opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3430 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Optical Fibre Cables in Jharkhand
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Nishikant  Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3430 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  AUGUST, 2023

## OPTICAL FIBRE CABLES IN JHARKHAND

## 3430.   DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the optical fibre cables laid in Jharkhand especially in Santhal Pargana so far along with the total cost of the project and the funds allocated therefor;
- (b) the timeline fixed for achieving the remaining target;
- (c) the details of the number of Gram Panchayats (GPs) in Santhal Pargana in Jharkhand that have been connected with broadband and Wi-Fi hotspots so far; and

(d) the  reasons  for  a  number  of  GPs  not  being  connected  to  the  said  services  in  Jharkhand especially in Santhal Pargana so far?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) In Jharkhand, BharatNet is being implemented by the State Government under State led  Model.  BharatNet  project  is  being  implemented  in  a  phased  manner  to  provide  broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs). The Project cost of BharatNet Phase-I & II is Rs. 42068 crore. As on 30.06.2023, a sum of Rs. 968.34 crore has been disbursed under BharatNet Project for Jharkhand. Optical Fibre cable laid in Jharkhand under BharatNet as of June 2023 is 16,745 km including  3788  km  Optical  Fibre  cable  laid  in  Santhal  Pargana.    Out  of  the  total  1051  Gram Panchayats (GPs) (including Block headquarter) in Santhal Pargana consisting of 6 districts namely Deogarh, Dumka, Godda, Jamtara, Pakur and Sahebganj, 1007 Gram Panchayats (GPs) are service ready. Further, Broadband connections have been provided in 89 Gram Panchayats (GPs) and WiFi has been installed in 40 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in Santhal Pargana.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3427 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Doubling of Railway Lines
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Mukesh Rajput

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3427 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## DOUBLING OF RAILWAY LINES

†3427.   SHRI MUKESH RAJPUT:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any plans for doubling of Mathura Kasganj, Kanpur Railway Division under North Eastern Railways;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  lay  new  railway  line  in unserviced areas; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

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

*****

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3427 BY SHRI MUKESH RAJPUT TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 09.08.2023 REGARDING DOUBLING OF RAILWAY LINES (a) to (d) Feasibility study for doubling of Mathura-Kasganj-Kanpur (352 Km) section  has  been  completed.  However  due  to  low  traffic  projection,  the project could not be taken forward. However, since FY 2020-21, 42 Surveys (New Line and Doubling) of a total length of 2,667 km falling fully/partly in the State  of  Uttar  Pradesh  have  been  sanctioned  and  completed.  Zone-wise details  of  all  Railway  Surveys  including  cost,  expenditure  and  outlay  are made  available in public domain on Indian Railways website, i.e. , www.indianrailways.gov.in>  Ministry  of  Railways  >Railway  Board  >About Indian  Railways  >Railway  Board  Directorates  >Finance  (Budget)  >Budget Document (Financial Year)/Railway wise break up of the Detailed  Demands for Grants Financial Year (Part II) Demand No. 85. Proposals  are  received  on  the  basis  of  demands  raised  by  State Governments, Central Ministries, Members  of Parliament, other public representatives  and  Railway's  own requirements.  Projects  are taken  up on the  basis  of  remunerativeness,  last  mile  connectivity,  missing  links  and alternate routes, augmentation of congested/saturated lines, socio-economic considerations  etc,  depending  upon  liabilities  of  ongoing  projects,  overall availability of funds and competing demands.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3426 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Modernisation of Workshops
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3426 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## MODERNISATION OF WORKSHOPS

†3426. DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  to  shut  down  the Central Organisation for Modernisation of Workshops (COFMOW) which has contributed significantly in modernisation of workshops in the rail network of India;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  issuance  and  opening  of  tenders  by  COFMOW  has also been stopped; and
- (d) if  so,  the  details  of  the  other  organisation  for  replacement  of COFMOW for the purpose of tenders?

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

- (a)  to  (d)  COFMOW  has  been  procuring  Machinery  &  Plant  for maintenance  of  rolling  stock  &  other  workshops.  It  has  been observed that the machines are required to be procured & maintained in a decentralized manner. Therefore, the procurement of machines  required  for  such  maintenance  has  been  decentralized. The  need  for  a  centralized  organization  is  not  felt  anymore  so COFMOW is being wound up in a gradual manner.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3425 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: PM Mitra Park in Puducherry
Ministry: TEXTILES
Asked by: Vaithilingam Ve.

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3425 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## PM MITRA PARK IN PUDUCHERRY

## 3425. SHRI VE. VAITHILINGAM :

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

- (a) whether Puducherry is included under Prime Minister Mitra Scheme for setting up of Textile Park and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government is aware that there is a sprawling extent of land available with the state owned  three  sick  mills  viz.  Anglo  French  Textiles,  Bharathi  Mill  and  Swadesi  Cotton  Mills  where Textile park can be setup in Puducherry; (c) whether any proposal from the Government of Puducherry has been received for the same; and
- (d) if so, the action taken so far in this regard?

## उत्तर

ANSWER

## वस्त्र राज् य मंत्री ( श्रीमती दर्शना जरदोर् )

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR TEXTILES

(SMT. DARSHANA JARDOSH)

(a)  to  (d): The  Government  has  approved  setting  up  of  7  PM  Mega  Integrated  Textile  Region  and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks in Greenfield/Brownfield sites with world class infrastructure including plug and play facility with an outlay of Rs. 4,445 cr for a period of seven years upto 2027-28.   All the State Governments were requested to submit proposal under PM MITRA. 18 proposals from 13 State Governments had been received for setting up PM MITRA Parks. No proposal from Government of Puducherry had been received.

The  selection/approval  for  a  textile  park  can  only  be  made  after  a  formal  proposal  fulfilling  all eligibility  criteria/guidelines is made irrespective of availability of land.  Apart from this, no proposal from Government of Puducherry for setting up Textile Park under Scheme for Integrated Textile parks (SITP) had also been received.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3424 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Statistics regarding Vande Bharat Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Anto  Antony

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3424 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## STATISTICS REGARDING VANDE BHARAT TRAINS

3424. SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any statistics regarding the number of Vande Bharat Trains run by the Railways so far;
- (b) if so, the number of routes on which Vande Bharat Trains are plying and the average income generated including the revenue generated by Trivandrum - Kannur and Kannur - Trivandrum line;
- (c) whether the existing railway tracks are suitable for Vande Bharat Trains to use its maximum speed;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)  if  not,  whether  the  Government  will  consider  taking  steps  to  use maximum speed of Vande Bharat Trains?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) As on 03rd August, 2023, 50 Vande Bharat train services are running  across  the  Indian  Railways,  connecting  states  having  Broad Gauge (B.G.) electrified network. These are operational on New DelhiVaranasi, New Delhi - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Mumbai CentralGandhinagar  Capital,  New  Delhi-Amb  Andaura,  MGR  Chennai-Mysuru, Bilaspur-Nagpur, Howrah-New Jalpaiguri, Visakhapatnam-

Secunderabad,   Mumbai-  Sri  Sainagar  Shirdi,  Mumbai-Solapur,  Rani Kamlapati-Nizamuddin, Secunderabad-Tirupati, MGR ChennaiCoimbatore, Ajmer-Delhi Cantt., Kasaragod -Thiruvananthapuram,   Howrah-Puri,   Anand  Vihar(T)-  Dehradun,   New Jalpaiguri  -Guwahati,  CSMT-Madgaon,  Indore-Bhopal,   Jabalpur-Rani Kamlapati,  KSR  Bengaluru  City-Dharwad,  Patna-Ranchi,  GorakhpurLucknow, Jodhpur-Ahmedabad (Sabarmati) sectors. On Indian Railways train-wise revenue is not maintained. Maintenance,  Renewal  and  Upgradation  of  track  on  any  section  is taken  up  based  on  the  speed  potential  of  the  section  decided  by classification of route. Trains are introduced at the  Maximum Permissible  Speed  based  on  the  sectional  speed  of  the  section depending  upon  classification.  Accordingly,  all  the  Vande  Bharat Express have been charted at the Maximum Permissible speed of the sections enroute so as to optimally utilise the speed potential of the Vande Bharat Coaches.  Besides, speeding of train services is an ongoing process on Indian Railways.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3423 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Operation of Suspended Shuttle Trains
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Uday Pratap Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3423

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## OPERATION OF SUSPENDED SHUTTLE TRAINS

†3423. SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the operation of many trains have been stopped and mode of  their  operation  was  changed  in  Madhya  Pradesh  during  Covid period;
- (b) if so, the details of such trains in respect of which operation has not been started yet;
- (c) the new policy of the Government to restart the operation of such trains or to introduce new trains in its place;
- (d) whether the Government has conducted any study regarding loss of revenue caused due to suspension of these trains and difficulties being faced by the passengers;
- (e) if so, the details thereof;
- (f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  restart  the  operation  of suspended shuttle trains; and
- (g)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  time  by  which  it  is  likely  to  be started?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (g)  With  a  view  to  contain  the  spread  of  Covid-19  pandemic, Indian Railways had discontinued the operation of all regular passenger carrying trains with effect from 23rd March, 2020 and only

special  train  services  were  being  operated.   Since  November-2021, Mail/Express  train  services  are  being  operated  as  per  rationalized time table and regular  train  numbers. Further, Indian  Railways have undertaken rationalization of the time table, including rationalisation of  train  services,  in  a  scientific  manner  with  the  assistance  of  IITBombay  inter-alia  to  provide  better  passenger  safety  by  creating maintenance corridor blocks, minimise conflicts in existing time-table and  speed  up  train  services.   Accordingly,  train  services  are  being operated  with  rationalized  time  table  in  a  phased  manner.  Besides, introduction  of  train  services,  including  passenger  services,  is  an ongoing process, on Indian Railways, subject to operational feasibility, traffic justification and availability of resources etc.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3421 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Revenue Earned From Darbhanga Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Gopal Jee Thakur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3421 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## REVENUE EARNED FROM DARBHANGA STATION

†3421. SHRI GOPAL JEE THAKUR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the operation of the Darbhanga Ajmer Sharif train started as a trial run but discontinued despite the number of passengers being high, if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  Vande  Bharat  train  is  proposed  from  Jayanagar  to  New Delhi and from Jayanagar to Kolkata; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c)  05537/05538 Darbhanga-Ajmer Special Express (weekly) was temporarily  discontinued  due  to  foggy  weather.   This  train  is  now  in operation.   Jaynagar  is  presently  connected  to  Delhi  by  02  pairs  of Mail/Express  services  and  to  Kolkata  by  03  pairs  of  Mail/Express services.   Introduction  of  trains  including  Vande  Bharat  train  is  an ongoing process over Indian Railways subject to operational feasibility,  traffic  justification,  resource  availability,  path  availability etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3420 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Smart City Programme
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Rajan Baburao  Vichare

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3420 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

SMART CITY PROGRAMME †3420. SHRI RAJAN VICHARE:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a)  the extent to which the work under Smart City Scheme taken up on Thane  Railway  Station  Kopri,  Purva,  Station  Area  Traffic  Development Scheme  (SATIS)  Sotia  has  been  completed  by  Indian  Railway  Station Development Corporation Authority and Thane Municipal Corporation;

(b) whether the citizens living in Kopri purva and facing difficulties due to the said work, if so, the details thereof; and

(c)  whether  any  time  limit  has  been  fixed  by  the  Central  Railway  to complete the said work, if so, the details in this regard?

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.  3420  BY  SHRI  RAJAN  VICHARE  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  09.08.2023  REGARDING  SMART  CITY PROGRAMME (a) to (c): The work of Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS 2) on Thane station East side (East Kopri) in the railway circulating area has been taken up by Thane Smart city Limited (TSCL), an SPV of Thane Municipal  Corporation  (TMC).  So  far,  10  %  of  the  work  has  been completed. The  alterations  required  for  this  work  have  been  made  at  the entrance and exit on the East side of Thane Railway Station, which were modified to ensure a safe and secure passage for Railway passengers and avoid inconvenience due to the ongoing work. Works at Railway Stations are complex in nature involving safety of passengers and trains, 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  a  project  site  due  to  climatic  conditions  etc.  All these factors affect the completion time of projects. Therefore, no time frame can be indicated at this stage.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3419 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Anna Bhagya Scheme
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: D.K. Suresh, Sumalatha Ambareesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## INISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS! FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3419

TO BE ANSWERED ON 9TH AUGUST, 2023

## ANNA BHAGYA SCHEME

3419n SHRI D.K. SURESH:

## SHRIMATI SUMALATHA AMBAREESH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC

DiSTRiBUTiON wgItn  qpa, VIH BiT WT8rfqq fqtroT ++ be pleased to state,

- (a) whether it  is  true  that  the  Government  of  Karnataka has  introdueed  Anna Bhagya Scheme, which is also called as 'Karnataka Free Rice Distribution Scheme';
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Union Government has received any representation from
- Karnataka seeking additional food9rains to implement the scheme;
- (d) if  so, whether the Government has taken any steps to provide foodgrains to
- Karnataka;
- (e) if  so, the  details  thereof;  and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

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

(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

- (a) to (b):  Government of Karnataka hadlntriducemLrM 15.06.2013 to dIstribute the food grains at subsidized rates. BWaMeme  on
- (c)  to (f):  Two representations were  received  from  Government  of  Karnataka requesting for additional  allocation  of rice for Anna Bhagya Scheme for the State under OMSS(D). The State Govt. was informed about Government of  India's decision to discontinue the sale of rice and wheat under Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) [OMSS (D)] to all State Governments with effect from 13th June, 2023, barring northeast, hilly  states and those facing law  and order situations and natural calamities. Keeping in view the benefit of around140 crore citizens of the country, Government of India has taken this decision to maintain adequate stock in Central Pool for distribution  under National Food Security Act  (NFSA) and other welfare schemes (OWS) amid concerns over monsoon due to expected deficiency in rainfall caused by El-Nino which  may adversely affect  Kharif crop  production in country, control  inflationary trends  and  the  ongoIng geopolitical situation. However, Government is providing foodgrains to  NFSA beneficiaries as per their entitlement free  of  cost  as commited under Pradhan Mantri Garlb Kalyan Anna
- Yojna (PM-GKAY) w.e.f.  lst January,  2023.

++++
Lok Sabha Question No. 3418 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Bharat Dal
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Ramesh Bidhuri

## Government of India

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3418

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.08.2023

## BHARAT DAL

## 3418.  SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

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 the Government has proposed to launch sale of subsidized dals under the brand name Bharat Dal;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken towards making pulses available to consumers at affordable prices?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री अश्विनी क ु मार चौबे)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (c) : The Government launched the sale of chana dal in retail packs under the brand name of Bharat Dal on 17.07.2023 at highly subsidized rates of Rs.60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs.55 per kg for 30 kg pack in order to make pulses available to consumers at affordable prices. Bharat Dal is being distributed through retail outlets of NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar and Safal. The chana dal, under this arrangement, is also made available  to  state  governments  for  supplies  under  their  welfare  schemes,  police,  jails,  and  also  for distribution through the retail outlets of state government controlled cooperatives and corporations.

In  order  to  make  pulses  available  to  consumers  at  affordable  prices,  the  Government  maintains buffer stock of five major pulses, namely, chana, tur, urad, moong and masur under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF). The stocks from the buffer are released in the market in a calibrated and targeted manner to control prices. The disposal of tur from the PSF buffer is underway in a targeted and calibrated manner to augment the availability of stocks for milling into tur dal for the consumers. Stocks of chana and moong from the Price Support Scheme (PSS) and PSF buffer are continuously released in the market to moderate prices.  Apart  from  market  disposal,  pulses  from  the  buffer  are  also  being  supplied  to  the  states  for  their welfare schemes, and to the Army and Central Armed Police Forces.

To augment domestic availability and moderate the prices of pulses, import of tur and urad have been  kept  under  'Free  Category'  till  31.03.2024  and  import  duty  on  masur  has  been  reduced  to  zero  till 31.03.2024.  Import  duty  of  10%  on  tur  has  been  removed  to  facilitate  smooth  and  seamless  imports.To prevent hoarding, stock limits has been imposed on tur and urad under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 on  2 nd June,  2023  for  a  period  till  31 st October,  2023.  Stock  of  pulses  held  by  entities  such  as  dealers, importers, millers and traders are continuously monitored through the online stock monitoring portal of the Department of Consumer Affairs.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3417 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: Purchase of Agricultural Commodities
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Nihal Chand Chauhan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## INISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3417

TO BE ANSWERED ON 9TH AUGUST, 2023

## PURCHASE OF AGRICULTURAL  COMMODITIES

t3417. SHRI NIHAL  CHAND:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND PUBLIC

DISTRIBUTION w+Itn  qu+,  @rw aN WT8tfqq f+Twr eft  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Union Government proposes to  purchase agricultural commodities through middlemen and provide support price at par with Con operative societies;
- (b) if so, the time by which it is likely to be done;
- (c) if not, whether  the proposal may be considered in future;
- (d) whether the Government has received any proposal from different states of the country in this regard; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c):  There exists a transparent and uniform policy for procurement of wheat, paddy and coarsegrains at  Minimum Support Price (MSP) by Government Agencies across the country.

State Government agencies/Food Corporation of India (FCI) purchase wheat and paddy within  the stipulated  period with  prescribed Fair Average Quality (FAQ) specification  at MSP for Central Pool.  Societies are engaged as  commission agents  by  procuring agencies for  procurement of Wheat/Paddy from farmers. In  some of  the  States, arthiyas are  also engaged as commission  agents.

However, 'One Nation,  One MSP through  DBT' has been implemented across the country  from Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2021-22 onwards and payment of MSP has been ensured directly  into farmers'  accounts.

- (d) and (e): No proposal has been received to  purchase agricultural

commodities through middlemen.

++

+  +