opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3870 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Orographic Factors affecting Snowfall in Mountains
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Aditya Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3870

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 18 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## OROGRAPHIC FACTORS AFFECTING SNOWFALL IN MOUNTAINS

## 3870.   SHRI ADITYA YADAV:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Indian  Meteorological  Department  (IMD)  addresses  the  local  orographic factors affecting snowfall in mountains;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  initiatives  that  are  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government including  training  by  IMD  scientists  to  the  local  students  familiar  with  the  region's ecology and climate conditions and recruiting them into their scientific fold; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes.  India  Meteorological  Department  (IMD)  provides  forecasts  based  on  global  and regional models, and all these models consider the local orographic factors.
- (b)-(c)  Scientists from the ministry deliver lectures and hold workshops and science exhibitions at  various  institutes,  universities,  colleges,  and  schools.  Local  students  from  across institutes, universities, colleges, and schools are also provided with hands-on training in various  fields  of  meteorology,  including  instruments,  weather  forecasting,  and  climate studies,  at  offices  situated  in  the  region  towards  human  resource  development  and training  manpower  in  the  area.  In  addition,  post-graduate  &  PhD  students  of  relevant fields  are  also  provided  support  for  research  &  dissertations  by  the  local  offices.  The Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES)  is  continuously  endeavoring  to  achieve  better accuracy in weather forecasting in the country, including the mountain regions.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3868 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Vulgarity on Social Media
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Anil Yeshwant Desai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3868 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2024

VULGARITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

3868. SHRI ANIL YESHWANT DESAI:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state; (a) whether the Government is aware about the increasing number of highly vulgar, anti indian and anti-indian family values on social media platforms; (b) if so, whether there is any system to watch and prevent such contents from broadcasting on any platform like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.; and (c) if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard during the last five years?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  INFORMATION  AND  BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN):

(a)  to  (c):  The  Government  has  notified  the  Information  Technology (Intermediary  Guidelines  and  Digital  Media  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021 ('IT  Rules,  2021')  on  25.02.2021  under  the  Information  Technology Act,2000.

For the user generated content on intermediary platforms, Part-II of IT Rules,  2021,  administered  by  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information Technology (MeiTY) casts specific due diligence obligations on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries to make reasonable  efforts  by  themselves  and  to  cause  the  users  of  their computer resource to not host, store, transmit, display or publish, etc. any such information that, among other things, is obscene, pornographic, invasive of another's privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, racially or ethnically objectionable, or promoting enmity  between  different  groups  on  the  grounds  of  religion  or  caste with the intent to incite violence, or harmful to child or that is relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or that is misinformation, patently false information, untrue or misleading in nature,  or  that  threatens  the  unity,  integrity,  defence, security or sovereignty of India, public order, or that violates any law for the time being in force.

Similarly for the publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and  publishers of online curated content (OTT Platforms),  Part-III of the  IT  Rules,  2021,  administered  by  Ministry  of  Information  and Broadcasting, inter-alia, provide for a Code  of Ethics for such publishers.      Further,    under  Section  79(3)(b)  of  IT  Act,  2000  the intermediary  platforms  may  be  notified  about  unlawful  content    on their  platforms  by  the  appropriate  Governments    for  its  expeditious removal. Being appropriate Government for content on OTT platforms, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has taken action in coordination with various intermediaries, and blocked 18 OTT platforms  on 14th March, 2024 for publishing obscene, vulgar, and, in some instances, pornographic content under these provisions.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3866 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Setting-up of X-Band Doppler Radar in Saurashtra Region
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Parshottambhai Rupala

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3866

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 18 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## SETTING-UP OF X-BAND DOPPLER RADAR IN SAURASHTRA REGION

## 3866.   SHRI PARSHOTTAMBHAI RUPALA:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  install  Doppler  Radars  that  deliver accurate  weather  information  to  farmers  in  order  to  minimise  the  impact  of unseasonal or untimely rain and prevent consequential losses;
- (b) the details of the numbers of Doppler Radars installed in Gujarat, location-wise; and
- (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  set  up  X-BAND  Doppler  Radar  in  the Saurashtra region of Gujarat?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes.  Under  the  new  Central  Sector  Scheme,  'Mission  Mausam',  87  Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) across the country are planned to be installed to cover the data  gap  areas  and  to  deliver  accurate  weather  information  to  all  the  stakeholders, including farmers.
- (b) One S-band DWR is installed in Bhuj, Gujarat.
- (c) Currently,  there  are  no  plans  to  set  up  X-band  DWR  in  Saurashtra,  Gujarat. However, the existing  S-band  DWR in  Bhuj  and  a  C-band  DWR,  proposed  to  be installed in Ahmedabad, will cover the entire Sourashtra region.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3864 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Pathetic Condition of BSNL's Mobile Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Rambhual Nishad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3864 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## PATHETIC CONDITION OF BSNL'S MOBILE NETWORK

## †3864. Shri Rambhual Nishad:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is also aware that the BSNL network (mobile) in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh is in a very pathetic condition, if so, the details thereof including the number of BSNL towers set up in Sultanpur till date; and
- (b) the measures being taken to increase the number of towers and to improve the network condition?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Cellular services provided by BSNL in UP-East LSA (Licensed Service Area) are meeting  the  benchmark  of  all  the  network  related  Quality  of  Service  (QoS)parameters,  as  per Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). As on 31.10.2024, 142 numbers of 2G/3G BTSs (Base Transceiver Station) are working in Sultanpur.

To further improve the network condition in Sultanpur, BSNL has planned to upgrade its mobile network with 99 new indigenous 4G BTSs, out of which 44 number of 4G BTSs are already ON-Air.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3863 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: FCI Godowns in Bihar
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Devesh Chandra Thakur

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.3863 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18TH DECEMBER, 2024

## FCI GODOWNS IN BIHAR

## f 3863 . SHRI DEVESH CHANDRA THAKUR:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION WItUT wig,  um  Bat tIT#qf# fiawr IHt be pleased to state:

- (a) the present number of  go(towns of  Food Corporation of  India (FCD operational in Bihar ;
- (b) whether these godowns store foodgrains beyond their  capacity as a result of  which large quantities of  foodgrains  get spoiled;
- (c) if  so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has received any proposal regarding the construction of new godowns in Bihar or any such proposals are under consideration of the Government; and
- (e) if  so, the time by which these are likely  to be constructed?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBIIAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): As on 01.11.2024, 75 (Owned -  11 &  Hired  - 64) godowns of Food Corporation  of India (FCI) are operational in Bihar.
- (b) &  (c): No  foodgrain  stock  accrued as damaged due to storage capacity  during  last five financial  years.

(d) &  (e): Requirement  of Storage capacity in  FC J depends upon the level  of procurement, requirement of buffer  norms and Public Distribution  System (PDS) operations for food grains (Rice and Wheat). FCI  continuously assesses and nlonitors the storage capacity and based on the requirement and storage gap assessment, storage capacities are created/hired through following schemes at a Pan India level including Bihar:-

- I Construction of Silos under Public Private Partnership(PPP) mode
- I Private Entrepreneurs Guarantee (PEG) Scheme
- 3 Central Sector Scheme 'Storage & Go clowns'
4. Hiring  of  godown  from  Central  Warehousing Corporation  (C\VC)/  State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs)/State Agencies
- 5 Private Warehousing Schem9 (PWS)
6. Creation of goclowns under Asset Monetization

The time-limit  set for  the construction of the godowns under various schemes is as per the Contract

+ + + + +
Lok Sabha Question No. 3856 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Plans to increase Railway Revenue by Transportation of Coal from Mormugao Port Authority
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Captain Viriato Fernandes

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3856 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2024

PLANS TO INCREASE RAILWAY REVENUE BY TRANSPORTATION OF

COAL FROM MORMUGAO PORT AUTHORITY.

## 3856. SHRI CAPTAIN VIRIATO FERNANDES

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the quantity of coal transported by Railways from Mormugao Port Authority to other States in each Financial Year since 2020-21 till
- date;
- (b) the enhanced target set by the Railways to transport coal from Mormugao  Port  Authority  in  next  Five  years  viz.  Finance  Year 2024-25, 2025-26, 2026-27, 2027-28, 2028-29 and  2029-30 and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)   whether Railways is planning to increase/enhance transportation of coal from the said Authority; and
- (d) if so, the measures  being  taken  by Railways in terms of installing/setting/enhancing Infrastructure to increase transportation of coal ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING  AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d)  Mormugao  port  transports  Coal,  Limestone  &  Gypsum through rail to different states, out of which coal share is about 70-

75%.  The  coal  transported  by  Railways  (in  Million  Tonnes)  from Mormugao Port is as under:

| Year                  |   Coal transported (MT) |
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
| 2020-21               |                    8.75 |
| 2021-22               |                    8.82 |
| 2022-23               |                    9.97 |
| 2023-24               |                    9.88 |
| 2024-25 (upto Nov 24) |                    5.4  |

Coal/coke projections received from Mormugao Port Authority is 9.90 MT for 2024-25, followed by 10.70 annually from 2025-26 to 2029-30.

To improve the connectivity, Hospet-Hubli-Londa-Tinaighat-Vasco Da Gama(312  Km)  has  been  sanctioned.  So  far  261  Km  section  has already been commissioned. An expenditure of Rs. 2070.68 crores has been incurred on the project upto 31.03.2024.  Work has been taken up in the balance sections of total length 51 Km i.e, Duski-Castlerock, Castlerock-Kulem(Ghat Section), Kulem-Kalem and CansaulimSankval-Vasco.

The completion of any Railway project depends on various factors like quick  land  acquisition  by  State  Government,  forest  clearance  by officials  of  forest  department,  deposition  of  cost  share  by  State Government in cost sharing projects.  Priority of projects, shifting of infringing  utilities,  statutory  clearances  from  various  authorities, geological  and  topographical  conditions  of  area,  law  and  order situation in the area of project(s) site, number of working months in a year for particular project site due to climatic conditions etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3855 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Misuse of Recommendation Letters from MPs
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. D K Aruna, Shri Eatala Rajender, Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3855 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2024

## MISUSE OF RECOMMENDATION LETTERS FROM MPS

3855.  SMT. D K ARUNA:

SHRI EATALA RAJENDER: SHRI SURESH KUMAR SHETKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Railways  are  receiving  recommendation  letters  from various  dignitaries  like  VIPs  including  Hon'ble  Union  Ministers,  Hon'ble Members of Parliament, in addition to other dignitaries for confirmation of wait-listed tickets of passengers;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  such  recommendation  letters  received  during  the last forty years and the number of such wait-listed tickets confirmed, classwise  especially  the  recommendation  letters  received  from  the  States including  Telangana,  Bihar,  Rajasthan,  Tamil  Nadu,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Kerala and Andhra Pradesh;
- (c) whether the Railways have received any complaint or noticed about the misuse  of  said  letters  from  VIPs  by  some  travel  agents  and  railway employees during the last thirty five years and if so, the details thereof and action taken thereon; and
- (d) whether the  Railways proposes to  hold  a  meeting with  MPs  to  find  a solution to these issues and to take corrective steps in this regard and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (d)  In  order  to  meet  the  urgent  travel  requirements  of  High  Official Requisition  (HOR)  holders  (which  includes  Central  Government  Ministers, Hon'ble Judges of Supreme Court/High Courts), Members of Parliament and

other  emergent  demands,    a  limited  number  of  berths/seats  have  been earmarked as Emergency Quota in different trains and in different classes. The quota is released by the Railways in accordance with the priority as per warrant of  precedence and well-established practice being followed since long. Since a large number of requests are received from various quarters and  are  dealt  with  on  day-to-day  basis,  details  of  requests  received  for release of accommodation out of Emergency Quota are only preserved as per extant guidelines. Comprehensive  instructions  regarding  procedure  to  be  followed while  considering  requests  for  release  of  emergency  quota  are  already available and the same are expected to be followed while considering such requests. However, in case any complaint regarding misuse of reservation system by unscrupulous elements including travel agents is received, the same is investigated and action as deemed fit as per extant guidelines is taken. The centralized data of such complaints is, however, not maintained. *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3853 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Issue of Call Drops and Interrupted Data Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri T R Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3853 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## ISSUE OF CALL DROPS AND INTERRUPTED DATA SERVICES

## 3853.   Shri T R Baalu:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that the consumers in India are still grappling with basic network issues like voice call drops and interrupted data services and also that inadequate optical fibre infrastructure has further exacerbated the situation;

- (b) if so, the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to address these issues; and

(c) whether the Government is planning to review the reserve price for 5G spectrum in view of the larger impact of broadband services on the overall economy, if so, the details thereof, and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) As per the Performance Monitoring Report of Cellular Mobile Telephone Services for quarter ending  Sept-2024  published  by  Telecom  Regulatory  Authority  of  India  (TRAI),  all  services providers are meeting the benchmark of all network related Quality of Service (QoS) parameters of Cellular Services except BSNL in Kerala and North East License Service Area.

Further,  optical  fiber infrastructure in  the country  is  improving  over  the  years. Currently, 41.91 lakh kilometers of optical fiber has been laid nationwide.

(b) Following  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  facilitate  the  Telecom  Service Providers to address network issues in the country -

- i. Quality of Service benchmarks have been revised by TRAI recently for various parameters to ensure better quality of telecom services.
- ii. Assignment of sufficient spectrum for mobile services through auction.
- iii. Spectrum sharing, trading and surrender has been permitted for efficient use of spectrum.
- iv. Simplification of Procedure for SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations) clearance.
- v. Notification of Telecommunications Right of Way (RoW) Rules and launch of PM GatiShakti Sanchar portal has resulted in streamlining of RoW permissions and expeditious clearance for installation of telecom infrastructure.
- vi. Provision has been made in RoW Rules for time-bound permission for usage of street furniture for installation of small cells and telecommunication line.

(c) The  reserve prices  along with other terms  &  conditions  for spectrum  auction  are recommended by TRAI. After consultation with stakeholders, TRAI employs different econometric models  and  considers  other  relevant  factors  to  recommend  Reserve  Prices  of  different  bands  in different  License  Service  Areas  (LSAs).  Accordingly,  these  recommended  reserve  prices  are finalised by the Government before conduct of every spectrum auction.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3852 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-18
Subject: Loss of Subsidized Grains
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Kuldeep Indora

P

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3852 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18TH DECEMBER, 2024

## LOSS OF SUBSIDIZED GRAINS

## 3852. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION WItUT wM,  ©r© anl liT#Wfjq; fiaWT Hit be pleased  to  state:

- (a) whether attention of the Government has been drawn to a new study that reveals that in spite of  digitisation,  nearly 28 per cent of  India's subsidized grains, intended for  the poor  are lost due to leakage;
- (b) if  so, the total estimated loss being suffered by the exchequer due to this leakage; and
- (c) the  steps taken/being taken  by  the  Government to  ensure that  grains  reach to  the intended beneficiaries and economic loss to the Government is avoided?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (c): The Targeted Public  Distribution  System (TPDS) is  governed under National Food Security Act  (NFSA), 2013 and it  is  operated under the joint  responsibility of the Central and the State/Union Territory  (UT)  governments.  The operational responsibilities for allocation of  food  grains within  the  States/ UTs,  identification  of  eligible  beneficiaries, issuance of ration cards to them, distribution of food grains to the eligible beneficiaries under TPDS, issuance of license to the Fair Price Shop dealers, supervision over and monitoring of fbnctioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc. rest with  the concerned State/UT Governments.

•

+

The report of 28 per cent food  grains do not reach beneficiaries erroneously conflates offtake and  distribution. Offtake refers to  the  quantity of  food grains lifted by  the  States from the Central depots, while distribution represents the delivery of these grains to the beneficiaries. Offtake figures also account for stocks in transit, buffer allocations, operational reserves and stock for OWS (other welfare  schemes) which  are not immediately distributed to  the  households.  By  failing  to  account for  these distinctions, the report's leakage estimates are fundamentally incorr3ct.

Under the  technology driven  Public  Distribution  System (PDS)  reforms, ration cards/beneficiaries database have  been complete]y  digitized  in  all  States/UTs also 99.8% Ration  Cards are seeded with  Aadhaar number at national level. Foodgrain distribution  is operationalised through 5.41 lakh e-PoS devices, covering nearly all Fair Price shops in the country.  These e-PoS devices enable Aadhar authentication of beneficiary during distribution process enabling principle  of rightful  targeting.  About  98tYo foodgrain distribution is being done through Aadhaar auttrentication, reducing leakages to  ineligible beneficiaries and ensuring rightful  targeting.

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