opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2667 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Coal Mines in Maharashtra
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †2667 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## Coal Mines in Maharashtra

## †2667. Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of coal mines located in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra;
- (b) the total number of workers engaged in coal mines situated in Yavatmal district; and
- (c) the number of coal mines leased out in Yavatmal district?

## ANSWER

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

- (a):   There are total 16 coal mines located in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Out of these 16 coal mines, 10 coal mines are in the command area of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) and 6 coal mines have been allocated by the Nominated Authority.
- (b):   The total manpower engaged in coal mines of WCL in Yavatmal District is 7956. Further, out of six allocated mines, only 02 mines are under production, where a total 251 manpower are engaged.
- (c):   Out of 10 mines of WCL, mining lease has been obtained under the Nationalization Act, 1973 for one mine, for 8 mines, mining rights acquired under Coal Bearing Area (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957, and for another mine, mining lease initially obtained under the Nationalization  Act,  1973,  subsequently  for  expansion,  mining  rights  acquired  under  Coal Bearing Area (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957. Further, out of six allocated mines, three allocated coal mines have been granted Mining Lease.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 2665 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Curb Black Marketing of Tickets
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Ananta Nayak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2665 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## CURB BLACK MARKETING OF TICKETS

## 2665.  SHRI ANANTA NAYAK:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Railways  has  reduced  the  time  for  booking  of  railway tickets in advance to curb black marketing of tickets;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the railways has issued the notification in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the time by which it is likely to be done; and
- (e)  the other measures taken/being taken by the Government to curb the black marketing of railway tickets and facilitate the travellers who want to plan their train journey in advance?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (d)  With  effect  from  01.11.2024,  the  Advance  Reservation  Period (ARP) for booking reserved tickets in most of the Mail/ Express trains has been reduced to 60 days excluding the date of journey. In certain day time Express trains like Taj Express, Gomti Express, etc., lower time limits for advance reservations was already in force. Accordingly, instructions have been issued vide Commercial Circular No. 10 of 2024 dated 16.10.2024.

This change has been made keeping in view the booking trend and also to reduce the cancellations due to unforeseen events.

- (e)  In  order  to  curb  the  misuse  of  reservation  system  by  unscrupulous elements,  a  number  of  preventive  and  punitive  measures  have  been introduced by Indian Railways. Some of the important initiatives taken in this regard are as under:
- i. Regular  checks  are  conducted  in  mass  contact  areas  such  as Passenger  Reservation  System  (PRS)  centers,  Booking  Offices, Platforms,  Trains  etc.  to  prevent  unauthorized  ticketing  activities. Such checks are also  intensified  during  peak  period  like  festivals, holidays etc.
- ii. General  public  are  also  educated  through  Public  Address  System and  media,  not  to  buy  tickets  from  unscrupulous  elements  and consequences of buying tickets from these sources.
- iii. Regular  drives  are  conducted  by  Railway  Protection  Force(RPF) personnel  against  touts  over  Indian  Railway  and  action  is  taken against  persons  found  involved  as  per  the  provisions  contained  in the  Railways  Act.  Cases  having  wider  ramifications  and  involving ingredients  of  other  offences  are  dealt  in  coordination  with  other law enforcement agencies like Police & Central Bureau of Investigation.
- iv. Regular  Cyber  patrolling  through  cyber  cells  of  RPF  is  done  to prevent activities of unscrupulous elements/touts using illegal software  and  action  is  taken  against  them  as  per  extant  legal provisions.
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Lok Sabha Question No. 2661 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Strengthening of Telecommunications Department
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Amra Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2661 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## STRENGTHENING OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

## †2661.  SHRI AMRA RAM:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to strengthen the Department of Telecommunications;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Department has implemented 5G facility across the country;
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the date by which the said facility is likely to be made available?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (b) Yes.  The  Government  has  taken  several  important  initiatives  and  reforms  to strengthen the Department of Telecommunications in recent years, such as:

-  Notification and enforcement of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, which empowers the Department with greater regulatory authority and flexibility to adapt to the evolving telecom landscape;
-  The Government is supporting the Department to take lead in research and development of emerging technologies like 5G, 6G, and quantum technologies to keep India at the forefront of technological advancements;
-  The Government is facilitating the Department for international collaborations to promote the  growth  of  telecom  infrastructure,  technology  exchange,  policy  development,  and regulatory frameworks, enhancing the country's position in the global telecom ecosystem and strengthen international relations;
-  The Government has undertaken numerous capacity building and training programs for officials  of  the  Department  to  equip  them  with  requisite  and  contemporary  skills  and knowledge to manage the telecom sector effectively and efficiently;
-  The Government has implemented various digital initiatives to reduce red tape and improve the  efficiency  of  its  operations  such  as  Single  Window  Clearance  for  Right  of  Way permissions, Faster Spectrum Allocation, etc.;

-  The Government is encouraging Department to prevent misuse of telecom  resources in cybercrime and financial frauds through various measures such as launch of Sanchar Saathi portal, launch of Digital Intelligence platform for sharing of information related to misuse of telecom resources etc.

(c) to (e) 5G  networks  have  been  rolled  out  in  all  States/UTs  across  the  country  and presently 5G services are available in 779 districts out of 783 districts in the country. 5G services is provided by the Telecom Service Providers based on techno-commercial viability. As on 31st Oct 2024, more than 4.6 lakh Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) of 5G Technology have been installed in the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2660 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Cut of Advance Ticket Reservation Period
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Aparajita Sarangi, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Shri Harendra Singh Malik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2660

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## CUT OF ADVANCE TICKET RESERVATION PERIOD

2660.   SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA: SMT. APARAJITA SARANGI: SHRI HARENDRA SINGH MALIK:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of reduced advance ticket reservation period in Indian Railways;
- (b)  whether  the  new  rule  improves  ticket  availability  for  genuine passengers and reduces instances of cancellations and no-shows and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  due  to  server  down  during  Tatkal  ticket booking, common people are not able to get tickets and agents and mafia people benefit from this; and
- (d)  if  so,  the  plans formulated by the Government to stop this and to make Tatkal tickets easily available to the general public?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) & (b): With effect from 01.11.2024, the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for booking reserved tickets in most of the Mail/ Express trains has been reduced to 60 days excluding the date of journey. In certain day  time  Express  trains  like  Taj  Express,  Gomti  Express,  etc,  lower time limits for advance reservations was already in force. This change has been made keeping in view the booking trend and also to reduce the cancellations due to unforeseen events.

(c)  &  (d):  On  Indian  Railways,  the  demand  pattern  is  not  uniform throughout the year and it varies over lean and peak periods. During peak rush periods, the occupancy of the trains especially on popular routes  remains  full  whereas  during  lean  period  and  on  less  popular routes, there is sub optimal utilization. This is applicable for general as well as Tatkal accommodation. However, the following steps have been taken to reduce the scope of misuse of Tatkal accommodation:-

- i. All  authorised  ticketing  agents  of  Indian  Railways/IRCTC have  been  restricted from the  booking Tatkal tickets between  1000  hours  and  1010  hours  for  tickets  in  AC classes and between 1100 hours and 1110 hours for non-AC classes.
- ii. Keeping  in  view  the  short  Advance  Reservation  Period  and with  a  view  to  make  this  scheme  economically  unviable  for unscrupulous elements/touts, refund rules of the scheme have been  made  stringent  in  which  no  refund  is  granted  on  the confirmed Tatkal tickets.
- iii. In  case  of  tickets  booked  under  Tatkal  scheme,  during  the journey,  one  of  the  passengers  booked  on  that  ticket  is required  to  produce  any  one  of  the  prescribed  proofs  of identity,  failing  which  all  the  passengers  booked  on  that ticket are considered as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.
- iv. The  facility  of  change  of  name  is  not  permitted  on  the bookings made under Tatkal scheme.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 2657 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Supply of Coal to Kerala
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri K C Venugopal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2657 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2024

## Supply of Coal to Kerala

2657.   Shri K C Venugopal:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received any request from Government of Kerala to ensure supply of required MT coal per day for the power generation units in Kerala as per the Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has taken appropriate steps to mitigate the coal supply issue and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  whether the Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Railways have any agreement to provide adequate rail rakes for transport of coal and if so, the details thereof?

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

- (a): In  view  of  the  demand  for  Power  in  the  State  of  Kerala  and  considering  the recommendation of Ministry of Power, coal linkage has been earmarked to the State of Kerala from Coal India Limited (CIL) for a capacity of 500 MW under Para B (iv) of SHAKTI Policy. Accordingly, CIL has allocated coal from the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) for the earmarked coal linkage with scheduled coal supply from August 2025.
- (b) & (c): Supply of coal to the power plants is a continuous process. To address the issues of coal supplies to Power Sector, an Inter-Ministerial Sub Group comprising of representatives from Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Railways, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), CIL and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) meet regularly to take various operational decisions to enhance supply of coal to Thermal Power Plants.

Besides,  an  Inter-Ministerial  Committee  (IMC)  has  also  been  constituted  comprising  of Chairman, Railway Board; Secretary, Ministry of Coal; Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Power; to monitor augmentation of coal supply and power generation capacity. Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, CEA are co-opted as Special Invitees as and when required by the IMC.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 2655 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: NESIDS
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai

## Government of India Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2655

To be answered on Wednesday, December 11, 2024/ 19 Agrahayana, 1946 (Saka)

## QUESTION NESIDS

## 2655.   Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai:

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

- (a) whether  the  restructuring  of  North  East  Special  Infrastructure  Development Scheme (NESIDS) into two components -Roads and Other Roads Infrastructure have impacted on the overall completion of the Scheme; and
- (b) the details  and the number of projects completed thereunder?

## Answer

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

- (a) The  North  East  Special  Infrastructure  Development  Scheme  (NESIDS)  was approved  as  a  new  Central  Sector  Scheme  in  2017-18  and  restructured  into  two components viz.  NESIDS (Roads) and NESIDS (Other Than Roads Infrastructure) in 2022-23 to prevent sectoral overlaps in regard to road sector as per the recommendation  of  the  Expenditure  Finance  Committee  (EFC)  and  approval  of  the Government.
- (b) A total  of  30  projects  worth  Rs  886.14  crore  have  been  completed  (10  project costing Rs 163.46 crore under NESIDS (OTRI) and 20 projects costing Rs 722.68 crore under NESIDS (Roads), as on 31.10.2024, under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme since 2017-18.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2653 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Post Office Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Y S Avinash Reddy, Dr. Kirsan Namdeo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2653 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## POST OFFICE SERVICES

## 2653.   SHRI Y S AVINASH REDDY: DR. KIRSAN NAMDEO:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of post offices across the country, along with the total number of savings accounts in these post offices and the facilities provided to their account holders;
- (b) whether the post offices have been established in all the major villages in the country to ensure the smooth implementation of communication systems;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether all the post offices in the country have been equipped with modern technology; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof including the specifics of modernisation efforts?

## ANSWER

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

(a) There  are  1,64,987  post  offices  (Head  Post  Offices,  Sub-Post  Offices  and  Branch  Post Offices) across the country having 7,58,00,677 Savings Accounts in these post offices.

The  savings  account  holders  have  the  facility  of  availing  the  Automated  Teller  Machine (ATM), Issuance of Cheque book, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, various types of SMS alerts, e-Passbook for viewing the balance and account statement, Funds transfer from bank accounts to post office accounts and vice versa through National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) facility for crediting the interest and maturity amount in bank accounts, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) facility under Core Banking System (CBS).

(b) & (c) There are 1,49,164 post offices (Head Post Offices, Sub-Post Offices and Branch Post Offices) in rural areas covering all villages of the country including 4903 post offices opened in 2017-18 to 2021-22 in Left Wing Extremism affected areas and 5746 new post offices opened in 2023-24 to cover unbanked  villages within 5 Km distance for financial inclusion.

(d) & (e) All Departmental Post Offices in the country have been computerized and networked under the Information Technology (IT) Modernization Project.  Branch post offices functioning in rural areas of the country have been provided with mobile devices, biometric devices and thermal printers for carrying out online postal, financial and insurance transactions

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2652 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Foodgrains Storage Capacity in Karnataka
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2652 TO BE ANSWERED ON lITH DECEMBER, 2024

## FOODGRAINS STORAGE CAPACITY IN KARNATAKA

## 2652. SHRI RAJMOHAN  UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION WItnT wa, um at tIT#gfiq fiawr iit be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Karnataka State is  facing acute shortage of foodgrains storage capacity and requires additional storage capacity and if  so, the details thereof;
- (b) the findings of warehousing gap assessment study conducted by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NAB ARD)  for  effective storage capacity for  PDS commodities in Karnataka along with  reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether the FCI,  CWC and the Government of  Karnataka have effectively  solved this issue of acute shortage of foodgrains storage capacity; and
- (d) if  so, the details thereon

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (d): Karnataka is a Decentralised Procurement State (DCP). The state Government procure, store and distribute foodgrains as  per  their  National Food  Security Act (}{FSA)/Other Welfare  Schemes (OWS)  requirement. In  case of  procurement less than requirement, the shortfall is bridged by Food Corporation of India (FCD by inducting stock from States having surplus procurement. As on 01.11.2024, 9.82 LMl' Covered storage capacities is available with  FCI  (owned - 4.61+hired -  5.21) in Karnataka for  storing of food grains against stored stock of 8.73 LMT.

Further, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC)  is operating 33 warehouses in the state of  Karnataka with  a total  storage capacity of  6.71 lakh  MT  including  for  storage of foodgrains.

CWC has created a storage capacity of  1,34,046 MT  during  2020-2024.

As  per National Bank For Agriculture And  Rural Development (NAB ARD)  the study was conducted during  2013-14. The study had projected  storage capacity required by the year ending 2016-17 was 27.47 lakh MT  and additional storage capacity required was 17.95 Lakh MT  for PDS commodities.

Based on the study finding,  Karnataka state Warehousing Corporation had posed proposals for construction of Rural Godowns to NAB ARD.

# # # # #
Lok Sabha Question No. 2650 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: EL Nino Effect on Monsoon and Rainfall
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Smt. Anita Subhadarshini

- (a) Yes.
- (b) The ministry  has  been  conducting  regular  studies  on  monsoons  and  associated  rainfall patterns in the country, including those during the El Niño period. In general, during the El Nino event, the Indian summer monsoon is weaker than normal, and the intensity of the event also decides the amount of impact on the monsoon.Since 1950, there have been 16  El  Niño  years,  out  of  which  7  years  had  impacted  Indian  monsoon  rainfall  when rainfall was below normal. However, there is a stronger inverse relationship between El Niño  and  rainfall  during  the  later  half  of  the  monsoon  season  (particularly  with September rainfall).
- (c) La Niña, a climate phenomenon characterized by notably cooler sea surface temperatures (SST) in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean (opposite to  El Nino), can  significantly impact the Indian monsoon. In general, during a La Niña event, normal to above-normal rainfall  is  received  over India during the southwest monsoon season. Most parts of the country  receive  above-normal  rainfall  during  the  La  Nina  years,  except  extreme  north India and some areas over Northeast India, where rainfall below normal is likely during the La Nina years. Also, below-normal temperatures are generally observed during the winter season during the La Nina years.

*****

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2650

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## EL NINO EFFECT ON MONSOON AND RAINFALL

## 2650.   SMT. ANITA SUBHADARSHINI:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India Meteorological Department (IMD) has undertaken any study of EL Nino effect on Monsoon and rainfall pattern in the country in recent years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of  impact  of La  Nino  effect on  the  Indian  monsoon pattern and  its  cyclical occurrence in Indian peninsula?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)
Lok Sabha Question No. 2649 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Employment in Post Offices of Goa
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Captain Viriato Fernandes

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2649 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## EMPLOYMENT IN POST OFFICES OF GOA

## 2649.   SHRI CAPTAIN VIRIATO FERNANDES:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of postmen engaged from Maharashtra in Goa during the last five years;
- (b) the reasons for discontinuing services of locals during the said period and replacing them with candidates from Maharashtra; and
- (c) the  reasons  for  not  making  the  Konkani  language  a  mandatory  criteria  for  employing personnel in post offices in Goa given the fact the local language is critical for dealing with matters in the post offices?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Details of the number of postmen engaged from Maharashtra in Goa in last five years: -
- (b) Stop gap arrangement is done locally only against temporary vacant post. Therefore, after a post is filled up, stop gap arrangement is discontinued.
- (c) Recruitment  of  all  cadres  is  carried  out  as  per  relevant  recruitment  rules.  For  the  Postal Divisions in the State of Goa, knowledge of Marathi and Konkani is essential for appointment as Postman.

| Year                   |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |   2023 |   2024 |   Total |
|------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------|
| No. of postman engaged |     05 |     19 |     18 |     19 |     10 |      71 |

*****