opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 259 (STARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Railway Halt at Village Kharakram Ji in Haryana
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Satpal Brahamchari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.259 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## RAILWAY HALT AT VILLAGE KHARAKRAM JI IN HARYANA

†*259. SHRI SATPAL BRAHAMCHARI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any proposal to provide railway halt at village Kharakram ji  on  the  Sonipat-Jind  railway  line  is  under  consideration  with  the Government and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the local public representatives and villagers  have submitted written demands and survey reports in this regard, if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  survey  regarding passengers footfall, geotechnical conditions and feasibility at the said location and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  grant  early  approval  to  the said  proposal  and  to  start  the  construction  work  to  provide  better transport facilities to the local residents of the said area and if so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING 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  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 259 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

(a)  to  (d)  :  Kharakram  Ji  village  is  served  by  two  nearby  railway stations-Lalit Khera Halt (LTKR) and Pandu Pindara Halt (PPDE)-on the Sonipat-Jind railway line, where three (03) pairs of trains presently stop at both stations. The  opening  of  station  depends  on  many  factors  such  as passenger  footfall,  cost,  recurring  expenditure,  operational  feasibility and distance of nearby stations, etc. Proposals/requests/suggestions/representations,  both  formal  and informal  inter  alia  for  opening  of  halt  stations  are  received  from Members  of  Parliaments, elected representatives, organizations/rail users,  etc.  at  various  levels  including  Railway  Board,  Zonal  Railways, Divisional Office, etc. As receipts of such proposals/requests/ /suggestions/representations  is  a  continuous  and  dynamic  process, these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time and no centralized compendium of these submissions

is maintained.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 2985 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Youth Parliament Competitions
Ministry: PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 2985

## ANSWERED ON 17/12/2025

## YOUTH PARLIAMENT COMPETITIONS

## 2985.   DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

## Will the MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the manner in which the Ministry is encouraging participation of students in legislative processes through the Youth Parliament Competitions;
- (b) whether a dedicated digital platform has been created by the Government for conducting pre-legislative public consultations on draft bills; and
- (c) the manner in which the Ministry is enhancing public access to its annual reports and performance indicators?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a) The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs organizes Youth Parliament Competitions  in  Delhi  Schools,  Kendriya  Vidyalayas,  Jawahar  Navodaya Vidyalayas, Eklavya Model Residential Schools (new initiative) and Universities/Colleges in coordination with the respective stakeholder organizations.  The  programme  of  Youth  Parliament  Competitions  is  an awareness programme which aims to strengthen the roots of democracy, inculcate healthy habits of discipline, and tolerance of the views of others and to enable the students to know about practices and procedures of the Parliament  and  to  enhance  their  knowledge  of  the  functioning  of  the Government, Constitutional values and for living their lives in a democratic way.
- (b)   No such dedicated platform has been created by this Ministry for conducting pre-legislative public consultation on draft bills.
- (c)   This Ministry regularly publishes its Annual Reports on its website which are accessible documents to the public.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2977 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Ballarpur/Pune/Mumbai Train Connectivity
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Dhanorkar Pratibha Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2977 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## BALLARPUR/PUNE/MUMBAI TRAIN CONNECTIVITY

†2977. SMT. DHANORKAR PRATIBHA SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the frequency of daily direct trains  from  Ballarpur  to  Pune  and  Mumbai  is  extremely  inadequate causing a lot of inconvenience to students and passengers from the industrial sector and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the current physical progress of the construction of the  proposed  new  coaching  depot  in  Chandrapur  along  with  the timeline set for its completion;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  introduce  alternate/weekly Ballarpur-Pune/Mumbai special trains to alleviate the immediate inconvenience to passengers until the new coaching depot is completed and the start of daily trains becomes possible and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  if  not,  the  details of the proposed alternative arrangements made by the  Government to provide relief to passengers on this important route and to address the lack of connectivity?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d) Presently, Balharshah(which serves Ballarpur town) is connected to Mumbai by  02 pairs of train services including the daily

Maharaj(T)-Balharshah Balharshah service of 11001/11002 Chhatrapati Shivaji Express and 22109/22110 Lokmanya Tilak(T) -Express(Weekly) introduced w.e.f 12-03-2024.

Further, Balharshah-Pune sector is served by 22151/22152 Pune - Kazipet Express.

Besides, introduction of new train services on any route/section, which is an on-going process, depends on various factors which include:

- Capacity of that section
- Availability of path
- Availability of required rolling stock
- Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock
- Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets

At present, Coaching Depot with one pit line is available in Ballarshah near Chandrapur.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2976 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: OTT Content under CBFC
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Dr. M K Vishnu Prasad

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2976 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## OTT CONTENT UNDER CBFC

## 2976: DR. M K VISHNU PRASAD

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

- a)  whether  the  Government  is  considering  bringing  Over  The  Top  (OTT)  content under the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) system and if so, the details thereof;
- b)  if not, the alternative mechanisms proposed to ensure content discipline;
- c)  the number of complaints received by the Government against OTT content during the last three years; and
- d)  the action taken by the Government on such complaints?

## ANSWER

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

(DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (d): Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory authority established under the Cinematograph Act, 1952 for examining and certifying cinematographic films for public exhibition.

OTT content is regulated under the provisions of Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The Code of Ethics requires OTT platforms to avoid publishing content prohibited by law and undertake age-based classification of content as per the guidelines in the Rules.

These Rules also outline a three-tier institutional mechanism for ensuring adherence to content-related norms and for addressing public grievances. Level I: Self-regulation by the publishers Level II: Self-regulation by the self-regulating bodies of the publishers Level III: Oversight mechanism by the Central Government The grievances  related  to  OTT  content  are  duly  forwarded  to  the  concerned  OTT platforms for appropriate action under the Level-I of the redressal mechanism viz. self-

regulation by the publishers, provided under the IT Rules, 2021.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2974 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Department of Posts Focusing on Financial Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri T R Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2974 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## DEPARTMENT OF POSTS FOCUSING ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

## 2974.   SHRI T R BAALU:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the number of post offices in the country has decreased drastically during the last five years as Department of Posts is focusing more on other financial service activities like Banking, Life Insurance etc.;
- (b) if so, the details of new post offices opened/closed during the last five years;
- (c) the extent to which the financial viability of postal services have improved on account of banking and insurance services along with details of revenue, expenditure, profit during the last five years;
- (d) whether postal services have been severely affected due to diversion of employees to NonPostal functions and huge vacancies; and
- (e) if so, the details of the corrective measures proposed by the Government?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) No, Sir. The number of post offices in the country has in fact increased during the last five years.
- (b) Details of post offices during the last five years:

| Year             | Number of post offices   |
|------------------|--------------------------|
| As on 31.03.2021 | 1,56,434                 |
| As on 31.03.2022 | 1,59,251                 |
| As on 31.03.2023 | 1,64,972                 |
| As on 31.03.2024 | 1,64,987                 |
| As on 31.03.2025 | 1,64,999                 |

(c) Details  of  revenue  and  expenditure  during  the  last  five  years  including  the  banking  and insurance services are as below:

| (Rs. in crores)   | (Rs. in crores)           | (Rs. in crores)       | (Rs. in crores)   | (Rs. in crores)   |
|-------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| Financial Year    | Total Revenue Expenditure | Total Revenue Receipt | Total Recoveries  | Revenue Deficit   |
| 2020-21           | 29261.46                  | 10632.5               | 933.87            | 17695.09          |
| 2021-22           | 30924.06                  | 10860.8               | 1202.63           | 18860.63          |
| 2022-23           | 32595.57                  | 10917.89              | 1139.24           | 20538.44          |
| 2023-24           | 35645.52                  | 11321.35              | 1255.88           | 23068.29          |
| 2024-25           | 37528.49                  | 11425.24              | 1188.04           | 24915.21          |

(d) No, Sir.

(e) Does not arise in view of point (d) above.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2973 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Satellite Channels Operation in Telangana
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2973

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

SATELLITE CHANNELS OPERATION IN TELANGANA

2973. SHRI MADHAVANENI RAGHUNANDAN RAO:

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

- (a) the number of satellite channels operational in Telangana;
- (b) the total number of Government-recognized publications
- (including all types) in Telangana;
- (c) the number of satellite channels that have been granted
- permission to operate in Telangana;
- (d) the details of publications and channels that have had their recognition cancelled due to various reasons; and
- (e) the details of measures being taken by the Government to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements among satellite channels and publications in Telangana?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

(DR. L. MURUGAN)

- (a) to (e): The satellite TV Channels are regulated as per "Policy Guidelines for Uplinking and Downlinking of Television Channels, 2022". These, inter alia, provide adherence to the Programme Code and Advertisement Code (issued under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder), satellite and security clearances.

The private satellite TV Channels are granted permission for downlinking on pan-India basis (not specific to a particular State) and are operational throughout India including the state of Telangana.

A total of 911 such channels are operational throughout the country. In cases of violations to the conditions of permission, the channels are suspended/revoked/cancelled.

The publications/periodicals are required to comply with the Press and Registrations of Periodicals Act, 2023 (PRP Act). Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) deactivates registration of periodicals that have not complied with the PRP Act.

PRGI also issues several advisories/notices in this regard and cancels registration of those periodicals which does not comply with provisions of the PRP Act, 2023.

The total number of publications from Telangana registered by the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) is 3950.

Newspapers have to adhere to "Norms of Journalistic Conduct" brought out by the Press Council of India (PCI). The Press Council of India (PCI), under Section 14 of the PCI Act, 1978 examines complaints relating to fake or misleading news or violation of journalistic norms in print media.

After inquiry, PCI may warn, admonish or censure the concerned newspaper, news agency, editor or journalist.

Further, in case of grave violation of Journalistic Norms by any newspaper, editor or journalist, PCI may take sou-moto action under regulation 13 of the Press Council (Procedure for Inquiry) Regulations, 1979.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2970 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Bharatnet Phase-II
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2970 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## BHARATNET PHASE-II

## 2970.   SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of panchayats in Kerala still without high-speed internet; and
- (b) the implementation status of BharatNet Phase-II  in the State and the measures proposed to strengthen digital access in tribal and hilly regions?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) The total number of Gram Panchayats (GPs) in Kerala is 941. All GPs have been made Service Ready  under BharatNet Phase-I & Phase-II. Government has taken several steps for expansion of telecom services and broadband through Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) funded major schemes in rural areas such as BharatNet for providing broadband connectivity in Gram Panchayats (GPs) and 4G Saturation project for providing access to 4G mobile services in uncovered villages. Further, under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), provision of mobile coverage to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) villages/ habitations by DoT through DBN funded schemes has been included.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2969 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Investment in North Eastern Region
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Shri Joyanta Basumatary

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA Unstarred Question No. 2969

To be answered on

Wednesday, December 17, 2025/Agrahayana 26, 1947 (Saka)

## QUESTION Investment in North Eastern Region

## 2969.  Shri Joyanta Basumatary:

Will  the  Minister  of  DEVELOPMENT  OF  NORTH  EASTERN  REGION  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken such actions to attract the Multinational Companies  (MNCs)  or  organizations  to  invest  in  North  Eastern  Region  (NER)  of county to create employment and development and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  seeking  some  investments  before  signing  the MoU with different Companies;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the details of the number of proposals received and steps/action taken by the Government to attract more investors?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of State of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (Dr. Sukanta Majumdar)

(a) to (d) Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) organized Rising  Northeast  Investors  Summit  2025  to  catalyze  trade  and  investment  in  the North  Eastern  Region.  The  focus  sectors  of  the  summit  identified  for  attracting investment  in  the  North  Eastern  Region  were  Tourism  and  Hospitality;  Agro-Food Processing  &  allied  sectors;  Textiles,  Handloom  and  Handicrafts;  Healthcare; Education  and  Skill  Development;  IT/ITeS;  Entertainment  &  Sports;  Infrastructure and  Logistics;  and  Energy.  Collectively,  the  Summit  and  its  pre-event  roadshows garnered investment interests of ₹ 4.48 lakh crore through Memoranda of Understanding  (MoU),  letters  of  intent,  and  qualified  leads  from private  investors,  public  sector  undertakings,  and  major  industrial  conglomerates. The investment will enhance industrial capacity of North Eastern Region as well as provide employment opportunities. State Governments are actively engaged with all the investors for grounding of the investment interests. Further, various steps have been taken by North Eastern State Governments to facilitate investment, which inter alia ,  include  single  window  clearance,  establishment  of  investment  promotion agency, creation of land banks, incentives for investments etc.

For strengthening the industrial eco-system and attracting private investment in  North  Eastern  Region,  Government  of  India  is  implementing  Uttar  Poorva Transformative  Industrialization  (UNNATI)  Scheme.  The  incentives provided  under UNNATI  scheme  are  (i)  Capital  Investment  Incentive;  (ii)  Central  Capital  Interest Subvention Incentive; and (iii) Manufacturing & Services Linked Incentive.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2967 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: BSNL Network Towers in Bhiwandi
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Balya Mama Suresh Gopinath Mhatre

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2967 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## BSNL NETWORK TOWERS IN BHIWANDI

## †2967. SHRI BALYA MAMA SURESH GOPINATH MHATRE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the mobile and broadband services of BSNL in the Bhiwandi area are extremely slow and unstable;
- (b) if so, the steps taken/being taken to improve the same;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  increase  the  number  of  BSNL  network  towers  in Bhiwandi and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the extent to which BSNL's customer service and grievance-redressal mechanism is effective in Bhiwandi; and
- (e) the details of the number of consumer complaints registered against BSNL from Bhiwandi during the last three years and the time taken for their resolution?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Due  to  several  infrastructure  related  development  activities,  Optical  Fiber  Cables (OFC) are occasionally damaged which affects BSNL services. To ensure availability of services, BSNL is undertaking several measures, including creation of OFC cable ring topology for network redundancy, installation of MPLS-IP based Access and Aggregation Network (MAAN) systems to enhance data throughput, provisioning of additional battery banks and power plants to address power outages, and upgradation of 2G/3G BTSs to improve data speed and voice quality.

(c) Under 4G Saturation Project, BSNL has commissioned 50 sites in Bhiwandi and under Phase IX.2 Project, BSNL has upgraded 65 sites to 4G sites.

(d) & (e) BSNL's complaint and grievance redressal system is operational through PGRMS(Public Grievance Redressal Management System), CPGRAMS(Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System), Call Centres and Customer Service Centres (CSCs), ensuring quick and satisfactory resolution. During the last three years, BSNL received a total of 59 complaints in Bhiwandi, all of which were attended in a timely manner.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2965 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Review Time Related Continuity Allowance
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Kaushalendra Kumar, Shri Babu Singh Kushwaha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2965 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## REVIEW TIME RELATED CONTINUITY ALLOWANCE

## †2965. SHRI BABU SINGH KUSHWAHA: SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  various  steps  being  taken  to  review  the  Time  Related  Continuity  Allowance  (TRCA) structure for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS);
- (b) whether the  Government proposes to accord priority  to local candidates familiar with the language and local geography;
- (c) if so, the details of the measures taken in this regard; and
- (d) if  not,  the  reasons  for  not  adopting  such  a  policy  despite  repeated  transfer  requests  and challenges faced by the candidates from other States?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Sir, the Time Related Continuity Allowance (TRCA) structure for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) is reviewed periodically. The Government has successively constituted committees for revision of TRCA structure and other service conditions of GDS from time to time after report of each successive Central Pay Commissions (CPCs).

(b) to (d) As  per  Article  16(2)  of  the  Constitution  of  India,  no  citizen  can  be  discriminated against in public employment on the grounds of race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, or residence. Further, knowledge of identified local language(s), studied at least upto 10 th  standard is a mandatory requirement for GDS engagement under the extant rules.

*****