opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1205 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Quality Standards of National Highways
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the quality norms have not been adhered to in the construction of some National Highways and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the condition of service roads on NHs-30 from Lakhnadaun to Bela-Jhukehi of Varanasi Marg to Mainhar Bela is very pitiable, if so, the steps taken by the Government for repairing and maintenance of said;
- (c) the time by which the incompleted construction of service roads at several places between Jhukehi to Mainhar is likely to be completed;
- (d) whether the construction work on NH-39 from Satna to Bela is of very low standards; and
- (e)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  is  considering  is  to  improve construction work of NHs and construction and improvement of service roads?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. † 1205 ANSWERED ON 27 th  JULY, 2023

## QUALITY STANDARDS

† 1205. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

(a)  and  (e)  All  National  Highways  are  constructed  as  per  quality standards  specified  in  the  Ministry  and  Indian  Roads  Congress  (IRC) specifications and codes. To ensure the construction quality, Consultants (Authority's Engineer/ Independent Engineer), Quality Monitors are appointed by the Ministry and its executing agencies for day  to  day  supervision  of  the  works  at  site.  The  works  found  not adhering to the quality norms during such examination / supervision, if any, are brought to the notice of the Concessionaires / Contractors for taking up necessary corrective measures. (b) and (c) All service roads in Lakhnadaun to Bela-Jhukehi of Varanasi Marg to Mainhar Bela are in traffic worthy condition. Deteriorations in some service roads stretches caused due to heavy traffic & rain are repaired and maintained regularly by the EPC Contractor at his own cost in the defect liability period as per the terms of the contract agreement. Separate Contract has been awarded with scheduled completion date as July, 2024 for the descoped work of service roads at several places between Jhukehi to Mainhar. (d) The Contractor is executing the construction work on NH-39 from Satna to Bela as per quality standards specified in the Ministry and IRC specifications and codes. A team of Auth ority's Engineer appointed by the  Madhya  Pradesh  State  Public  Works  Department  (PWD)  regularly checks and tests the quality of construction work on NH-39 from Satna to Bela. Officials of PWD also undertake inspections on routine and need based  basis  to  ensure  adherence  of  quality  of  construction  by  the Concessioner to the stipulated requirements.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1203 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Amendment in Electricity (Consumer Rights) Rules, 2020
Ministry: POWER
Asked by: S. Venkatesan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1203

## ANSWERED ON 27.07.2023

## AMENDMENT IN ELECTRICITY (CONSUMER RIGHTS) RULES, 2020 1203. SHRI S. VENKATESAN:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  changes  have  been  made  in  Electricity  (Consumer  rights) Rules, 2020 by introducing the system of Time Of Day (TOD) having 10 to 20 per cent higher tariff for peak hours i.e. 6 am to 10 am and 6 pm to 10 pm;
- (b) if so, whether Government has taken note of concerns raised by the MSME entrepreneurs that TOD would affect their ventures and the steps taken to allay their fears; and
- (c) whether  Ministry  of  Power  has  received  any  request  from  the Ministry  of  MSME  to  reconsider  their  decision  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## A N S W E R

## THE MINISTER OF POWER AND NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY

(SHRI R.K. SINGH)

- (a) : Ministry of Power vide notification dated 14.06.2023 has issued the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2023 wherein the rule for Time of Day (ToD) Tariff has also been specified. This rule inter alia provides that:
- i. ToD tariff for Commercial and Industrial consumers having maximum demand more than  10kW  shall  be  made  effective  from  a  date  not  later than 1st April, 2024 and for other consumers  except agricultural consumers, the ToD tariff shall be made effective not later than 1 st  April, 2025.
- ii. ToD  tariff,  during  the  peak  period  of  the  day,  for  Commercial  and Industrial  consumers shall not be less than 1.20 times the normal tariff and for other consumers it shall not be less than 1.10 times the normal tariff.

.......2.

iii. Tariff  for  solar  hours,  of  the  day,  to  be  specified  by  the  State Commission shall be at least twenty percent (20%) less than the normal tariff for that category of consumers.

(b)  &  (c)  :  Ministry  of  Power  has  not  received  any  representations  from MSME entrepreneurs.  Further,  the  ToD  tariff  comprising  separate  tariffs for  peak  hours,  solar  hours  and  normal  hours,  sends  price  signals  to consumers to manage their load in accordance with the Tariff. Since, the tariff  during  the  solar  hours  will  be  at  least  20%  less  than  the  normal tariff, the consumer including MSMEs can shift consumption during solar hours when power cost is less and can be benefitted.

Ministry  of  Micro,  Small  and  Medium  Enterprises  has  not requested Ministry of Power to reconsider its decision.

*********
Lok Sabha Question No. 1201 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: CNG/EVC Station on Private Land
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Asked by: Margani Bharat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1201

TO BE ANSWERED ON JULY 27, 2023

## CNG/EVC STATION ON PRIVATE LAND

NO. 1201.          SHRI MARGANI BHARAT:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether as per the Gazette Notification No. S.O. 3358 (e) dated 18/09/2019, if the permission is sought for combined use as CNG station  as  well  as  EVC  station,  the  applicable  private  land
- conversion fee would be 25 per cent as applicable for petrol pump;
- (b) if so, the details of such pumps granted permission and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether as per the said notification, if the permission sought only for  EVC  station,  the  applicable  private  land  use  conversion  fee would be five percent;
- (d) if  so,  whether  the  DDA  has  granted  the  permission  for  the  said purpose and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether the rebate is being offered on private land conversion fee if more than two new generation fuel like, E.V., CNG, Ethanol/Biodiesel along with HS & HSD are installed and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI KAUSHAL KISHORE)

(a) to (c) The Gazette notification no. S.O. 3358 (E) dated 18/09/2019 provides that in case the permission is sought for combined use  as  CNG  station  as  well  as  EVC  station,  the  applicable  use conversion fee will be 25% of those applicable for petrol pump.

The use conversion fee rates for EVC station is 5% of the fee applicable for petrol pump.

Delhi  Development  Authority  (DDA)  has  informed  that  a  total  of  23 applications for combined use as CNG Station as well as EVC have been received. The details of which are as under:

|   Total Number of Applications received. |   Number of Applications rejected. |   Number of Applications for which deficiencies have been noticed. |   Number of Applications being processed. |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
|                                       23 |                                 04 |                                                                 10 |                                        09 |

## (d) DDA has  informed  that  no  application  has  been  received  for setting up of only EVC station.

## (e) The  Gazette  Notification  No.  S.O.  3358(E)  dated  18/09/2019 provides for following:

(i) In  case  the  permission  is  sought  for  combined  use  as  CNG station as well as EVC station, the applicable use conversion fee will be 25% of those applicable for petrol pump.

(ii) In  case  the  permission  is  sought  for  combined  use  as  Petrol pump as well as CNG station, the applicable use conversion fee will be 75% of those applicable for petrol pump.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1197 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Migrant Households under PMUY
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Vincent H Pala, Dean Kuriakose, Amar Singh, A. Chellakumar

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1197 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  JULY, 2023

## MIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS UNDER PMUY

1197.   SHRI VINCENT H. PALA: DR. A. CHELLAKUMAR: ADV. DEAN KURIAKOSE: DR. AMAR SINGH:

पेोिलयम एवं ाक ृ ितक गैस मं ी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS  be pleased to state:

(a) the number of migrant households availing the LPG connection under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY);

(b) the number of housholds refilled their LPG cylinders and using their LPG connections currently; and

(c) the reasons for the low LPG consumption among PMUY beneficiaries since the introduction of the Ujjwala Scheme?

## ANSWER

## पेोिलयम एवं ाक ृ ितक गैस मं ालय म राय मं ी ( ी रामेर तेली ) MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

(a) Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched in May, 2016 with an objective to provide deposit  free  LPG  connections  to  adult  women  of  poor  households,  across  the  country.  The  target  to release 8 crore connections was achieved in September, 2019. To cover the remaining poor households, PMUY phase-2 (Ujjwala 2.0) was launched in August 2021 with a target to release 1 crore additional PMUY connections, which was achieved in January 2022. Subsequently, the Government decided to release  60  lakh  more  LPG  connections  under  Ujjwala  2.0  and  the  target  of  1.60  crore  Ujjwala  2.0 connections has already been achieved in December, 2022. Under Ujjwala 2.0, a special provision has been  made  for  migrant  families  who  can  use  a  self-declaration  as  a  proof  of  address  and  family declaration to apply for a PMUY connection. A total of 5.43 lakh LPG connections have been released to migrant households under Ujjwala 2.0.

(b)  As on 01.07.2023, there are about 9.59 crore PMUY beneficiaries, out of which 8.41 crore have taken at least one refill during 2022-23.

(c) LPG consumption of PMUY beneficiaries is monitored on regular basis. Consumption of domestic LPG by households depends on several factors like food habits, household size, cooking habits, price, availability  of  alternate  fuels  etc.  Per  capita  consumption  in  terms  of  14.2  kg  cylinder  of  PMUY beneficiaries has increased from 3.01 (FY 2019-20) to 3.71 (FY 2022-23). Further, the Government has taken several steps to encourage consumption of LPG, which include targeted subsidy of Rs. 200/- per 14.2 Kg refill upto 12 refills/year for PMUY beneficiaries for year 2022-23 and 2023-24, option of 5 Kg Double  Bottle  Connection(DBC),  swap  option  from  14.2  kg  to  5  Kg,  upto  3  free  refills  to  PMUY beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package from April to December 2020 etc.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1195 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Food in Flights
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Goddeti Madhavi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1195

(To be answered on the 27 th  July 2023)

## FOOD IN FLIGHTS

## 1195. SHRIMATI GODDETI MADHAVI

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has laid down any norms for ensuring fresh and quality food in the flights; (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government has taken any measures to ensure availability of allergy information  for  all  foods  offered  on  domestic  and  international  flights  for  the passengers;  and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD))

- (a) to (d):  No  specific norms have been prescribed by the Government regarding quality  food  in  flights.    However,    in  order  to  to  safeguard  the  interests  of  the passengers, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued the following regulations/circulars:
- (i)  Air  Transport Circular ATC 1 of 2023 regarding Facilities/Courtesies to the passengers at airports.
- (ii)  Facilities  to  be  provided  to  passengers  by  airlines  due  to  denied  boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights (CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV).
- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1193 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Security of Passengers
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Gajendra Singh Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1193 ANSWERED ON 27 TH  JULY, 2023

## SECURITY OF PASSENGERS

1193.  SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

## be pleased to state:

- (a) the guidelines issued for maintenance of sleeper buses;
- (b) whether any criteria has been laid by the Government for the security of passengers in sleeper buses; and
- (c) the details of the efforts being made by the Government for security of bus passengers in future?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a)  and (b) The sub-rule (5) of Rule 125C of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules,  1989  provides  for  the  testing  and  approval  for  body  building  of sleeper coaches to be in accordance with AIS-119 (Rev.1):2016. The said standard lays down the Specific Constructional Requirements for Sleeper Coaches  over  and  above  the  requirements  laid  for  buses  in  'AIS-052 (Rev.1), as amended from time to time - Code of Practice for Bus Body Design  and  Approval'.  This  applies  to  vehicles  with  equivalent  seating capacity of 13 passengers and above excluding driver meant for sleeper coach  application.  These  Specific  Constructional  Requirements  have been prescribed to maximize safety and minimize severity of injuries and take  care  of  specific  needs  related  to  sleeping  passengers.  These standards  provide  norms  regarding  fire  extinguisher,  emergency  exit, escape  hatch,  breaking  devices  (hammers)  to  break  open  the  safety glasses etc.

(c) This Ministry vide G.S.R. 367(E) dated 13 th  April, 2018 and G.S.R. 246 (E) dated 29 th  March, 2019 has mandated that the fully built buses (with a seating capacity of 22 passengers or above excluding driver) manufactured  on  and  after  1st  April  2019,  by  Original  Equipment Manufacturers be in accordance with AIS:153, as amended from time to time,  till  the  corresponding  BIS  specifications  are  notified  under  the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016). Such buses approved should also comply with the requirements of Fire Detection, Alarm and Suppression system as per AIS:135 and AIS:153.

Ministry has notified that with effect from 01st October 2023 the type III buses of category M3 and school buses should also comply with Fire Alarm and protection system in occupant compartment as per AIS135.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1191 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Financial Loss of Indian Airlines
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Gautham Sigamani Pon

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION Lok Sabha

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1191 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  27th July 2023 )

## FINANCIAL LOSS OF INDIAN AIRLINES

1191.    DR. PON GAUTHAM SIGAMANI Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether it is a fact that Indian airlines are projected to record a consolidated loss of $ 1.6 to 1.8 billion during the financial year 202324;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is also true that nearly hundred planes of Indian carriers are on the ground due to supply chain and other issues and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether it is also true that domestic airlines would have a fleet of about 2,000 planes during the next five to seven years and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION      (GEN.

(DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD))

- (a) & (b): The  figures of profit/losses of the Scheduled Airlines  in
- India are available at the end of the financial year.;
- (c):  At  present, Airbus A320 NEO aircraft fitted with  PW1100G-JM engines made by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) are operated by M/s Indigo and M/s GoFirst Airlines. Many of these aircraft are grounded due to supply chain issue of PW1100G-JM engines. As intimated by DGCA, the situation is due to lack of hardware to get  the engines repaired and overhauled and is a global issue impacting all customers  of P&W. Details of aircraft grounded due to supply chain are at Annexure-I.;

(d): M/s Air India and M/s Indigo have placed large orders for Aircrafts which will  be  delivered  phase-wise  over  a  period  of  time  and  will increase the fleet strength.

******

Annexure-I

| S.No.   | Airlines        |   Total Airbus A320 NEO aircraft |   Grounded Airbus A320 NEO Aircraft |
|---------|-----------------|----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 1.      | M/s Go Airlines |                               49 |                                  27 |
| 2.      | M/s Indigo      |                              136 |                                  43 |
| Total   |                 |                              185 |                                  70 |
Lok Sabha Question No. 1190 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Motor Vehicle Act
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Anto  Antony

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received any representation regarding amendment in section 128 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988; (b) if so, the details thereof and the response thereto;
- (c) whether the Government has any statistics regarding the number of States and Union Territories that have implemented this amendment and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to revise/amend the Central Motor Vehicle Act,1988; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken in this regard?
- ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

- (a)  A letter dated 01 May, 2023 was received from Shri Elamaram Kareem, Member of Parliament, CPI (M), Rajya Sabha requesting to allow the journey of children up to the age of 10 years in two-wheeled motorcycles as third person following necessary safety measures.
- (b) The Hon'ble Minister (RT&H) vide D.O NO. RT-11017/05/2023-MVL dated 31 st  May, 2023 replied that owing to safety concerns of the riders it would not be prudent to allow more than one person in addition to the driver to be carried thereon.
- (c)  Does not arise.
- (d) and (e) No such proposal is under consideration with this Ministry.

*****

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1190 ANSWERED ON 27 th  JULY, 2023

## MOTOR VEHICLE ACT

1190.  SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री
Lok Sabha Question No. 1188 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Petroleum Refining Capacity
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Manickam Tagore B

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1188 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 July, 2023

## Petroleum Refining Capacity

## 1188. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.:

## पैोलयम और ाक ृतक गैस मंी

Will the Minister of  PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Government proposes to raise the petroleum refining capacity to 450 million tonnes from the current capacity of about 250 million tonnes and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to expand its refining capacity yearly;
- (c) if so, the target fixed per year for refining capacity;
- (d) whether it is also true that the future refineries could be smaller to the extent of 20 million tonnes per year; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## पेोिलयम और ाकृितक गैस मंालय म रायमंी ( ी रामेर तेली )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI RAMESWAR TELI)

- (a) to (c) The present refining capacity of Indian refineries is 253.92 Million Metric Tons Per Annum  (MMTPA).  As  per  the  data  compiled  by  Centre  for  High  Technology  (CHT),  a technical wing of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the refining capacity of Indian refineries is projected to increase by about 56 MMTPA by the year 2028
- (d) The size of a refinery at a location depends upon various factors such as product slate, design configuration, complexity, availability of land, financial viability, etc. It is, therefore, not possible to forecast optimum / ideal size of future refineries.
Lok Sabha Question No. 1185 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-27
Subject: Non-operational Airports
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Hemant Tukaram Godse, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1185

(To be answered on the 27 th  July 2023)

## NON-OPERATIONAL AIRPORTS

1185.

SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether several airports developed with huge investment have not become fully operational in various parts of the coutnry as on date;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
- (c) whether there are a large number of airports in various districts of the country including Maharashtra from where no flight takes off;
- (d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and the reasons therefor; and
- (e) whether even UDAN Scheme could not prove useful in operationalising such airports and if so, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION

(GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD))

(a)  to  (e):  The  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation  has  launched  the  Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) on 21-102016 to stimulate regional air connectivity and making air travel affordable for the common man. The scheme operates through transparent bidding rounds and airports needing upgradation are developed under the "Revival of unserved and underserved airports" scheme. UDAN promotes affordability by providing concessions to airlines and financial support (Viability Gap Funding) for regional routes. Under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), 479 routes connecting 74 airports (including  nine  heliports  and  two  water  aerodromes)  have  been operationalised including flight operations from six (6) Airports in the State of Maharashtra namely Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Ozar (Nasik), Nanded, Gondia & Sindhudurg. Despite its success, certain airports may face operational challenges due to infrastructure limitations, demand-supply imbalances or geographical constraints etc.

Moreover, with the repeal of Air Corporation Act in March 1994, the Indian domestic aviation was deregulated. Airlines are free to induct capacity with any aircraft type, free to select whatever markets and network they wish to service and operate with the compliance of Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDGs) issued by Government. Hence, it is up to the airline operator for introduction of air services to / from any airport in country depending on their operational & commercial viability.

- *****