improving the data quality aspects on a concurrent basis and it was decided that the results of Consumer

Expenditure Survey (CES) 2017-18 would not be released. (d)  to  (f):  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation (MoSPI) is conducting back to back surveys (HCES 2022-24), each of one-year  duration,  on  Household  Consumption  Expenditure.  Field work  for  the  first  year  of  the  HCES  2022-24  has  been  completed. Further, field  work for the second year of HCES 2022-24 has been initiated from August 2023.

- ******
Lok Sabha Question No. 853 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Stoppage at Khagaria Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Mehboob Ali Kaiser

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 853

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## STOPPAGE AT KHAGARIA RAILWAY STATION

†853. CH. MEHBOOB ALI KAISER:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether three Rajdhani trains pass through Khagaria railway station;
- (b)  if  so,   whether  the  Government proposes  to  provide  stoppage  of  any one of the said trains at Khagaria railway station;
- (c) if so,  the details thereof; and
- (d) if not,  the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d)  Presently,  Khagaria  station  is  being  served  by  56  pairs  of  trains. Besides,  provision  of  stoppage  of  train  services  is  an  ongoing  process  on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability, etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 852 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Space Station of ISRO
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2024

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 852 SPACE STATION OF ISRO

852. SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the status of the first  round of tests that will be conducted for the preliminary version of the space station of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO);
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  on  track  in  terms  of  achieving  its target  of  setting  up  the  space  station  by  2035  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (c) whether a road map has been developed for India's future moon exploration missions and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  any  funds  have  been  allocated  for  setting  up  of  the space station; and
- (e)
- 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) The proposed configuration of Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), to be developed by ISRO, is in conceptualization phase, wherein the  overall  architecture,  number  and  type  of  modules,  docking ports, etc. are being studied.
- (b) Towards  setting  up  the  space  station  by  2035,  ISRO  has  been working  on  the  overall  configuration  of  the  Bharatiya  Antariksh Station (BAS). The station is planned to be assembled in a phased manner. Towards this, a prospective roadmap is being evolved for realization of different modules and their respective launches.
- (c) The roadmap for India's future moon exploration missions is under conceptualization,  with  feasibility  studies  being  undertaken  for further robotic exploration of moon through orbiters, landers and rovers, along with lunar sample collection and return, eventually followed by human landing on the Moon.
- (d) & (e)

The allocation of funds for setting up of the space station shall be sought once  the feasibility studies are completed  and  the proposal is put up for formal Government  approval at an appropriate stage.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 849 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: BSNL Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 849 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## BSNL NETWORK

## †849.   SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the BSNL network is in a very bad condition due to which people are discontinuing their BSNL connection and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether 5G network has started in some parts of the country while other parts do not even have proper connectivity of 2G, 3G networks and if so, the details thereof along with the time by which this discrepancy is likely to be addressed;
- (c) whether any proposal for setting up of a BSNL tower in far away villages like Chitrakoot, Barondha, Karigohi, Parasmania, Maudha, Khamaria, Markandey, Shivrajpur under parliamentary constituency of Satna is pending and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the time by which this work is likely to be completed along with the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) 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 November 2023, out of 6,44,131 villages in the country (village data as per Registrar General of India), around 6,17,150 villages i.e. 95.8% 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. 847 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Bullet Train Projects
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Santosh Kumar, Dinesh Chandra Yadav, Sarmistha Sethi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 847

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## BULLET TRAIN PROJECTS

†847. SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR:

SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV:

SHRIMATI SARMISTHA SETHI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has achieved success in bullet train Project, if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether any Budgetory Provision has been made for the same during the current and the next financial year, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) )  if not, the reasons for the said project still being a dream for the last five years;
- (d) whether Vande Bharat train is just an extended version of Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c):  Mumbai-Ahmedabad  High  Speed  Rail  (MAHSR)  Project  is  a sanctioned project, which is under execution with technical and financial assistance from Government of Japan.  The budgetary allocations for the MAHSR Project is ì 18,592 crore for the current financial year 2023-24.  Till now, 290.64 km of pier foundation, 267.48 km of pier construction, 150.97 km of Girder Casting and 119 km of Girder launching have been completed.

(d)  and  (e):  Vande  Bharat  is  a  Trainset  based  on  Distributed  Power  (Self Propelled) technology whereas present Shatabdi and Rajdhani Trains are on  Linke  Hofmann  Busch (LHB)   platform,  which  are  Locomotive  hauled. Some of the major additional salient features of Vande Bharat Trains are:-

- (i) Faster acceleration with 50% powering.
- (ii) Coach Condition Monitoring System (CCMS) for AC and Lighting.
- (iii) CCTV  system  integrated  with  Emergency  Talk  Back  units  in  each coach.
- (iv) Semi Permanent Couplers with fully sealed Gangways.
- (v) Battery back-up for functioning of critical items such as lights, RMPU (blowers) etc.
- (vi) Driver Guard communication with voice recording facility.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 846 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Decarbonisation of Steel Industry
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Brijendra Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STEEL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 846

FOR ANSWER ON 07.02.2024

## DECARBONISATION OF STEEL INDUSTRY

## 846. SHRI BRIJENDRA SINGH:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken up initiatives to decarbonise the steel industry;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  introduce  a  Classification  Standards (taxonomy) for green steel;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether any global standards or norms are in place for green steel production in India; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

(SHRI FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE)

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF STEEL

(a)&(b):   Yes Sir, the initiatives taken by Government towards decarbonisation in steel industry are as under:-

- (1) 14 Task Forces had been constituted with engagement of industry, academia, think  tanks,  S&T  bodies,  different  Ministries  and  other  stakeholders  to  discuss deliberate and recommend upon different levers of decarbonisation of steel sector.
- (2) Steel Scrap Recycling Policy, 2019 enhances the availability of domestically generated scrap to reduce the consumption of coal in steel making.
- (3) Ministry  of  New  and  Renewable  Energy  (MNRE)  has  announced  National Green Hydrogen Mission for green hydrogen production and usage. The steel sector has also been made a stakeholder in the Mission.
4. (4). Motor  Vehicles  (Registration  and  Functions  of  Vehicles  Scrapping  Facility) Rules September 2021, envisages to increase availability of scrap in the steel sector.
- (5) National Solar Mission launched by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in January 2010 promotes the use of solar energy and also helps to reduce the emission of steel industry.

(6) Perform,  Achieve  and  Trade  (PAT)  scheme,  under  National  Mission  for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, incentivizes steel industry to reduce energy consumption.

(7) The steel sector has adopted the Best Available Technologies (BAT) available globally, in the modernization & expansions projects.

(8) Japan's  New  Energy  and  Industrial  Technology  Development  Organization (NEDO) Model Projects for Energy Efficiency Improvement have been implemented in steel plants.

(c)to(f):    Development of taxonomy for green steel is a global concern and India too shares this concern. Towards this, Ministry of Steel has constituted a Task Force on Development of Taxonomy for Green Steel with engagement of industry, academia, think tanks, S&T bodies, different Ministries/Departments and other stakeholders to discuss, deliberate and recommend upon this.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 844 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Cancellation of Trains due to Fog
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Anil Firojiya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.844

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## CANCELLATION OF TRAINS DUE TO FOG

## † 844. SHRI ANIL FIROJIYA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to State:

- (a) whether  any  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Railways  to  resolve  the problem of several trains running late and getting cancelled due to the fog;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Railways proposes to reduce the rate of platform ticket in small  railway  stations  like  Kaptanganj,  Siswa,  Vikramgarh  Alot  etc.  in comparison to the rate of platform ticket in big stations like Delhi, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Mumbai, etc.; and
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  and  (b)    Foggy  weather  conditions  affect  normal  operation  of  train services.  To ensure safe operation of trains services, to mitigate the effect of fog and to assist the Loco Pilots in train operations during foggy weather conditions,  various  measures  have  been  taken.  These  include  provision  of Retro-reflective sigma boards on the OHE mast as an indication to alert/warn the crew of the stop signal ahead and  GPS based Fog Safe devices to alert crew about approaching signals, level crossing gates etc.  At present 19742 nos. Fog Safe devices have been provided for train operation. (c) and (d) The rate of Platform ticket is ₹ 10 per person which is uniformly applicable for  all  stations.  At  present,  there  is  no  proposal  to  change  the
- existing provision.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 840 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Stoppages of Superfast Trains at Small Stations
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Queen Oja

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 840 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## STOPPAGES OF SUPERFAST TRAINS AT SMALL STATIONS

†840. SHRIMATI QUEEN OJA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  there  are  many  small  but  busy  railway  stations  in Guwahati which do not have stoppages for Superfast trains, Express trains  and  Rajdhani Express, due to which passengers have to go to Guwahati or Kolkata first and then start their onward journey and if so, the facts thereof;
- (b)  whether the Government is considering to identify such small but busy  railway  stations  like  Dudhnoi  Railway  Station,  Thakurkuchi Railway Station, Narangi Railway Station etc. to provide stoppages for Superfast trains, Express trains, Rajdhani Express and other superfast trains;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (d)  Rajdhani  Express  and  other  superfast  trains  are  premium train  services  which  are    operated  with  limited  stoppages  enroute. However, stoppage of trains is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 837 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Dornakal-Miryalaguda Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Nama Nageswara Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.837 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## DORNAKAL -MIRYALAGUDA RAILWAY LINE

837.  SHRI NAMA NAGESWARA RAO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state :

- (a) the current status of the newly proposed Dornakal -Miryalaguda railway line in South Central Railways;
- (b)  whether farmers of many villages are demanding for change of alignment to protect the fertile agricultural lands; and
- (c)  if  so,  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  change  the alignment and to utilize the existing line for  the intended purpose?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c) Survey for new rail line between Dornakal-Miryalagda (97 km) has been  sanctioned  and  survey  work  has  been  taken  up  for preparation  of  Detailed  Project  Report(DPR).  The  alignment  of railway  projects  are  considered  on  the  basis  of  operational  and commercial requirement, techno-economic feasibility, terrain, obligatory points, socio-economic considerations etc. Final decision of  project  including  alignment  is  taken  once  Detailed  Project Report(DPR)  is prepared and results are firmed up.

****