opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1340 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Declaration of Underwater Sites in Seas as National Monument
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1340

ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## DECLARATION OF UNDERWATER SITES IN SEAS AS NATIONAL MONUMENTS

## 1340. SHRI T.R. BAALU:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there are requests for the declaration of sites located/submerged in seas in the country  like  Adams  Bridge  as  national  monuments  pending  decision  with  the Government of India;
- (b) if so, the details of such demands and decisions taken by the Government;
- (c) the statutory norms for declaring national monuments; and
- (d) the details of the money spent by the Central Government on the maintenance of such national monuments during the last three years?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  CULTURE,  TOURISM  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  NORTH EASTERN REGION

## (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) The matter regarding declaration of Ram Setu as a national monument is subjudice. No
- & other proposal for declaration of site submerged in seas to be of national importance is
- (b) pending at present.
- (c) The  declaration  of  monuments  and  sites  is  done  under  section  4  of  the  Ancient Monuments  and  Archaeological  Sites  and  Remains  (AMASR)  Act,  1958.  Central Government issues a notification of its intention to declare any ancient monument to be of  national  importance  by  giving two  months' notice, inviting views/objections from public. After considering the views/objections received during the period, the Central Government  may  declare  the  ancient  monument  to  be  of  national  importance  by publishing a notification in the official gazette.
- (d) There  are  3697  monuments  and  sites  declared  as  of  national  importance  under  the AMASR Act, 1958 in the country. Expenditure incurred on their maintenance during the last three years is as under:

Expenditure (Rupees in crore)

| Year    |   Expenditure (Rupees in crore) |
|---------|---------------------------------|
| 2020-21 |                          260.83 |
| 2021-22 |                          269.57 |
| 2022-23 |                          391.93 |
Lok Sabha Question No. 1334 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Inclusion of SDS 2.0 Project in West Bengal
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Khagen Murmu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1334 ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## INCLUSION OF SDS 2.0 PROJECT IN WEST BENGAL

## 1334.SHRI KHAGEN MURMU:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  projects  under  Swadesh  Darshan  2.0  are  implemented  in West Bengal;
- (b)
- (c)

## THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

- if so, the details thereof; and
- if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) to (c): The  Ministry  of  Tourism  (MOT)  has  revamped  its  Swadesh Darshan  scheme  as  Swadesh  Darshan  scheme  2.0  (SD2.0)  with  the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourist destinations with tourist & destination centric approach. As per the SD2.0 scheme guidelines,  the  State  Governments/UT  Administrations  prepare  a  State Perspective Plan (SPP) analysing tourism potential of various destinations based on the features like major tourism attractions, offerings, connectivity,  current  tourism  eco  system,  state  support  etc.  and  the Ministry of Tourism in consultation with the respective State Government/UT Administration selects destinations for development under the scheme as per the prescribed procedures.

The  State  Government  of  West  Bengal  has  not  submitted  State Perspective Plan (SPP) to Ministry of Tourism for selection of destinations for development in West Bengal under SD 2.0.

However, the Ministry of Tourism under its Swadesh Darshan scheme had sanctioned a project 'Development of Beach Circuit: Udaypur- DighaShankarpur- Tajpur- Mandarmani- Fraserganj-Bakkhlai- Henry Island' in the year 2015-16 for a revised cost of Rs.67.99 crore. The project is reported physically complete by the State Government of West Bengal.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1333 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Revised District Environmental Plan 2021
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Hasnain Masoodi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1333

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Revised District Environmental Plan 2021

## 1333.   SHRI HASNAIN MASOODI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  cognizant  of  the  fact  that,  as  per  the  Revised  District Environmental Plan 2021, Pulwama lacks facility for domestic hazardous waste;
- (b) if so, the measures taken to collect the domestic hazardous waste in Pulwama and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the data on waste segregation and collection for district Pulwama is available in the public domain and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) whether there are any sanitary landfills in the district and if so, the total number of sanitary landfills currently operational in the district and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

## (a) to (b):

Action plans for implementation of Solid Waste Management all across Kashmir Division have been  prepared  by  Directorate  of  Urban  Local  Bodies(ULBs),  Jammu  and  Kashmir  which includes all ULBs of Pulwama District & the same have been approved by the Administrative Department. In the action plans, collection, transportation & processing & disposal of domestic hazardous waste is an integral part.

Domestic hazardous  waste in  urban  areas  has  to  be  collected  in  separated  bags  from  each household for processing & disposal. Provisions for Material Recovery Facility and sanitary disposal machine have been made in each ULB.  100% door to door collection is made in ULBs of District Pulwama.

(c): Data on waste segregation and collection for ULBs of district Pulwama is available in the public domain on the Swachh Bharat Mission(SBM) portal.

(d): Identification of land for development of sanitary landfill for ULBs of district Pulwama has been completed & fund allocation has been approved as per action plans.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1330 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Trade and Double Tax Treaty with Cyprus
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Kaushalendra Kumar, Santosh Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1330

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, THE 11 th  DECEMBER, 2023

AGRAHAYANA 20, 1945 (SAKA)

## TRADE AND DOUBLE TAX TREATY WITH CYPRUS

- † 1330 SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  signed  any  Trade  and  Double  Tax  Treaty  with  the Government of Cyprus;
- (b) if  so,  the details of date on which the said treaty was signed along with the benefits being derived from the trade between the two countries;
- (c) whether both the countries have also derived any tax recovery benefit as well;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether Cyprus issues Golden Passport to the citizens of Indian origin; and
- (f)  if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

- (a)  Yes, Sir. India has signed an Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention  of  Fiscal  Evasion  with  respect  to  Taxes  on  Income  with  Cyprus  ('the DTAA'). There is no treaty in respect of trade between the two countries.
- (b) The original DTAA between India and Cyprus was signed on 13th June, 1994 which was replaced by a new DTAA on 18th November, 2016. It entered into force on 14th December,  2016  and  provides  for  avoidance  of  double  taxation  in  the  case  of residents of the two countries.
- (c) & (d) The DTAA provides for exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes  as  per  Articles  26  and  27  of  the  DTAA  respectively.  These  provisions  create deterrence against tax evasion and facilitate recovery of taxes.
- (e)  &  (f)  Under  the  Cyprus  Investment  Programme,  non-Cypriot  citizens  were  granted citizenship,  however,  the  Programme  has  been  terminated  since  01  November 2020.The details of such beneficiaries are not published by the Cypriot authorities.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1329 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Western Ghats
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Adoor Prakash, Dean Kuriakose

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1329

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Western Ghats

1329.     ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH: ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  accepted  the  recommendations  of  the  Kasturirangan Committee Report relating to the conservation of Western Ghats;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken to implement the same;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government has decided to issue separate orders for each State; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE

CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (e) In order to protect and conserve Western Ghats, MoEFCC had constituted two Committees viz, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by Prof. Madhav Gadgil and the High Level Working Group (HLWG) headed by Dr. K. Kasturirangan, to review the recommendations of the WGEEP. On the basis of the report of the HLWG, MoEFCC issued a draft notification on 10 th March,  2014,  declaring  biologically  and  culturally  diverse  areas  as  Eco-sensitive  Area,  requiring protection and conservation. Considering the views and concerns of the respective State Governments and addressing the concerns and apprehensions of public/stakeholders, the draft of Western Ghats Eco-sensitive Area was re-notified for the fifth time on 6 th July, 2022 and a Committee has also been specifically  constituted  to  assist  in  consultation  with  the  State  Governments  for  finalizing  the notification. The validity of the draft notification is till 30 th June 2024.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1328 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas in Uttar Pradesh
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Kunwar Danish Ali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No - 1328

ANSWERED ON - 11/12/2023

## KASTURBA GANDHI BALIKA VIDYALAYAS IN UTTAR PRADESH

## 1328. KUNWAR DANISH ALI:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) functioning in the State of Uttar Pradesh along with the number of teachers in these Vidyalayas at present;
- (b) the number of post of teachers lying vacant in these Vidyalayas;
- (c) whether  the  Government  provides  residential  schools  under  KGBVs  for  girl  students  from Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Castes, Minority Communities and Below Poverty Line families in educationally backward areas;
- (d) if so, the number of students provided such educational facilities in Uttar Pradesh during the last five years and the current year; and
- (e) whether the Government plans to open more KGBVs in the country, especially in educationally backward areas of the country?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (c): Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) are residential schools from class VI to XII in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) to promote education of girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). KGBVs are run under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme of Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

There are 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) functional in the State of Uttar Pradesh.  As  informed  by  State  Government  of  Uttar  Pradesh,  the  number  of  teachers  working  and vacancy position are as under: -

| Teacher position   |   Full Time Teachers |   Part Time Teachers |   Total Teachers |
|--------------------|----------------------|----------------------|------------------|
| Posted/Working     |                 2863 |                 1844 |             4707 |
| Vacant             |                  703 |                  543 |             1246 |

- (d): The number of girls enrolled in KGBVs during the last five years and current year in the State of Uttar Pradesh are as under: -
- (e): Samagra Shiksha Scheme provides the financial support to the States/UTs for setting up KGBVs in  Educationally  Backward  Blocks  as  per  the  programmatic  and  financial  norms  and  appraisal  of proposals received from the respective State/UT government on an annual basis, as well as physical and financial  progress  of  the  State.  Presently,  no  proposals  for  opening  more  KGBVs  in  Educationally Backward Blocks are pending.

| Year    |   Number of Students |
|---------|----------------------|
| 2018-19 |                73933 |
| 2019-20 |                74620 |
| 2020-21 |                79400 |
| 2021-22 |                79600 |
| 2022-23 |                79600 |
| 2023-24 |                80872 |

Source : State Government

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1325 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Development of PVTG
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Guman Singh Damor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO†1325

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 11/12/2023

## DEVELOPMENT OF PVTG

†1325. SHRI GUMAN SINGH DAMOR:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the country;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to launch any specific programme or mission for the development of such PVTGs separately;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps being taken to impart quality education in all the tribe-dominated blocks across the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)

- (a): There are 75 tribal groups classified as the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) spread over 18 States and the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
- (b) & (c): Government has recently launched Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PMJANMAN) on 15 th   November  2023,  which  is  celebrated  as  Janjatiya  Gaurav  Divas.    The  mission  with financial outlay of around Rs.24,000 Crore aims to saturate PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition,  road  and  telecom  connectivity,  electrification  of  un-electrified  households  and  sustainable livelihood opportunities in time bound manner in 3 years.
- (d): Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing Central Sector Scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) for providing quality education to tribal students in their own environment.   For the first time since independence, in 2019, Government of India, gave special attention to tribal education and decided to set up an EMRS in each block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011) in remote, forest areas, hilly and difficult areas.  Accordingly, Ministry has set the target to set up 740 EMRSs to enroll around 3.5 lakh ST students across the country. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization, has been established to manage and implement the scheme of EMRS.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is also implementing following Scholarship Schemes to promote and encourage basic and higher education amongst ST population:

- i) Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class IX and X)
2. ii) Post Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class XI and above)
3. iii) National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education for ST students.
4. iv) National Overseas Scholarship for ST students

Besides, financial assistance is also provided under education related projects based on the proposals of State Governments under grants under proviso to Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1324 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Utilization of Loan Approved by World Bank
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Faizal P.P. Mohammed, Behanan Benny

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1324 ANSWERED ON 11.12.2023

## Utilization of Loan Approved by World Bank

## 1324   SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.: SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a) the action taken by the Government to fill 27693 vacancies as of July, 2023; and

(b) the specific job creation plans of the Government related to utilizing the 255.5 million dollar loan approved by the World Bank to enhance technical education in India?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) &(b) The Central Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs) under Ministry of Education are statutory autonomous organizations established under respective Central Acts of Parliament and  governed  by  provisions  of  the  Acts/Statutes/Ordinances/Regulations  made  thereunder. Occurring of vacancies and filling thereof is a continuous process. The vacancies arise due to retirement, resignation and additional requirements on account of enhanced students' strength. All CHEIs are making efforts to fill up the vacancies in Mission Mode which was started in September,  2022.  The  institutes  have  undertaken  special  recruitment  drives  to  fill  the vacancies and upto 05.12.2023, a total number of 19405 vacancies have been filled up in the institutions.

National  Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020  envisages  HEIs  to  focus  on  research  and innovation by setting up start-up incubation centres; technology development centres; centres in  frontier  areas  of  research;  greater  industry-academic  linkages;  and  move  towards  less content, and more towards learning about how to think critically and solve problems, how to be  creative  and  multidisciplinary,  and  how  to  innovate,  adapt,  and  absorb  new  material  in novel  and  changing  fields.  In  line  with  this,  All  India  Council  for  Technical  Education (AICTE), the regulatory body of technical education, is implementing a number of initiatives such as giving approval to elective courses relating to new emerging technologies, revision of curriculum,  examination  reforms,  induction  program,  student  internship,  teacher  training policy, mandatory accreditation and hackathons for the same. Further, to promote multidisciplinary education in the emerging  areas, AICTE  has  incorporated  Artificial Intelligence Component in all IT related courses.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1322 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Digital Payment Transactions
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Harish Dwivedi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1322

ANSWERED ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023/AGRAHAYANA 20,1945 (SAKA)

## Digital Payment Transactions

## 1322.   SHRI HARISH DWIVEDI:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  payment  services  in  offline  mode  to promote digital payments in rural and semi-urban areas; and

(b)  if so, the date by which payment services in offline mode are likely to become effective including the transaction limit therein?

## Answer

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (DR BHAGWAT KARAD)

(a) & (b) The Government of India is making all efforts for promotion of digital payments across the country, including in remote areas.  Offline digital payment solutions enable further penetration of digital payments in connectivity-constrained areas.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the 'Framework for Facilitating Small Value Digital Payments in Offline Mode' on January 03, 2022, prescribing enablement/provision  of  small  value  digital  payments  in  offline  mode.  The  aforesaid  RBI framework allows offline payments using any channel or instrument such as cards, wallets, mobile devices etc., by the authorized Payment System Operators. The framework includes broad  operational  guidelines  for  small  value  offline  transactions,  along  with  appropriate provisions for user consent, security and grievance redressal.  The framework is available at:

https://rbi.org.in/scripts/FS\_Notification.aspx?Id=12215&fn=9&Mode=0
Lok Sabha Question No. 1320 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-11
Subject: Regulation of Market Borrowings of State Governments
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Midhun Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1320

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 11 th  DECEMBER, 2023 20 AGRAHAYANA, 1945 (SAKA)

## Regulation of Market Borrowings of State Governments

## 1320. SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) the procedure and criteria followed by the Government when granting consent under Article 293(3);
- (b) the details of Government orders and rules that guide the procedure related to managing or regulating market borrowings of State Governments;
- (c) whether the Government is considering placing conditions under Article 293(4) to regulate borrowings of States; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a) and (b) The Department of  Expenditure, Ministry of Finance generally  follows the fiscal limits contained in the accepted recommendations of the Finance Commission while exercising the powers to regulate borrowings by the State Governments under Article 293 (3) of the Constitution of  India.  The  normal  Net  Borrowing  Ceiling  (NBC)  of  each  State  is  fixed  by  the  Union Government in the beginning of each financial year based on the methodology prescribed by the Finance Commission.

After  considering  estimated  repayment  of  liabilities,  liabilities  arising  from  other sources  and  adjustment  on  account of  over-borrowing  of  previous  years,  consent  of the Government  of  India  under  Article  293(3)  of  Constitution  of  India  is  issued  to  the  States  for raising Open Market Borrowing (OMB) and for availing Negotiated Loan from Central Financial Institutions during a financial year.

The guidelines relating to fixation of NBC are communicated in the beginning of each financial year. For the financial year 2023-24, the borrowing guidelines were communicated to the State Governments by letter no. 40(1)/PF-S/2023-24 dated 27.03.2023. Presently, there is no proposal under consideration of the Ministry of Finance for

(c) and (d) placing conditions under Article 293(4) to regulate borrowings of States.

*******