opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1063 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Measures to Control Population
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat, Sanjay Jaiswal, Kotagiri Sridhar

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1063 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 th DECEMBER, 2023

## MEASURES TO CONTROLPOPULATION

## 1063. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

SHRI SRIDHAR KOTAGIRI:

Will the MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state?

- (a) whether it is a fact that India has surpassed China as the world's most populous country during the year 2023 and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also a fact that population growth will put additional pressure on resources and pose serious challenges to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (c) whether the Government proposes to formulate any strategy/policy to take stern/coercive actions to control the population in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (PROF. S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) to (c) As per report of Technical Group on Population Projection (TGPP) July 2020, Chaired by Registrar General of India (RGI) the projected population of the country, in the year 2023 is 138.81 Crores. The projected population growth rates are 12.8 per thousand population between 2011-15 and 7.3 per thousand population between 2026-30.

The Government accords top priority to the National Family Planning Program, which is guided by the tenets of the National Population Policy 2000 and National Health Policy 2017. The Government has been successful in reining in the growth of population, and the following progress has been achieved:

-  The Total Fertility Rate declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 (NFHS 4) to 2.0 in 2019-21 (NFHS 5) which is below replacement level.
-  31 out of 36 States/ UTs have achieved replacement level fertility (NFHS 5).
-  The Modern Contraceptive usage has increased from 47.8% in 2015-16 ( NFHS 4) to 56.5% in 2019-21 (NFHS 5).
-  The Unmet Need for Family Planning has decreased from 12.9% in 2015-16 (NFHS 4) to 9.4% in 2019-21 ( NFHS 5).
-  The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) has declined from 20.8 in 2015 (SRS ) to 19.5 in 2020 (SRS).

Considering the success achieved in the Family Planning Programme there is no proposal at present to formulate any other policy/strategy in the country.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1062 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Setting up of All India Institutes of other Disciplines of AYUSH
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Pragya Singh Thakur

(a), (b) & (c)

No Sir,

Ministry of Ayush has no plan to set up more such institutes on the lines of the All  India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi.

## (d) & (e)

No Sir,

There  is  no  such  proposal/action  plan  to  set  up  the  Central  Ayush  Institute  in  other States/UTs including Madhya Pradesh.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1062  FOR 08.12.2023

## SETTING UP OF ALL INDIA INSTITUTES OF OTHER DISCIPLINES OF AYUSH

## 1062 . SADHVI PRAGYA SINGH THAKUR:

Will the Minister of Ayush be pleased to state: (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  set  up  All  India  Institutes  in  other  disciplines  of AYUSH like Homeopathy and Unani on the lines of the All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi; (b)  if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (c)  the details of the plan to set up such institutes in other disciplines of AYUSH in future; (d) whether there is any proposal/action plan to upgrade the combined AYUSH (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani) Complex located at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh into the Central Institute of AYUSH  (Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani) and if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether there is any proposal/action plan in place to set up the Central AYUSH Institute

- in other States/UTs and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AYUSH (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)
Lok Sabha Question No. 1060 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Women Reservation in Jobs
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1060

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2023

## WOMEN RESERVATION IN JOBS

1060. SHRI T.R. BAALU:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that several States in the country are providing 30 per cent reservation in jobs to women to ensure the rights and development of women;
- (b) if so, whether the Government is considering to introduce 30 per cent reservation to women in all recruitments in Government Departments and offices including PSUs to ensure their economic security and rights; and
- (c) if not, the manner in which the Government proposes to ensure Government jobs to women folk proportionate to their population?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  to  (c)  :   As  per  the  provisions  of  Article  16(4)  of  the  Constitution  of  India,  the Government has provided 15 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 27 per cent reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes respectively. As per the  judgement  of  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  of  India  in  Indira  Sawhney  case,  the reservation under Article 16 (4) shall not exceed 50 per cent. However, the Central Government has provided 33 per cent reservation for women horizontally and in each category (SC, ST, OBC and others) in direct recruitment of non- Gazetted posts from Constable to Sub-Inspector in police forces of all the Union Territories. The Government has also provided horizontal reservation for women in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).  The  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  has  also  issued  advisories  to  all  the  State Governments and Union Territories to increase the representation of women to 33 per cent of the total strength of the police personnel in the States/ UTs.

Further, the Government has  made enabling provision for increasing the representation of women in Armed forces such as granting permanent commission to women including in  combat  roles  such  as  fighter  pilots,  allowing  entry  of  women  in National  Defence  Academy  (NDA),  admission  of  girls  in  Sainik  schools,  etc.  The

Government has also taken various women centric initiatives which may encourage participation of more women in Government service. These, inter-alia, include availing Child Care Leave (CCL), leaving headquarters and proceeding on foreign travel during CCL, Special Allowance @Rs. 3000 per month to women employees with disability for child care, special dispensation for women officers of All India Service of North East cadres,  leave  upto  90  days  to  the  female  Government  Servants  who  have  been allegedly sexually harassed, exemption of fee from competitive examination for women, posting of husband and wife at the same station, etc. The States/ UTs have also been advised to increase the number of women bus drivers, conductors and tourist guides.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1057 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: 'U-Win' Project
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Imtiaz Jaleel Syed

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1057 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08 th DECEMBER 2023

## U-WIN PROJECT

1057: SHRI SYED IMTIAZ JALEEL

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to launch 'U-Win' portal and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the 'U-Win' project is inter-linked to/with the Co-Win portal and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether 'U-Win' project creates electronic health records of the patients and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has undertaken any privacy assessment(s) to ensure that the data is protected and if so, details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has any plans to share this data with the private companies through APIs and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (PROF. SATYA PAL SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) U-WIN Portal is presently under pilot phase of implementation.
- (b) U-WIN Portal is linked with Co-WIN Portal and the beneficiary records from Co-WIN can be accessed through U-WIN using the registered mobile number for facilitation of registration of children.
- (c) U-WIN Portal only captures vaccination status and does not create electronic health record of the patients.
- (d) Security audit of U-WIN Portal has been completed by CERT-In empaneled agency as per the mandate of Government of India to ensure data protection.
- (e) U-WIN Portal is presently under pilot phase of implementation and there are no plans to share data with private companies through API.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1056 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Connectivity Corridor
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Pratima Mondal, Sougata Ray

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

ANSWERED ON- 08/12/2023

MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 1056

## CONNECTIVITY CORRIDOR

1056.  SHRIMATI PRATIMA MONDAL PROF. SOUGATA RAY

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

(a) the details of the proposed connectivity corridor from India to Europe via West Asia;

(b) the details of the stakeholders in the proposed connectivity corridor; and

(c) the details of offers of investment in India through the G-20 meeting?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

(SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN)

(a & b) On the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit, leaders of India, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE and US announced an MoU committing to work together to develop a new India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC).

The IMEC will comprise of two separate corridors, the east corridor connecting India to the Gulf and the northern corridor connecting the Gulf to Europe.

The corridor intends to increase efficiency, reduce costs, secure regional supply chains, increase trade accessibility, enhance economic unity, generate jobs, and lower greenhouse gas emission-resulting in a transformative integration of Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

(c)   G20   is   the   premier   forum   for   international   economic   cooperation   and   broad deliberations on global economic challenges. Specific bilateral offers of investments are not made at G-20 meetings, and any such foreign investment proposals are handled through other relevant international mechanisms under extant guidelines.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1051 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Demand of Fertilizers for Rabi Season
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: P.R. Natarajan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS

## DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1051 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 08.12.2023

## Demand of Fertilizers for Rabi Season

## 1051:  SHRI NATARAJAN P.R.:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  data/statistics  with  regard  to  requirement  of fertilizers to meet the Rabi crop season in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  Government  has  any  plan  to  import  fertilizers  to  meet  the  demand  of shortage of fertilizers in the country; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the quantity of import of the same?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI BHAGWANTH KHUBA)

(a)  &  (b):    Yes,  Sir.  DA&FW  has  assessed  the  requirement  of  major  fertilizers  viz.  Urea, DAP, MOP  and  Complex (NPKS) for Rabi 2023-24 season which is as under:

| (Unit: in Lakh Metric Tons)   | (Unit: in Lakh Metric Tons)                  |
|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Products                      | Requirement Assessed for Rabi 2023-24 season |
| Urea                          | 185.41                                       |
| DAP                           | 54.99                                        |
| MOP                           | 12.60                                        |
| Complex                       | 63.60                                        |

(c):    The  requirement of fertilizers in the country is assessed by DA&FW in coordination with the State Governments. This requirement is met through indigenous production and timely imports. In case of Urea, the imports are done on Government account through 3 designated STEs namely Indian Potash Ltd. (IPL), Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. (RCF) & National Fertilizers Ltd. (NFL) and through long term contracts for Urea imports from OQ trading (OMAN). Government imports Urea on a regular basis to bridge the gap between the demand and indigenous production. Further, P&K fertilizers are under Open General License and companies are importing these fertilizers to meet the demand based upon their commercial considerations.

(d):        The  imports  in  FY  2022-23  for  Urea,  DAP,  MOP  and  Complex  were  75.80  LMT, 65.83  LMT,  18.66  LMT  and  27.52  LMT  respectively.    Further,  imports  of  fertilizers  are being done regularly during FY 2023-24 to meet the demand of the farmers of the country.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1050 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Enrollment under AB-PMJAY
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ashok Mahadeorao Nete

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1050 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08 TH DECEMBER, 2023

## ENROLLMENT UNDERAB-PMJAY

## 1050. SHRIASHOKMAHADEORAONETE:

Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether there are a large number of poor households in the country particularly in the tribal dominated areas of Gadhchiroli district, unable to avail the benefits under Ayushman Bharat Yojana/ Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana on account of their name being missing from the population census, 2011;

- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken/proposed to take any measures to ensure that the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme are provided to the poor families whose name have not been included in the population census 2011 but have other housing/ citizenship documents; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (PROF. S. P. SINGH BAGHEL)

(a) to (d): Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is the largest publicly funded health assurance scheme in the world which provides health cover of Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 Crore families. Many States/UTs implementing AB-PMJAY have expanded the beneficiary base to approximately 15.5 crore families at their own cost.

In Maharashtra, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana is being implemented in convergence with State-specific scheme -Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana Approximately 2.72 Crore families in the State are eligible for healthcare benefits under the converged scheme of which 93.05 Lakh families are supported by both Central and State Governments. State is implementing the scheme using dynamic ration card database, hence no eligible household is left uncovered in the State of Maharashtra.

Further, in order to ensure that eligible beneficiaries get covered under the scheme, States which have not been able to identify eligible beneficiaries as per SECC database, have been provided flexibility to use non-SECC database to identify leftover SECC beneficiaries. States have shared database of poor and vulnerable families against unidentified SECC families, which have been integrated with PMJAY functionality for card creation.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1049 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: The National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Gautham Sigamani Pon, Jayanta Kumar Roy, Bhola Singh, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1049 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 th DECEMBER 2023

## THE NATIONALPHARMACYCOMMISSION BILL, 2023

1049. DR. PON GAUTHAM SIGAMANI: DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY: SHRI BHOLA SINGH: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR: DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to introduce the National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023 to replace the Pharmacy Act, 1948 and the existing Pharmacy Council of India and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also true that the proposed Bill for setting up a National Pharmacy Commission aims to improve access to affordable and high-quality pharmacy education along with ensuring nationwide availability of pharmacy professionals and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the said move seeks to promote equitable healthcare by making pharmacy services accessible to all citizens while ensuring periodic and transparent assessment of pharmacy institutions along with facilitating maintenance of a pharmacy register for India and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether it is also true that the bill encourages professionals to integrate the latest research into their work, contribute to research and uphold high ethical standards and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has invited comments/suggestions from the public and other stakeholders on the above and if so, the outcome thereof; and
- (f) the other steps being taken to reinvigorate pharmacy education and raise its standard in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (e) Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2023 has been hosted in public domain for pre-legislative consultation.

(f) Pharmacy Council of India is the regulatory body of Pharmacy Education in the country. Following are some of the steps taken to re-invigorate pharmacy education and raise its standard in the country:

- i. The Bachelor Pharmacy Education Regulations, 2014 and Bachelor Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2014 were notified to define the duration, minimum qualification and other specifications of the course.
- ii. The Pharmacy Practice Regulations, 2015 were notified to define the scope and practice of Pharmacy Profession.
- iii. Diploma in Pharmacy Exit Examination Regulations, 2022 were notified on 24 February 2022.
- iv. The Ministry, vide gazette notification dated 24-11-2023, has authorized Pharmacy Council of India to use Aadhar authentication services for taking biometric attendance of faculty and the students.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1047 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Kartarpur Corridor
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Manish Tewari

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

ANSWERED ON - 08/12/2023

MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1047

## KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

1047. SHRI MANISH TEWARI

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-

(a)  the total fee levied by Pakistan for providing access to pilgrims to the Kartarpur corridor;

(b)    whether the Government engaged in any discussions to reduce the high fees charged by Pakistan to provide access to pilgrims to the Kartarpur corridor, if so, the details thereof; and

(c)   whether the Government has any proposal to consider imposing retaliatory fees on Pakistani tourists visiting India as a viable option, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

(SHRI V. MURALEEDHARAN)

(a to c)  An Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of Pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Pakistan, was signed on 24 October 2019 in order to fulfil the long-standing demand of the pilgrims to have easy and smooth access to the holy Gurudwara and to operationalise the Corridor for the 550 th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The Agreement, inter alia, provides for visa-free travel of Indian pilgrims, as well as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders, from India to Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan on a daily basis, throughout the year. To facilitate the visit of pilgrims, a state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a highway from the town of Dera Baba Nanak to Zero Point and an Integrated Check Post (ICP) has been built on the Indian side.

Since its inauguration on 9 November 2019, the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor has been used by around 2,30,000 pilgrims to visit Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur. The Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor remains functional on all seven days of the week.

The Government of India has consistently urged the Government of Pakistan that in deference to the wishes of the pilgrims, it should not levy any fee or charge on the pilgrims who visit Gurudwara Shri Darbar Sahib Kartarpur through the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. Pakistan, however, continues to levy US $20 on every pilgrim for each visit.

The Government of India charges a prescribed fee from all visa applicants from Pakistan.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1045 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-08
Subject: Technology Development Fund
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: Tapir Gao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE DEFENCE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1045

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08 th  December, 2023

## TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FUND

1045. SHRI TAPIR GAO:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to state:

- (a) the objectives of the Technology Development Fund;
- (b) the benefits likely to accrue by such a fund; and
- (c) the current status of the said fund?

## A  N  S  W  E  R

MINISTER OF STATE

## IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(a):  Technology Development Fund Scheme is a flagship programme of MoD (Ministry of Defence)  executed  by  DRDO  under  'Make  in  India'  Initiative.  The  main  objectives  of Technology Development Fund (TDF) Scheme are enumerated below:-

- (i) To provide Grant in Aid to Indian industries, including MSMEs and Startups, as well as academic and scientific institutions for the development of Defence and  dual  use  technologies  that  are  currently  not  available  with  the  Indian defence Industry.
- (ii) To engage with the private industries especially MSMEs and Startups to bring in the culture of Design & Development of Military Technology and support them with Grant in Aid.
- (iii) To focus on Research, Design & Development of Niche technologies which are being developed for the first time in the country.
- (iv) To create a bridge amongst the Armed Forces, research organizations, academia and qualifying/certifying agencies with private sector entities.
- (v) To support the futuristic technologies having a Proof of Concept and converting them into prototype.

(b):  The benefits sought to be gained by the scheme are enumerated below:-

(SHRI AJAY BHATT)

- (i) Capacity and capability building of Indian industries for design and development of defence technologies in the country.
- (ii) Creation of an ecosystem of R&D where industry and Academia work together to  meet  the  current  and futuristic  requirement of  Armed  Forces and  defence sector.
- (iii) Building of Defence manufacturing ecosystem in country.
- (iv) Achieving 'Self-Reliance' and 'Atamanirbharta' in defence technology.

(c):    Till  date,  a  total  of  70  projects at total cost of Rs.  291.25 Cr. have been sanctioned to various  industries  and  16  defence  technologies  have  been  successfully  developed/realised under the scheme.

*****