opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1909 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Farmers Enrolled under PMFBY in Tirupati
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Maddila Gurumoorthy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1909

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025

## FARMERS ENROLLED UNDER PMFBY IN TIRUPATI

1909. SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  total  number  of  farmers  enrolled  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Fasal  Bima  Yojana (PMFBY) in the Tirupati parliamentary constituency during the last three years, along with the details of the crops covered under the scheme;
- (b)  the  total  claims  submitted  and  the  amount  of  compensation  disbursed  to  farmers  in Tirupati under PMFBY during this period and the average time taken for claim settlement; and
- (c) whether the Government has identified any challenges or gaps in the implementation of PMFBY in Tirupati, such as low coverage or delays in claim processing and if so, the details of steps those are being taken to address these issues and improve the effectiveness of the scheme in the region?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण राǛ मंũी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) : A total of 2.63 lakh farmers were enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) in the Tirupati parliamentary constituency from 2022-23 to 2024-25.  Year-wise details are given below :

| Year    |   No. of famers enrolled |   Area insured in ha. |
|---------|--------------------------|-----------------------|
| 2022-23 |                   109866 |                127259 |
| 2023-24 |                   118808 |                142695 |
| 2024-25 |                    34404 |                 35553 |
| Total   |                   263078 |                305507 |

The  crops  covered  under  the  scheme  include:  Paddy,  Groundnut,  Bajra,  Cotton, Green gram, Black gram, Bengal gram, and Acid Lime.

(b) : For Kharif 2022, a total claim amount of Rs.22.05 lakh was disbursed to 541 farmers in July 2023. However, the settlement of claims for subsequent seasons has been impacted due to the pending remittance of the farmers' share and the State Government's share of the premium subsidy by the State Government to the respective insurance companies. (c)  :  To  improve  the  overall  process,  the  State  Government  has  decided  to  shift  to  the voluntary enrollment model, effective from Rabi 2024-25. The  Government  is  actively  enhancing  farmer  engagement  through  increased awareness programs and strengthened outreach initiatives. These efforts are designed to educate farmers about the benefits of crop insurance and encourage wider participation in

the scheme, ultimately improving the overall effectiveness of PMFBY.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1908 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Benchmark Pricing Policy
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1908.

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025.

## BENCHMARK PRICING POLICY

## 1908.  SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether  any  steps  are  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  standardize acceptable  pricing  rates  in  the  industry,  with  different  operators  charging different prices;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  considered  a  proposal  to  explore  benchmark pricing policies for the logistics industry;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details and the time by which final decision in this regard is likely to be taken?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a) to (e): Pricing is a market determined procedure and Government does not control the same. However, to improve logistics efficiency and reduce logistics cost, the National Logistics Policy (NLP) was launched on 17th September, 2022. One of the objectives of NLP is to reduce the cost of logistics in India so as to enable the country to compete with global benchmarks. Several measures have been taken by the Government in this regard including development of physical  and  digital  infrastructure  e.g.  Unified  Logistics  Integrated  Platform (ULIP),  Logistics  Data  Bank  (LDB),  a  Digital  Portal  (E-LoGs)  for  timely resolution of logistics user issues, NLP-Marine, etc.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 1904 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Protest of Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1904

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025

## PROTEST OF FARMERS

1904.     SMT. HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE क ृ ͪष  एवं  ͩकसान  कãयाण  मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of the farmers' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to address the demands of the protesting farmers;
- (c) whether the Government has considered providing a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP);
- (d) the details of any discussions held with farmer unions in the past two months; and
- (e) the measures taken to ensure the health and safety of protesting farmers, particularly in light of hunger strike by farmer leaders?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) to (e):   Government of India had initiated discussions with farmers in order to resolve the farmer's protest at Punjab-Haryana border. First discussion was held on 8 th  February, 2024. Subsequently, discussions were held on 12 th , 15 th , 18 th  February 2024, 14 th  February 2025 and 22 nd  February, 2025.

To make Minimum Support Price (MSP) more effective and transparent, Government of India has constituted a committee on 12 th  July, 2022 with following objectives:

- (i) Suggestions to make available MSP to farmers of the country by making the system more effective and transparent;
- (ii) Suggestions on practicality to give more autonomy to Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and measures to make it more scientific;
- (iii) To  strengthen  the  Agricultural  Marketing  System  as  per  the  changing  requirements  of  the country to ensure higher value to the farmers through remunerative prices of their produce by taking advantage of the domestic and export opportunities.

6 meetings of this committee and 39 meetings of it's various sub-committees have been held till date.

The issues related to agitating farmers' and their demands are also sub-judice in the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and a committee has also been formed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court.

Next round of discussion with the farmers is scheduled on 19 th  March, 2025.

Maintaining law and order is a subject matter of State Government.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1902 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Assessment of Panchayats
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: Shri Zia Ur Rehman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1902

ANSWERED ON 11/03/2025

## ASSESSMENTOFPANCHAYATS

## 1902. SHRI ZIA UR REHMAN:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any initiatives to provide a holistic and evidencebased assessment of the development status of panchayats, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PANCHAYATI RAJ (PROF. S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) & (b) Yes Sir. The Ministry has launched the process of localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Panchayati Raj Institutions, consolidating the 17 SDGs into 9 key themes. This initiative aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030 at the grassroots level. The thematic approach simplifies the alignment of global goals with local governance structures, making them more relevant and actionable for implementation at the community level.

The Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), an initiative by the Ministry, aims to assess and measure the progress made by grassroots-level institutions in achieving localized SDGs, thereby contributing to the attainment of SDG 2030.This index is based on various local development indicators across the 9 themes of LSDGs. One of the purposes of the PAI is to identify the development gaps of the Panchayats through the scores achieved across various LSDG themes and enable the Panchayat for evidence based planning at grassroots level.

The thematic scores across the nine themes of Localized Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs), along with the overall PAI score of the Gram Panchayats, help assess their progress towards achieving localized SDGs and, ultimately, the broader SDGs.The outcomes of the PAI, over time, will reflect incremental progress based on the scores achieved by Panchayats, highlighting their advancement toward realizing the LSDGs. The baseline data PAI will play a vital role in setting local targets, identifying actionable points, and facilitating the preparation of evidence-based Panchayat Development Plans aimed at achieving the desired goals for enhanced performance

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1899 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Grievances against  SAIL
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Shri Ramprit Mandal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STEEL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1899 FOR ANSWER ON 11.03.2025

## GRIEVANCES AGAINST SAIL

1899. SHRI RAMPRIT MANDAL:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that the officers of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) are not showing the required sensitivity and promptness on complaints and requests of public representatives and general public, if so, the details thereof;

- (b) the steps taken against this irresponsibility and indifference;
- (c) whether the Government is contemplating to take corrective steps and to issue any concrete  guidelines  that  the  officers  of  SAIL  become  more  accountable  and  the complaints of the public are resolved quickly; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE          (SHRI BHUPATHIRAJU SRINIVASA VARMA) MINISTRY OF STEEL

(a)to(d): Steel Authority of India (SAIL)  follows guidelines issued from time to time by the Department of Personnel and Training(DoPT) and Department of Administrative Reforms  and  Public  Grievances(DARPG)  for  effective  handling  of  communications received from public representatives and general public in a time bound manner.

The  Government  also  reviews  the  progress  of  disposal  of  grievances pertaining to CPSEs under its administrative control including SAIL for their effective and time bound disposal.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1892 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Funds for Cooperative Sugar Mills by NCDC
Ministry: COOPERATION
Asked by: Shri Kamakhya Prasad Tasa

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COOPERATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1892 TO BE ANSWERED ON  11 th  MARCH, 2025

## FUNDS FOR COOPERATIVE SUGAR MILLS BY NCDC

## 1892. Shri Kamakhya Prasad Tasa :

Will the Minister of Cooperation ( सहकारिता मंत्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of funding provided to sugar cooperatives by the NCDC in the last three years;
- (b) whether the Government has taken any steps to increase the flow of funds to cooperative sugar mills; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COOPERATION सहकारिता मंत्री (SHRI AMIT SHAH)

(a) to (c): To increase the flow of funds to Cooperative Sugar Mills, Ministry of Cooperation is implementing a scheme namely 'Grant in Aid to NCDC for Strengthening of Cooperative Sugar Mills (CSMs)'. Under the scheme, grant of ₹ 1,000 crore has been provided to NCDC during FY 2022-23 and 2024-25. NCDC will leverage this grant to borrow funds from the market to provide financial  assistance  to  CSMs  upto  ₹  10,000  crore  for  meeting  their  requirement  for  setting  up ethanol  plant,  cogeneration  plant  and  working  capital.  Under  the  scheme,  NCDC  has  so  far sanctioned 87 loans of ₹ 9,893.12 crore to 48 CSMs.

The details of financial assistance disbursed to sugar cooperatives by the NCDC in the last three years are as under:

|   SI.No | Financial Year            |   Amount (₹ in crore) |
|---------|---------------------------|-----------------------|
|       1 | 2021-22                   |               1241.61 |
|       2 | 2022-23                   |                693.79 |
|       3 | 2023-24                   |               2176.31 |
|       4 | 2024-25 (upto 06.03.2025) |               5333.13 |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Transfer of Land by SAIL
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Shri Vijay Baghel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STEEL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1890 FOR ANSWER ON 11.03.2025

## TRANSFER OF LAND BY SAIL

1890. SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the land of Bhilai Steel Plant has been transferred to the Chhattisgarh State Government through the 152nd and 236th board meetings of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL);
- (b) whether the population of the labour colony areas has grown very rapidly from the year 1990 till today due to which there is an extreme need for development in the basic amenities of living, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is very important to transfer the BSP-owned land of the entire settlement area to the State Government as the general public is not able to get the benefit of the ambitious schemes such as lease distribution, Pradhan Mantri Awas etc due to lack of it; and

(d) the time by which it is likely to be taken by the Government to transfer the land of the entire settlement area of dense labour colony like Navai Basti, Maroda etc. to the Municipal Corporation Risali and the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE          (SHRI BHUPATHIRAJU SRINIVASA VARMA) MINISTRY OF STEEL

(a)to(d): The  proposal  for  transfer  of  290.26  acres  and  151.46  acres  of  land (which includes Navai Basti and Maroda) from Bhilai Steel Plant to State Government was agreed in the 152 nd  and 236 th  meeting of Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL) Board respectively.

Formalities regarding transfer of land have been completed by SAIL in respect of the aforementioned land parcels for further action by the Government of Chhattisgarh.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1889 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Meetings Regarding Legal Guarantee on MSP
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1889

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025

## MEETING REGARDING LEGAL GUARANTEE ON MSP

1889.      SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Government held discussions with farmer leaders recently on the issue of a legal guarantee for purchasing their crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and farm loan waivers, among other demands, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is a fact that the Government had offered to procure five crops on MSP for five years based on contracts, which was turned down by farmer's leaders, if so the details thereof; and
- (c) whether it is also a fact that this was after four rounds of meetings remained inconclusive last year, if so the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) to (c): Government  of  India  had  initiated  discussions  with  farmer  leaders  on  8 th February, 2024. Subsequently, discussions were held on 12 th , 15 th , 18 th  February 2024, 14 th February 2025 and 22 nd  February 2025. Talks covered minimum support price (MSP) and other demands.

Next round of discussion with the farmers is scheduled on 19 th  March, 2025.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1884 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: SHRESHTA Scheme for Residential High Schools
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

:

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1884 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2025

## SHRESHTA SCHEME FOR RESIDENTIAL HIGH SCHOOLS

## 1884. SHRI BAIJAYANT PANDA:

## Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of grant-in-aid institutions run by NGOs and residential high schools that have received funds for the SHRESHTA Scheme since its inception in 2023, particularly from the State of Odisha;
- (b) the details of schools and hostels selected for the scheme and the number of students enrolled through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS); and
- (c) the impact of the scheme in improving educational outcomes for SC students in targeted areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE)

- (a): The total number of grant-in-aid institutions run by NGOs and residential high schools that have received funds under SHRESHTA Scheme since 2023 is as under:

| S. No   | Year    |   No. of Residential High schools (Mode-I) | No. of grant-in-aid institutions (Mode-II)   |
|---------|---------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|         | 2023-24 |                                        220 | 107                                          |
|         | 2024-25 |                                        224 | 68 (as on 05.03.2025)                        |

In the Odisha, the details of schools and grant-in-aid institutions is as under;

|   S. No. | Year    |   No. of Residential High schools (Mode-I) |   No. of grant-in-aid institutions (Mode-II) |
|----------|---------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2023-24 |                                         10 |                                           10 |
|        2 | 2024-25 |                                         10 |                                            8 |

- (b): The details of students enrolled through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS) is as under;
- (c): The number of admitted students has been increased since inception of the scheme. The Scheme has helped in enhancing the reach of development Intervention of the Government and filling the gap in service deficeint SCs dominant areas. This has led to socio-economic upliftment and over all development of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) community.

| Year    |      |   No. of Students selected No. of Residential High schools opted by the selected students |
|---------|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2023-24 | 2543 |                                                                                       144 |
| 2024-25 | 2753 |                                                                                       144 |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1878 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Abolition of Sedition Laws
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Tejasvi Surya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1878

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11 TH  MARCH, 2025/ PHALGUNA 20, 1946 (SAKA) ABOLITION OF SEDITION LAWS

1878.     SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  offence  of  sedition  has  been  abolished  under  the  new criminal laws;

(b) if so, the related details thereof; and

(c) the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita related to offences that threaten the unity and integrity of the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI BANDI SANJAY KUMAR)

(a)  to  (c):  In  the  Bharatiya  Nyaya  Sanhita  (BNS),  2023,  the  provisions relating to sedition in section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code have been deleted.

However, a  new  offence  has  been  incorporated  in  section  152  of  BNS, 2023, which provide that: -

Whoever, purposely or knowingly, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or by electronic communication or by  use  of  financial  mean,  or  otherwise,  excites or attempts to excite,

secession  or  armed  rebellion  or  subversive  activities,  or  encourages feelings  of  separatist  activities  or  endangers  sovereignty  or  unity  and integrity  of  India;  or  indulges  in  or  commits  any  such  act  shall  be punished  with  imprisonment  for  life  or  with  imprisonment  which  may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.

*****