opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3158 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Increase in MPLAD Funds
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Daroga Prasad Saroj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3158

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## INCREASE IN MPLAD FUNDS

## 3158. SHRI DAROGA PRASAD SAROJ:

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

- (a) whether the funds for development works provided to Members of Legislative  Assemblies  (MLAs)  is  more  than  the  funds  provided  to Members of Parliament (MPs) in the country;
- (b) if so, whether the Government proposes to enhance the said funds for MPs to make the provision to provide the said funds equal to the MPs and MLAs in the country;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to provide any other fund to MPs in  a  different  Budgetary  Head  apart  from  the  development  fund provided;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  exempt  funds  under  MPLAD from GST and 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) A Member of Parliament (MP) gets an amount of Rs. 5 crore per year for the development of his/her Parliamentary Constituency.

The Members of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) annual entitlement may vary across States and is under the domain of respective State/UT Government. (b) & (c) The Ministry receives and examines, on a continuous basis, the new suggestions from stakeholders, including suggestions for revision of  entitlement  of  funds,  following  due  process  in  consultation  with Ministry of Finance. (d) & (e) At present there is no such proposal under consideration. (f) Utilisation of fund for receiving supply of goods and services under the scheme is taxable as per the applicable GST rates. The GST rates and exemptions are prescribed based on the recommendations of the GST Council, which is a statutory body comprising of members from both  the  Union  and  State/UT  Governments.  At  present  there  is  no proposal  under  consideration  for  granting  any  exemption  of  GST  on utilisation of MPLAD Fund.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3157 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Away From Reactor Spent Fuel Storage Facility
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Robert Bruce C

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 3157

ANSWERED ON 19/03/2025

## AWAY FROM REACTOR SPENT FUEL STORAGE FACILITY

## 3157.  SHRI ROBERT BRUCE C

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:-

(a) the status of the proposed Away From Reactor (AFR) Spent Fuel Storage facility in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP);

- (b) the quantity of spent fuel proposed to be stored in the facility;
- (c) the details of safeguards and containment standards of the said facility;

(d)  the  details  of  the  proposals  for  the  Deep  Geological  Repository  (DGR)  for  the final disposal of radioactive waste; and

(e) whether the Radioactive wastes from other Nuclear sites are being stored at KKNPP and the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES  &  PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a)  Each of the three twin Units at Kudankulam are provided with an Away From Reactor (AFR)  facility  for  storage  of  spent  fuel  till  it  is  sent  for  reprocessing.  At  present,  the construction of AFR facility in KKNPP-3&4 is in progress. In respect of AFR for KKNPP 1&2, conduct of public hearing which is a part of the process of obtaining environmental clearance, is awaited.
- (b) Each AFR is designed for storing spent fuel discharged by twin reactor units over a period of 40 years. However, the actual storage at any given time would depend on the amount of fuel discharged from the reactors and drawn from the AFR for reprocessing.
- (c)  The AFR facility is designed with a comprehensive approach to safety to withstand extreme natural events like earthquakes and tsunamis with provisions of large operational safety margins for safe, sound and reliable performance. It is designed to ensure that there would be no adverse impact on plant personnel, general public or the environment.

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) conducts a rigorous and comprehensive safety review of AFR facility designs to ensure compliance with the requirements specified in AERB  Safety Documents, including AERB  Safety  Standards  [AERB/NF/SS/CSE (Rev.1)], AERB Safety Guide (AERB/SG/D-24) among others.

- (d) India is pursuing a closed fuel cycle, where the quantity of radioactive waste generated is very less. Further technologies for separation, partitioning and burning of waste are being developed in the country, which will further bring down the quantity of radioactive waste. Considering the small quantity of radioactive waste, there is no need for a Deep Geological Repository in the near future.
- (e)  No.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3156 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Weakening of BSNL Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3156 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH  MARCH, 2025

## WEAKENING OF BSNL CONNECTIVITY

## 3156.   SHRI MUHAMMED HAMDULLAH SAYEED:

Will the Minister of  COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  Government  has received reports regarding the weakening  of  BSNL connectivity in various regions, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) the funds allocated and projects undertaken to improve BSNL's network and infrastructure during each of the last three years, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) the  measures  being  taken  to  ensure  BSNL's  competitiveness  against  private  telecom operators?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

( a ) to ( c ) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regularly monitors the performance of Telecom service providers against the benchmark for various Quality-of-Service (QoS) parameters. As  per  performance  monitoring  report  (PMR),  BSNL  is  meeting  the  benchmark  of  most  of  the network related QoS parameters of Cellular services.

Further  to  improve  services  of  BSNL,  including  its  network  and  infrastructure  the  Union Cabinet in 2019 approved first revival package amounting to around Rs. 69 Thousand Crores that brought down the operating costs of BSNL/MTNL. In 2022, revival package amounting to around Rs. 1.64 Lakh Crores was given. It focused on infusing fresh capital, restructuring debt, viability gap funding for rural telephony etc. In 2023, Government approved the allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to BSNL with the total outlay of around Rs. 89 Thousand Crores. In addition to these revival packages, the Cabinet Note for additional CAPEX support of Rs.6,982 Crores has been approved on 07.02.2025.

As a result of these packages, BSNL has started earning operating profits from F.Y. 2020-21.

Further,  in  line  with  Atmanirbhar  Bharat  initiative,  BSNL  has  placed  purchase  order  for indigenously developed 4G sites for pan India deployment. Supply of 4G equipment has started from September 2023 and as on 05.03.2025, total 83,629 4G sites have been installed and 74,123 sites are ON-Air.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3155 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: 5G Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Smt. Malvika Devi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3155 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19 TH  MARCH, 2025

## 5G CONNECTIVITY

## 3155.   SMT. MALVIKA DEVI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps being taken to increase connectivity in remote areas;
- (b) the steps being taken to increase 5G connectivity in districts; and
- (c) the initiatives and incentives given to big companies to set up 5G connectivity in remote and tribal areas and the number of 5G towers set up in the last financial years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

- (a) Government of India has undertaken following projects, with funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), to increase telecommunication connectivity in remote areas :-
- i. Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for mobile connectivity in the North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep islands with projects costing over ₹4,050 crore.
- ii. Scheme for providing mobile services in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and Aspirational Districts with projects costing over ₹13,179 crore.
- iii. 4G Saturation Project for providing 4G mobile services in uncovered villages with projects costing over ₹26,300 crore.
- iv. Amended  BharatNet  project  to  provide  broadband  connectivity  to  the  Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages.
- (b) & (c) The Government has taken several steps to increase 5G connectivity in the country, including in remote and tribal areas. These initiatives are listed as below:-
- i. Auction of spectrum for 5G mobile services.
- ii. Financial reforms to rationalize Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), Bank Guarantees (BGs) and interest rates.
- iii. Removal of Spectrum Usage Charges for spectrum acquired in auction of 2022 and thereafter.
- iv. Simplification  of  procedure  for  SACFA  (Standing  Advisory  Committee  on  Radio Frequency Allocations) clearance.
- v. Launch  of  PM  GatiShakti  Sanchar  portal  and  RoW  (Right  of  Way)  Rules  to streamline RoW permissions and clearance of installation of telecom infrastructure.
- vi. Time-bound permission for use of street furniture for installation of small cells and telecommunication line.

Since its launch in October 2022, 4.69 lakhs 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed across the country which is one of the fastest roll out of 5G mobile services in the world. At present, 5G mobile services are available in 99.6% of the districts in the country. Further, 2.95 lakh 5G BTSs have been set up in the last financial year (2023-24).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3152 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Train Service between Jind-Ringas (Khatu Shyamji) and Jind-Haridwar
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Satpal Brahamchari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3152

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN JIND-RINGAS (KHATU SHYAMJI) AND JIND-

HARIDWAR

†3152. SHRI SATPAL BRAHAMCHARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the long-standing demand for a  direct  train  service  between  Jind-Ringas (Khatu Shyamji) and JindHaridwar;
- (b)  if  so,  the  reasons  for  not  having  a  direct  train  service  between these two cities inspite of heavy demand of passengers;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  feasibility  study  or received proposals for introducing a direct train service on this route; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether the Government plans to start a direct train service at the earliest?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d) Passengers  of  Jind  desirous  of  travelling  to  Ringas  (Khatu Shyamji) and Haridwar may avail changeover at Delhi for their onwards journey.  Delhi  is  very  well  connected  to  Ringas  by  06  pairs  and  to Haridwar by 18 pairs of train services. Besides, Delhi is also connected to Jind by 19 pairs of train services. Moreover, introduction of new train services is an on-going process on Indian Railway  subject to operational feasibility, traffic justification, competing demands, etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3150 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Atal Innovation Mission
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Dr. K Sudhakar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3150 TO BE ANSWERED 19.03.2025

## ATAL INNOVATION MISSION

## 3150.   DR. K SUDHAKAR:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of active Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) established across the country under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) particularly in Odisha;
- (b) whether any impact assessment has been conducted to evaluate the effect of ATLs on school children, including the benefits and outcomes of these labs on fostering innovation and curiosity;
- (c) the details of the measures taken by the Government to further boost the reach of ATLs, especially in rural and underserved areas under AIM;
- (d) the manner in which the ATLs are designed to generate curiosity and creativity among school students and the specific activities or approaches being implemented to achieve the set target; and
- (e) the details of support given to start-ups through Atal Innovation Mission including startups from Karnataka who have been benefited under the Mission?

## 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) Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog has established 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) across the country, of which 331 ATLs are in Odisha.
- (b) Yes Sir
- (c) Out of 10,000 ATLs established by AIM, 5,692 (56.92%) ATLs have been established in rural areas. Further, 1022 (10.22%) ATLs have been established in Aspirational Districts.

- (d) Each ATL is equipped with a diverse array of tools and technologies designed to foster innovation  and  hands-on  learning  among  students.  ATLs  house  21st  century  tools  and technologies  such  as  IoT,  3D  printing,  rapid  prototyping  tools,  robotics,  miniaturized electronics,  do-it-yourself  kits  etc.  Training,  workshops  and  hackathons  are  regularly conducted and learning modules are published on emerging technologies and 21 st century skills.
- (e) AIM through its Atal Incubation Centre (AIC) and Atal Community Innovation Centre (ACIC)  programs  support  start-ups.  These  centres  provide  start-ups  with  physical working space,  IT, lab and associated infrastructure, access to resources, technical and business  development  mentors  and  experts,  and  access  to  potential  finance  AICs  and ACICs have incubated over 4000 start-ups. In Karnataka, 11 AICs have incubated over 370 start-ups.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3146 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Non-Availability of Trains from Thawe Junction
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3146

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## NON-AVAILABILITY OF TRAINS FROM THAWE JUNCTION

3146. DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that more than 150 buses are plight for  metropolitan  cities  due  to  non-availability  of  train  services  from  the Thawe  junction,  if  so,  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  stop railway revenue loss;
- (b) whether it is a fact that the Government is not taking into consideration of the long standing demand of trains from the Thawe junction to various metropolitan cities, if not, the steps taken in this regard;
- (c) whether it is a fact that the Thawe junction was initially proposed for making a zonal office, if so, the details of the steps taken in this direction; and
- (d)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  about  the  nexus  between  Railway officials and private bus operators causing non-availability of train services for metropolitan cities, if so, the details of measures taken?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (d)   At  present,  Thawe Junction is being served by 06 Mail/Express and  22  Passenger  services  providing  connectivity  to  the  passengers  of Thawe inter alia for destinations like Siwan, Patliputra, Gorakhpur, Lucknow etc. Further, passengers of Thawe may also avail changeover at Siwan (28 km from Thawe), which is well connected to major stations of the  country.  Besides,  Indian  Railways,  subject  to  operational  feasibility, traffic  justification,  competing  demands,  etc.,  constantly  endeavours  to provide connectivity between  stations. Factors, including lack/ nonavailability  of  infrastructural  facilities  at  originating/terminating  stations, as  in  the  case  of  Thawe,  precludes  introduction  of  long  distance  trains therefrom.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3145 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Aadhaar Enrolment for NRIs
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Thiru Arun Nehru

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION. NO. 3145

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 19.03.2025

## AADHAAR ENROLMENT FOR NRIS

## 3145. THIRU ARUN NEHRU:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes a clear process by which NRIs can get Aadhaar number without the wait time in the light of Aadhaar been made mandatory for all property registrations across the country keeping in view the various difficulties being faced by NRIs; and
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to ease NRI's paperwork to do business in India?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (b): Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric identity system comprising more than 133 crore individuals and completed more than 13,270 crore authentication transactions.

Any Non-Resident Indian (NRI)with a valid Indian passport immediately upon his arrival in India can apply at Aadhaar enrolment centre to get his Aadhaar number, without any wait for residency requirement. Thereafter, UIDAI checks the NRI's biometric data (fingerprints, iris scan)  and  demographic  details  (name,  address,  etc.)  for  accuracy  and  completeness  and verifies that the data provided by him does not conflict with existing records in the Aadhaar database to prevent duplication.Once the data is verified and de-duplicated, UIDAI generates a  unique  Aadhaar  number,  which  can  be  used  by  the  NRI  for  authenticating  himself  for availing different services.

The Government of India has implemented several key initiatives to reduce the paperwork and  streamline  processes  for  NRIs  looking  to  do  business  in  India.  Some  of  these  key initiatives are like the Make in India initiative and Startup India program which introduced simplified procedures and incentives, such as easier registration processes, tax exemptions, and  faster  approvals  for  new  businesses.  Similarly,  establishment  of  online  portals  has enabled  NRIs  to  incorporate  companies,  register  for  taxes,  and  complete  other  necessary formalities digitally, eliminating the need for extensive physical paperwork.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3144 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Draft Guidelines for Access to Statistical Official Data
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Asaduddin Owaisi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3144 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2025

## DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR ACCESS TO STATISTICAL OFFICIAL DATA

3144. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

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

- (a) whether the Government has recently released a draft of revised guidelines for access to statistical official data and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the rationale behind the proposed requirement for prior authorization and case-by-case approval for restricted access data and the manner in which this aligns with the objective of promoting data-driven governance and research;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  potential  impact  of these draft guidelines on academic research, private data users and evidence-based policymaking and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  whether  the  proposed  guidelines  include  an  appeal  mechanism for denied data access requests and if not, whether the Government plans to introduce such a provision?

## 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) : The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India recently conducted consultations  on  the  draft  of  the  revised  version  of  its  existing Guidelines on Statistical Data Dissemination (GSDD). The existing GSDD  was  notified  by  the  Ministry  in  April  2019.  As  part  of  the

consultations,  the  draft  of  the  revised  guidelines  was  circulated among various Ministries / Departments as well as placed on the website of MoSPI for seeking comments from other stakeholders. The requirements proposed in the draft of the revised guidelines on restricted access data is in line with the National Data Sharing and  Accessibility  Policy  (NDSAP)  issued  by  the  Department  of Science and Technology, Government of India in 2012. (d):  No, sir. Currently, no such proposal is under consideration.

*****