opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3143 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Mine Water Management
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao, Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Shri Vijay Baghel

(a)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3143 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## Mine Water Management

†3143. Shri Vijay Baghel:

Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao:

Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the policies and guidelines for the sustainable and safe use of treated mine water for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes in Chhattisgarh;

(b) the details of the quality control measures being adopted to ensure the treated mine water supplied for drinking purposes meets the necessary health and safety standards;

(c)  whether  any  national-level  frameworks  are  being  developed  to  expand  mine  water management initiatives in all the mining States including Chhattisgarh; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

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

The Ministry of Coal, through South Eastern Coalfields Limited (a subsidiary of Coal India

Limited) in the State of Chhattisgarh, has been promoting the utilization of treated mine water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes in alignment with relevant environmental and

water  conservation  guidelines.  The  quality  of  treated  mine  water  for  gainful  utilization  is guided by the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, the Water (Prevention and

Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and directives issued by the Central Pollution Control Board

(CPCB) and respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). Additionally, Coal/Lignite

PSUs have formulated their own standard operating procedures to ensure the safe and effective utilization of treated mine water for various purposes.

(b) To ensure that the treated mine water supplied for drinking purposes meets health and safety standards, various quality control measures are undertaken, including periodic testing of treated mine water is by accredited laboratories as per the parameters prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS IS 10500:2012), Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and any other applicable standards. Adequate treatment processes such as sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection are applied before supply.

(c) and (d) Efforts are being continuously made to expand mine water management initiatives across  all  coal  and  lignite  mining  states,  including  Chhattisgarh.  Coal/Lignite  PSUs  have undertaken projects of gainful utilization of mine water for community  use, irrigation, and industrial purposes and supplying treated mine water as per the availability and requirement of local communities and industrial purposes.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3139 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: MSP Payment
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.3139

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 19TH MARCH, 2025

## MSP PAYMENT

## f 3139. SMT. ROOPKUMARI CHOUDHARY:

Will  the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS. FOOD AND  PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the average time taken for delivering/reaching of the MSP payment to the farmers in Chhattisgarh;
- (b) the steps  being taken by  the Government to  ensure timely  MSP payments during 2025-26;
- (c) whether the Government has set up a real-time monitoring system to track the quality of wheat procurement,  payment and stock in Chhattisgarh;
- (d) if so, the  details  about  the  operation  of  that  system,  its  status and  the  discrepancies currently being faced (such as payment delay, quality related issues, etc.);
- (e) the Government's plan for distribution of  millets (bajra, ragi, jowar etc.) in Chhattisgarh; and
- (f) the efforts  made by the Government  for the distribution ofmillets in the State so far?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIM ATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): The payment of  Minimum  Support Price (MSP)  is made directly  to  farmers' bank accounts only through online procurement system by the Govt. procuring agencies preferably within  48 hours of purchase.
- (b):  The procurement of  food grains from farmers is carried out through online portals and online payment of MSP is also made directly  into farmers' bank account.
- (c) and (d): State wise procurement plan and estimates for procurement of Wheat under MSP operations are finalized  based on proposals received from  all  the  State Governments/ UTs. However, no proposal for  wheat procurement for  central pool has been received from State Government ofChhattisgarh for RMS 2025-26.
- (e) and (f): Procurement of coarse  grains is regulated by guidelines for allocation, distribution, and disposal of coarse grains (Jowar, Bajra, Maize &  Ragi etc.) and 6 minor millets procured by  the States. Under these guidelines, States are allowed to  procure these commodities in  Decentralized  Procurement mode from  farmers at Minimum  Support Price (MSP) for distribution under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS)/Other Welfare Schemes(C)WS)\_

# # # #
Lok Sabha Question No. 3138 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Efficacy of Grievance Redressal by CPGRAMS
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Adv. Chandra Shekhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS AND PUBLIC GRIEVANCES)

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3138 (ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025)

## EFFICACY OF GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL BY CPGRAMS

## 3138. ADV. CHANDRA SHEKHAR:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there are reports which indicate unresolved grievances and procedural closures, while Central Public Grievances Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) is cited as a key accountability tool and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) the details of third-party audit mechanisms put in place to evaluate the platform's resolution quality, transparency and adherence to timeline;
- (c) the details of metrics used to assess the departmental performance, penalties imposed for chronic inefficiencies and transparency measures for publicly reporting audit outcomes; and (d) the manner in which the citizen's feedback loops integrated to enhance responsiveness?

## 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) to (d):  Effective Redressal of Public Grievances in a timely, meaningful and accessible manner through the CPGRAMS has been accorded highest priority in Government. In the period 20192024, 1.15 crore public grievances were redressed. An all time high of 26,45,869 grievances have been  redressed  on  CPGRAMS  portal  from  January  -  December  2024.  103,675  Grievance Redressal  Officers  are  mapped  on  CPGRAMS.  The  Government  has  issued  comprehensive guidelines for grievance redressal on 24.8.2024 reducing the timelines of grievance redressal to 21 days. To monitor citizen satisfaction, the feedback call centre has completed 19,74,594 citizen surveys  till  December  2024.  The  feedback  survey  dashboard  is  available  to  the  Grievance Redressal Officers to monitor citizen satisfaction. In January 2025, Government has introduced a framework  for  review  of  public  grievances  at  the  level  of  Secretaries  to  the  Government  of India.The  Grievance  Redressal  Assessment  Index  (GRAI)  2023  prepared  by  Centre  for  Good Governance  Hyderabad,  which  was  released  on  December  23,  2024,  (www.darpg.gov.in)  has indicated  (a)  84  of  the  89  Ministries/  Departments  have  shown  significant  improvements  and progress (b) 10 percent Ministries/ Departments have shown more than 50 percent growth (c) 28 percent have shown between 25-50 percent growth and (d) 51 Ministries/ Departments have shown incremental growth upto 25 percent.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3136 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Lightning Strikes
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri V K Sreekandan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3136

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 19 TH  MARCH, 2025

## LIGHTNING STRIKES

## 3136.   SHRI V K SREEKANDAN:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that a recent study has highlighted a troubling increase in lightning strikes across the State of Kerala and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the rate of lightning strikes in Kerala is growing faster than the national average and the State of Kerala has been recording an average of 20 lightning strikes per square kilometer a year and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether it is also true that the findings were based on the satellite data of more than 16 years and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Multiple  recent  studies  based  on  short-term  data  indicate  that  Kerala  is  one  of  the hotspots for lightning activity, which peaks from March to May with a secondary peak from  September  to  November.  However,  there  is  significant  inter-annual  variability  of convective activity over Kerala and other parts of the Indian region, which is driven by the multiyear variability of various global factors. Hence, objective conclusions regarding long-term trends in lightning cannot be drawn from the short period of current lightning data.
- (b) As  mentioned  in  (a),  no  such  conclusion  can  be  drawn  because  of  the  lack  of  longer period objective-based measurement and data set and the existence of significant interannual variability of convection over the area.
- (c) Lightning  is  a  meteorological  phenomenon  that  neutralizes  large  amounts  of  electric charge from the charged regions of clouds. The charge neutralization can result in intracloud lightning or cloud-to-ground lightning. Currently, three ground-based networks are operational  in  the  country  for  lightning  detection  installed  and  managed  by  three organisations.  These  are  the  Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology  (IITM),    the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), and the Tripura University.

In addition, lightning measurements for a few years (1998-2015) are available from the satellite-based  Optical  Transient  Detector  (OTD)  and  Lightning  Imaging  Sensor  (LIS) instrument payloads on board the TRMM satellite.

All  these  data  sets  have  some  biases  based  on  sensor  characteristics  and  the  spatial location  of  the  sensors.  Hence,  no  single  network  provides  an  objective  measure  of lightning characteristics in the Indian region.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3131 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Methodology for Calculating People Below Poverty Line
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3131

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING PEOPLE BELOW POVERTY LINE

## 3131.  SHRI RAJESH NARANBHAI CHUDASAMA:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the total number of people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) and in Extreme Poverty has reduced during the last five years, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  details  of  methodology  used  for  calculating  people  living  Below  Poverty  Line (BPL)along with the numbers and percentage of population living Below Poverty Line; and
- (c) whether the Government has reviewed the methodology for poverty measurement in the country during the last five years, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) to  (c)  In  2021,  the  Government  of  India  developed  a  comprehensive  index  known  as Multidimensional  Poverty  Index  (MPI)  to  measure  poverty  that  captures  overlapping deprivations in dimensions such as health, education and standard of living, covering 12 indicators. It measures both the share of people in poverty and the degree to which they are  deprived.  This  is  the  only  methodology  that  is  being  used  presently  to  measure poverty. The second edition of the index was released in 2023. As per the latest National MPI Report, 2023 released by NITI Aayog, the proportion of population in multidimensional poverty declined from 24.85% to 14.96% between 2015-16 and 201921, indicating that about 135.5 million persons have escaped poverty during the period. The  details  including  methodology  are  in  public  domain  and  can  be  accessed  at https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-08/India-National-MultidimentionalPoverty-Index-2023.pdf .

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3127 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Budgetary allocation to Central Waqf Council (CWC)
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3127

ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO CENTRAL WAQF COUNCIL (CWC)

## 3127. SHRI RAJEEV RAI

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

- (a) the  details  of  budgetary  allocation  during  the  last  five  years  to  the  Central  Waqf  Council (CWC) for providing loans to various Waqf Institutions, year-wise;
- (b) the details of the demand submitted by CWC to the Government for allocation for the above purpose during the said period, year wise;
- (c) the  details  of  the  total  number  of  loan  applications  pending  with  CWC  as  on  date  and  the amount involved therein along with the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of the quantum of pending installments yet to be disbursed for those loans which have already been sanctioned by CWC as on date along with the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the number of meetings of CWC held during the last five years, year-wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

- (a) & (b): The Ministry of Minority Affairs implements the scheme Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojna (SWSVY)  through the Implementing Agency i.e. Central Waqf Council, statutory body of the Ministry for  providing  interest  free  loans  to  Waqf  Boards  (WBs)/  Waqf  institutions.  During  last  five  years, grants-in-aid  released  by  the  Ministry  to  the  Central  Waqf  Council  (CWC)  under  this  Scheme  and demand  for grant submitted by CWC to the Ministry, year-wise as given below:-
- (c)  to  (d):  Total  number  of  03  applications  are  pending,  involving  ₹387.25  lakhs.  The  amount  is released based on the budgetary provisions under the Shahari Waqf Sampatti Vikas Yojna (SWSVY).
- (e): Number of meetings of CWC held during the last five years:-

| Rs. in crore                              | Rs. in crore   | Rs. in crore   | Rs. in crore   | Rs. in crore   | Rs. in crore   |
|-------------------------------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| Scheme                                    | 2023-24        | 2022-23        | 2021-22        | 2020-21        | 2019-20        |
| GIA released by the Ministry to the (CWC) | NIL            | NIL            | 1.00           | 3.00           | 3.16           |
| Demand submitted byCWC to the Government  | 3.00           | 3.87           | 4.35           | 3.52           | 5.20           |

| 2023-24   | 2022-23   |   2021-22 |   2020-21 |   2019-20 |
|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| NIL       | NIL       |         4 |         3 |         5 |

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3126 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Violation of Rules on OTT Platforms
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3126

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

VIOLATION OF RULES ON OTT PLATFORMS

3126. SHRI SUKHJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether rules are being violated on OTT platforms;
- (b)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  take  action  against  OTT platforms;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  information  is  being  sought  for  registration  of  age  on  OTT platforms; and
- (e)  if  so,  the  said  information  is  being  sought  for  the  purpose  of  data collection?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

(DR. L MURUGAN):

(a)  to  (e):  The  Government  has  notified    the  Information  Technology (Intermediary  Guidelines  and  Digital  Media  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021  (IT Rules,  2021)  on  25th  February,  2021  under  Information  Technology  Act, 2000.  Part-III  of  these  Rules  administered  by  the  Ministry  of  Information and  Broadcasting  provides  for  a  Code  of  Ethics  for    publishers  of  online curated content (OTT platforms) and a Grievance Redressal Mechanism to look into complaints relating to violation of this Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics for OTT platforms provides that they will not transmit any content which is prohibited by law for the time being in force and will undertake age-based  self  classification  of  content,  based  on  general  guidelines provided in the Schedule to the Rules.

Code  of  Ethics  also  provides  that  a  publisher  of  online  curated  content shall  implement  a  reliable  age  verification  mechanism  for  viewership  of content or programme that is classified as under:

| Nature of Content (suitable for)                                                                                    | Classifi cation   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
| Unrestricted access, regardless of age, and is family friendly                                                      | U                 |
| For persons aged 7 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of 7 years with parental guidance   | U/A 7+            |
| For persons aged 13 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of 13 years with parental guidance | U/A 13+           |
| For persons aged 16 years and above, and can be viewed by a person under the age of 16 years with parental guidance | U/A 16+           |
| Restricted to adults                                                                                                | A                 |

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3125 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Coal Demand for Power Sector
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Aditya Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3125 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## Coal Demand for Power Sector

## 3125. Shri Aditya Yadav:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has achieved its goal of fulfilling 874 million tonnes coal demand for the power sector during the financial year 2024-25;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

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

- (a): During  the  financial  year  2024-25  (till  February,  2025),  764.56  Million  Tonnes (Provisional) of coal has been dispatched to power sector, while the overall coal consumed in domestic coal-based power plants during the same corresponding period is  757.70 Million Tonnes (Provisional). As per Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the coal stock at domestic coal-based power plants stands at 53.61 Million Tonnes as on 11.03.2025, which is sufficient for about 20 days at 85% plant load factor (PLF).
- (b) & (c): Supply of coal to the power plants is a continuous process. To address the issues of coal supplies to Power Sector, an Inter-Ministerial Sub Group comprising of representatives from Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance supply of coal to Thermal Power Plants.

Besides,  an  Inter-Ministerial  Committee  (IMC)  has  also  been  constituted  comprising  of Chairman, Railway Board; Secretary, Ministry of Coal; Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Power; to monitor augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, CEA are co-opted as Special Invitees as and when required by the IMC.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3124 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Stoppages of Trains at Jodhpur, Jaipur and Bikaner Divisions
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3124 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## STOPPAGES OF TRAINS AT JODHPUR, JAIPUR AND BIKANER DIVISIONS

†3124. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a)   whether   a   large   number   of   trains   under   the   North   Western   Railway   Zone have    stoppages    of    more    than    12    hours    at    Jodhpur,    Jaipur    and    Bikaner Divisions; (b) if so, the details thereof, Division headquarters, train and time-period-wise; (c)    whether    the    Railway    Board    proposes   to   extend   such   trains   further   upto washing    lines    and    other    facilities    feasible/available    at    these    places    where trains have stoppages of more than 12 hours; and (d) if so, the details thereof, train-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)   to   (d)   Indian   Railways(IR)   constantly    endeavour   to   optimise   the   utilisation of    the    assets    by    gainful    utilising    the    effective    lie-over    periods.    On    North Western    Railway, certain    trains    of    Jodhpur    and    Bikaner    divisions,    have lie-over    periods    of    more    than    12    hours.    However,   these   lie-over   periods   are utilised for undertaking maintenance (Primary and Secondary) and/or cleaning   of   coaches   for   ensuring   safety   of   operation   and   cleanliness   and   are also   utilised   for   operation   of   special   trains,   Trains   on   Demand,   etc.   As   such, IR    keeping    in    view    the    operational    feasibility,    traffic    justification,    resource availability,    timings    at    destination    stations,    etc.,    extends    train    services    to enhance connectivity, which is an ongoing process on IR.

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