opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2637 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Vande Bharat Trains passing through Bihar
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Abhay Kumar Sinha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2637 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## VANDE BHARAT TRAINS PASSING THROUGH BIHAR †2637 SHRI ABHAY KUMAR SINHA:

[

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  start  a  new  train  from  Patna  to Delhi  via  Jehanabad,  Gaya,  Aurangabad,  Sasaram,  Pandit  Deen  Dayal Upadhyaya junction and Banaras;
- (b) if so, the details of the timeline and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the number of Vande Bharat trains rolled out during the last three years;
- and
- (d) the details of the trains passing through Bihar?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (d) As the Railway network straddles across State boundaries, trains are introduced as per network requirement, across such boundaries.  Of the 102  Vande  Bharat  train  services  operational  (as  on  31st  July,  2024),  08 Vande  Bharat  Express  services  (on  originating/Terminating  basis) are serving the passengers of the stations located in the State of Bihar.

Presently, Delhi is well connected to both Patna and Gaya by 28 pairs and 24 pairs of trains respectively, which may be availed by the passenger of Jehanabad desirous of travelling to Delhi area. Besides, introduction of train services,  including  Vande  Bharat  trains,  is  an  ongoing  process  on  Indian Railways  subject  to  traffic  justification,  operational  feasibility,  resource availability etc.

During the period 2021-22 to 2023-24, 98 Vande Bharat services have been introduced.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2635 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: BharatNet in Jharkhand
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Manish Jaiswal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2635 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  AUGUST, 2024

## BHARATNET IN JHARKHAND

## 2635   SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  current  implementation  status  of  BharatNet  in  Jharkhand,  district-wise  including Hazaribagh;
- (b) the  current  progress  of  BharatNet  connectivity  deployment  in  Hazaribagh,  Jharkhand including the areas covered and the timeline for completion;
- (c) the  number  of  households  and  institutions  expected  to  get  benefit  from  BharatNet connectivity in Hazaribagh;
- (d) the measures being taken to ensure timely completion and effective utilization of Bharat Net infrastructure in Hazaribagh; and
- (e) whether there is any challenges or delays being faced in the implementation of Bharat Net in Hazaribagh and if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) As on 30.06.2024, 4,388 GPs have been made service ready in Jharkhand including 254  GPs  in  Hazaribagh  under  BharatNet.  District-wise  implementation  status  of  BharatNet  in Jharkhand is available on the  USOF  website (https://usof.gov.in/en/bharatnet-project). The remaining uncovered GPs, including further strengthening of the network shall be taken up under the Amended BharatNet  Program.  The  timeline  for  completion  of  the  construction  phase  under  the Amended BharatNet Program is three years from award of the contract.

The interested households and institutions will be provided FTTH connections on demandbasis.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2633 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: National District Mineral Foundation (DMF)
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Dr. Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 2633 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## NATIONAL DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION (DMF)

2633. DR. BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched the National District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Portal and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the objectives of the DMF Portal including its facilities to access DMF data, track development and enhance transparency;
- (c) the number of District Mineral Foundations currently included in the portal and the details of significant features it offers, if any; and
- (d) whether there are plans to expand the DMF Portal to include more States in future and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) Yes, the Ministry of Mines has launched the national DMF portal on 20th July 2024.
- (b) The National DMF Portal aims to effectively monitor the utilisation of DMF fund to ensure  transparency  and  accountability  in  implementation  of  the  projects  through Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), facilitating the decisionmaking  process.  The  objective  of  the  portal  is  to  optimize  resource  allocation, implement impactful welfare and development initiatives across the priority sectors and provide actionable insights for  course correction,  to  maximize  socio-economic benefits to the communities catered to by the DMFs.
- (c)  &  (d)  The  National  DMF  portal  offers  centralized  visibility  into  DMF  projects implementation, project-level oversight, dynamic analytics, and a repository of best practices for cross-learning. Currently, all the 645 DMFs from 23 States have been included in the DMF portal.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2632 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Management of e-Waste
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Gurjeet Singh Aujla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2632

ANSWERED ON 07/08/2024

## MANAGEMENT OF E-WASTE

## 2632. SHRI GURJEET SINGH AUJLA

Will the Minister of New and Renewable Energy be pleased to state:

- (a) the manner in which the Government proposes to manage e-waste generated after the use of renewable energy products and its likely impact on the environment; and
- (b) whether the Government has any plan to destroy e-waste/scrap generated after the use of renewable energy products and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF  STATE  FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

(a) & (b) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, effective from 1 st April, 2023 and amended from time to time. These rules are applicable to solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells, subject to provisions of Chapter V of the said Rules. As per these Rules, every manufacturer and producer of solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells shall,

- i. ensure registration on the portal;
- ii. store solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells waste generated up to the year 20342035 as per the guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board in this regard;
- iii. file annual returns in the laid down form on the portal on or before the end of the year to which the return relates up to year 2034-2035;
- iv. ensure that the processing of the waste other than solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells is carried out as per the applicable rules or guidelines for the time being in force;
- v. ensure that the inventory of solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells is put in place distinctly on portal;
- vi. comply with  standard  operating  procedure  and  guidelines  laid  down  by  the  Central Pollution Control Board in this regard.

Further, the recycler of solar photo-voltaic modules or panels or cells shall be mandated for recovery of material as laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in this regard.

Majority of Wind Turbine components are made up of metals which can be recycled and for Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP) used in blades, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued  'Guidelines  for  Disposal  of  Thermoset  Plastic  Waste  including  Sheet  Moulding Compound (SMC) / Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP)' on 25 th  May, 2016

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2630 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Safety of Workforce at Construction Sites of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2630

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## SAFETY OF WORKFORCE AT CONSTRUCTION SITES OF MUMBAIAHMEDABAD BULLET TRAIN PROJECT

2630. DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  Government  is  ensuring  safety  of  workforce  at  construction sites of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Nukkad  Natak  Prayas  has  started  to  raise awareness  and  educate  workers  about  the  importance  of  safety  at construction sites of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)  whether  this  initiative  is  enough  for  safety  initiative  at  construction site, details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (e): Presently construction is going on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) project. This project is very complex and technology intensive. Considering the highest level of safety and associated maintenance protocols, the project has been designed with the support of Japanese  Railway  and  customized  for  Indian  requirements  and  climatic conditions.

For safety of the workforce at project construction sites, a Safety, Health and  Environment  Management  Manual  (SHE manual) has been developed

and  all  safety  related  guidelines  are  in  place  to  ensure  occupational health,  safety  and  protection  of  the  workforce.  Regular  inspections  and supervision are also conducted at designated levels to monitor and ensure adherence of safety guidelines/norms at worksites.

Further,  50  nos.  of  Nukkad  Natak  have  been  arranged  for  construction workers  at  MAHSR  Sites  with  an  objective  to  raise  awareness  and sensitize workers about the safety practices at construction sites.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2623 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: SHAKTI Scheme
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2623

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## SHAKTI Scheme

## 2623 Dr. Dr Jayanta Kumar Roy:

## Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  implementing  the  Scheme  for  Harnessing  and  Allocating Koyala Transparently in India (SHAKTI) for better allocation of coal to present and future power plants in India;
- (b) if so, the achievement made so far under the scheme along with the current status of its implementation in the country;
- (c) the details of States, currently eligible under the SHAKTI;
- (d) whether the SHAKTI has been transparent and helped to address the coal linkage problems of all stressed power plants;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the Government's reaction thereto; and
- (f) the details of the sanctioned/ongoing projects that are being undertaken by the States in India as well as the funds transferred under the scheme?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) & (b): Yes, Sir. The Government introduced Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India (SHAKTI), 2017, issued by the Ministry of Coal on 22.05.2017, which was followed by amendments in this Policy issued by the Ministry of Coal on 25.03.2019 and 08.11.2023. As of now, coal linkages to the following capacities have been granted under various Paras of the policy:
- i. Clearance has been given for signing of Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) to 9 Letter of Assurance (LoA) holders with a total capacity of 8,780 MW.
- ii. 52  Thermal  Power  Plants  (TPPs)  have  been  granted  linkage  for  a  total  capacity  of 59,480 MW under the provisions of Para B (i) of SHAKTI policy.
- iii. Under SHAKTI B (ii), total six rounds of auction have been held in which total booked quantity of coal linkage is 38.90 Million Tonne Per Annum (MTPA).
- iv. Under SHAKTI B (iii), five rounds of auction have been held and about 28.95 MTPA of coal linkage has been booked.
- v. Under SHAKTI B (iv), the coal linkages have been earmarked to the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and
- Assam for a capacity of 4000 MW, 5600 MW, 2640 MW, 3299 MW, 1600 MW, 2000 MW, 4100 MW and 500 MW respectively.
- vi. Under SHAKTI B (v), coal linkage has been earmarked for a capacity of 4500 MW
- vii. 19 tranches of linkage auction have been conducted by Coal India Limited under B (viii) (a) of SHAKTI Policy and about 73.32 MT of coal has been booked by the successful bidders.
- (c): All the Generating companies of States and Union Territories are eligible for coal linkage under SHAKTI Policy, subject to terms and conditions mentioned in the Policy.
- (d)  &(e): SHAKTI  Policy  is  a  transparent  way  of  allocating  coal  to  the  Power  Plants including stressed power plants.
- (f): There is no provision of fund transfer under the SHAKTI Policy.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2622 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Electronic Human Resource Management System
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Shri Vijay Kumar Dubey

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2622

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024)

## ELECTRONIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

## 2622. SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has introduced electronic Human Resource Management systems; and
- (b) if so, the benefits of such a system for employees?

## ANSWER

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

- (a):    Yes sir, Government has introduced electronic Human Resource Management systems.
- (b):    It envisions to facilitate data-driven decisions for training and personnel management. It would  help  the  Government  to  digitally  manage  the  service  matters  of  officials  leading  to reduction in transaction time and cost, availability of digital records, dashboards for Management Information  System,  real  time  monitoring  of  manpower  deployment  as  well  as  serving  as  a productivity enhancement tool amongst others. It is, thus, also aimed to help cadre management with less manual interface.

Some of the envisaged benefits are as follows: -

- i. Envisions digitization of service details of all the government employees (both central and state) for instant accessibility leading to better human resource management and a single source of authentic employee data with 24X7 access and availability;
- ii. Envisions digitized and readily accessible details of entire life cycle of an employee's service  such  as  training,  promotion,  deputation, transfer,  superannuation,  resignation etc.;
- iii. Envisions  digitized  process  of  reimbursements,  claims,  advances,  leaves  and  other matters related to the employees;
- iv. Ensures transparency and higher levels of accountability along with e-sign facility and alert/notification functionality;
- v. Reduces reliance on conventional paper records and manual entry of data;
- vi. Real time processing and tracking of proposals and reduction in transit time & cost, maintaining integrity of data;
- vii. Provides analytics to the Senior Administration in Policy formulation and implementation. It brings together dispersed data to generate automated clearances in respect of Transfer, Promotion, Deputation, Training, Competencies etc.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2621 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Demand for High Grade Coal for Domestic Consumption
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.2621 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## Demand for High Grade Coal for Domestic Consumption

## 2621.  SHRI RAJEEV RAI:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that there has been a substantial increase in demand for high grade coal in the country for domestic use;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  plan  to  meet  the  said demand;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons, therefor?

## Answer

## MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

( a)&(b): Various meetings of Inter-Ministerial Committee (constituted for the purpose of import substitution) are held to project demand for all grades of coal.  There  is  substantial  demand  of  high-grade  coal  in  the  consuming industries like Cement, Aluminum, Sponge Iron etc. given the growth in the economy.

The  National  Steel  policy  2017  has  projected  increase  in  crude  steel production  from 101  Million  Tonnes  (MT)  in  FY17  to  300  MT  by  FY2030. Presently 148 MT crude steel is produced in FY24. Growth in steel production is expected to push up demand for metallurgical coking coal of India .

(c)to(e): A plan to increase all India coal production to the level of 1 Billion Tonnes (BT) by 202425 and Coal India Limited's production to 1 BT by 2026 -27 has been prepared. The resultant increase in coal availability will be able to meet the demand of these grades of coal to the extent available.

To substitute import of Coking Coal, the current domestic blending of coking coal  by  steel  sector  to  be  increased  from  present  10-12%  to  30-35%. Accordingly, Ministry of Coal has launched Mission Coking Coal in FY22 to meet the domestic coking coal demand projected in National Steel Policy 2017. Ministry of Coal has taken all necessary measures to enhance domestic raw Coking Coal production to reach 140 MT by 2030.

Supply of Coking Coal : During FY24, domestic washed coking coal supply was 5.4 MTPA, including 2.22 MTPA from CIL. With the setting up of new Washeries, country will be able to supply about 23 MTPA of washed coking coal to the steel sector by 2030.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2620 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Waterlogging in Jalgaon Railway Underpass
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Smita Uday Wagh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 2620 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## WATERLOGGING IN JALGAON RAILWAY UNDERPASS

## 2620. SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  traffic  is  being  affected  due  to  water logging of railway underpasses  constructed in Jalgaon district in Maharashtra;
- (b)  if so, the action is being taken by the Government to address this problem permanently; and
- (c)   if so, the action taken by the Government?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (c):    There  are  58  Nos.  Road Under Bridges (RUBs) in Jalgaon District.    During  heavy  rains,  Problem  of  water  logging  has  been reported for short duration in two underpasses, which is addressed by provision of pumping arrangement.

Railways have taken several remedial measures to mitigate the problem of water logging. Adequate drainage arrangement has been made  as  integral part of planning of  new  Road  Under  Bridge (RUB)/Subways.  In  existing  RUBs/subways  remedial  measures  like water flow diversion to nearby bridge and nallahs/drains, provision of cover  shed  on  approach  roads,  provision  of  hump  at  entry  to  Road under  Bridge  (RUB),  provision  of  cross  drains,  sealing  of  joints  etc.

have been made as per feasibility, suitability and site requirements. In  addition,  pumping  arrangement has also been made for identified RUBs,  to  drain  out  water  expeditiously  in  case  of  emergency  and provision to stop road traffic in exceptional/unusual rainfall situation for safety of road users.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-07
Subject: Hate Speech Incidents
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. M P Abdussamad Samadani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2618 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2024

## HATE SPEECH INCIDENTS

2618. DR. M P ABDUSSAMAD SAMADANI:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a)  whether  the  Government  is aware  of the  increased  hate  speech  incidents  in  the  country against minorities; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government has any plan to bring new and sufficiently strong legislation to address the incidents of hate speech; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a) & (b): As per the information received from Ministry of Home Affairs, 'Public Order' and 'Police' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and State Governments are responsible for prevention, detection and investigation of such crimes and for prosecuting criminals through their law enforcement agencies.

(c) & (d): There are adequate provisions under Sections 196, 299 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 to deal with such incidents.

*****