opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 2958 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Mineral Reserves Identified in Warangal
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Dr. Kadiyam Kavya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2958

ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## MINERAL RESERVES IDENTIFIED IN WARANGAL

2958. DR. KADIYAM KAVYA:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of mineral reserves identified in Warangal district of Kerala;
- (b) the details of the environmental clearance status for new mines;
- (c) the details of revenue sharing with local bodies; and
- (d) whether the Government has conducted safety audits and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a): There is no Warangal district in the State of Kerala. However, in Warangal district in the State of Telangana, the total resources under 'Remaining Resources' category for Iron (Magnetite) as per the National Mineral Inventory maintained by Indian Bureau of Mines as on 01.04.2025, is about 40 million tons.

(b) to (d): No major mineral lease exists in Warangal district and there is no major mineral block  auctioned.  Hence,  the  issues  of  environmental  clearance,  revenue  sharing  with local bodies and conduct of safety audits do not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2956 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Action against 28-Day Cycle Billing by Telecom Companies
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2956 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## ACTION AGAINST 28-DAY CYCLE BILLING BY TELECOM COMPANIES

## 2956.   SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that telecom service providers are offering prepaid plans with a 28-day validity cycle instead of a full month, thereby charging consumers for 13 billing cycles per year;

(b) if  so,  whether  this  practice  amounts  to  indirect  overcharging  and  causes  financial  loss  to consumers and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the  steps  taken  by  TRAI  and  the  Department  of  Telecommunications  to  regulate  such practices and ensure fair billing cycles;

(d) whether  the Government  proposes  to  mandate  monthly  (30-day)  validity plans for transparency and consumer protection; and

(e) the time by which corrective action is likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) As per the existing regulatory tariff framework, tariff for telecommunication service is  under  forbearance  except  for  services  such  as  National  Roaming,  Rural  Fixed  Line  Services, mobile number portability charges, leased circuits and USSD. Subject to compliance with extant regulatory  provisions,  service  providers  are  free  to  design  and  offer  tariffs  based  on  their understanding of the market situation and in their best commercial interest. Service providers have the flexibility to decide various tariff components like the rates for different types of calls, SMS, data offers etc. with multiple combinations including recharge value and validity for different service areas of their operation. Tariffs are offered by service providers taking into account several factors including input costs, level of competition and other commercial considerations. However, TRAI through Telecommunication Tariff (66th Amendment) Order dated 27.01.2022 and Telecommunication Tariff (67th Amendment) Order dated 31.03.2022 mandated to offer at least one plan voucher, one special tariff voucher and one combo voucher having a validity of thirty days Voucher which shall be renewable on the same date of every month and if the date of such renewal is not available in a month, the date of renewal shall be the last date of the month.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2949 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Leakages in PDS
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Adv. Chandra Shekhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2949

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17Tll DECEMBER, 2025

## LEAKAGES IN PDS

## 2949. ADV. CHANDRA SHEKHAR:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a): whether the States with  large SC/ST/OBC beneficiary populations, such as West Bengal, Bihar  and Uttar Pradesh have reported significant  PDS rice leakages including cross-border smuggling;
- (b): if  so, the details  thereof;  and
- (c): the  manner  in  which the  Government  is  addressing  the  involvement of  private millers  and transporters repeatedly implicated in diversion  cases and the mechanisms that are in place to support affected marginalised families?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (b): 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 functioning of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) etc. rest with the concerned State/UT Governments

State Government of West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have informed that no such cases of  rice  leakages including  cross-border smuggling in  the Public Distribution System (PDS) has been reported and identified  on  its  basis. However, as and when complaints/ grievances in  respect of  PDS are received from  any source, they  are sent to State/UT Governments concerned for  inquiry  and appropriate action.

- (c): in  order to standardize milling  operations and verification of  stocks lying with millers,  guidelines for milling  and Custom Milled  Rice (CMlt)  delivery have been issued to all paddy procuring states, incorporating modalities for  activities covering the entire life cycle of paddy conversion to rice.

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Further, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been issued for  Physical Verification (PV)  of  Paddy  at the  mill  premises/storage points  at the  end  of  procurement period and for  mandatory Joint PV  by  State Government and FCI at the time  of  seeking extension for milling/CMR  delivery period.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 2948 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Cleanliness of Track from Sai Nagar (Shirdi) to Puntamba Railway Station
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2948 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## CLEANLINESS OF TRACK FROM SAI NAGAR (SHIRDI) TO PUNTAMBA RAILWAY STATION

†2948.     SHRI BHAUSAHEB RAJARAM WAKCHAURE.

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  Government has taken/proposes to  take  any  steps  to clear thorny bushes and trees grown in large numbers on both sides of the railway track from the well-known Sai Nagar (Shirdi) Railway Station to  Puntamba Railway Station to ensure cleanliness and maintenance of this railway track and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  received  any  requests  from  public representatives  in  this  regard  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the progress made so far?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) & (b) On Puntamba - Sai Nagar (Shirdi), regular trimming of trees and clearance of vegetation on either side of the tracks is carried out to

ensure  adequate  visibility  for  safe  operations  of  trains.  These  activities are undertaken prior to the monsoon based on detailed surveys conducted by multi-disciplinary teams. Special drives and general awareness campaigns  etc. are also launched from time to time to maintain cleanliness  all  along  the  track.  Picking  of  rags/  removal  of  garbage  is regularly undertaken by the administration at identified locations.

Representations/ Feedbacks/ Complaints in this regard are received from public  representatives,  rail  users,  organizations  etc.,  at  various  levels. Receipt  of  such  representations/  feedbacks/  complaints  is  a  continuous and dynamic process and these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time and centralized compendium for the same is not maintained.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2942 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Displacement due to BCCL Mining Operations
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Raja Ram Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2942

ANSWERED ON- 17/12/2025

## DISPLACEMENT DUE TO BCCL MINING OPERATIONS

## 2942. SHRI RAJA RAM SINGH:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of revenue villages displaced due to coal mining operations undertaken by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL) since its inception in Dhanbad and Bokaro districts of Jharkhand;

(b) the details of such displacement along with the year of displacement and the extent of land acquired for each project, village-wise;

(c) the status of rehabilitation and resettlement of affected residents from these villages including the location and conditions of resettlement sites;

(d) whether any displaced families are still awaiting proper rehabilitation or compensation and if so, the reasons for the delay;

(e)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  that  mining-induced  displacement  by  BCCL complies with legal requirements under land acquisition and resettlement laws; and

(f) whether independent audits of rehabilitation efforts have been conducted and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a), (b) & (c): No revenue village in Dhanbad and Bokaro districts of Jharkhand has been fully displaced due to coal mining operations by BCCL since inception.

(d): All eligible landowners from whom land has been acquired by BCCL, have been provided compensation and R&R benefits. Presently, there are no pending cases where entitled persons have not been provided compensation/ rehabilitation, moreover it is a continuous process.

(e): BCCL acquires land for coal-mining projects under different modes, e.g. , Land Acquisition Act , 1894/ Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act,  2013; Coal  Bearing Areas  (Acquisition  and  Development) Act,  1957; direct purchase under the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, etc. Land compensation is paid to the concerned tenants/ landowners as per provisions of applicable Act. For the purpose of determination and payment of compensation, steps are taken to complete survey of land and structures in a timely manner, besides obtaining prevailing market rates from the District Collector concerned.

- (f): No such audits have been conducted till date in BCCL.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2936 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Completion of Panchdevri and Bhatni Railway Section
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2936

## LOK SABHA ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## COMPLETION OF PANCHDEVRI AND BHATNI RAILWAY SECTION

2936.  DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  railway  tracks  work  are  pending across the country without achieving the target date decided by the Ministry of Railways;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  work  pertaining  to  railway  track  from Panchdevri  to  Bhatni  consisting  49  kilometers  has  been  stopped without any specific reasons and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether it is a fact that the Government has not taken any steps to  acquire  Panchdevri and Bhatni Section to complete the railway track and if so, the details thereof;
- (e)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Government  has  taken  suo-moto decision  to  not  complete  the  pending  railway  track  work  of  the Panchdevri and Bhatni and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  take  action  against  the erring  official  who  misguided  the  Government  to  stop  the  railway track of the Panchdevri to Bhatni and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (f): Railway  had  taken  up  Hathua-Panchdeori-Bhatni (80 km)

..P/2

new line project. An expenditure of ₹277 crore was also incurred. Accordingly, Hathua-Panchdeori (31 km) section has been commissioned so far. For balance section of the project, there was stiff resistance against land acquisition from local villagers. Several efforts were made by Railways to resolve the issue, but it could not be  resolved.  Therefore,  the  project  could  not  be  taken  forward further.

Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include the following:

-  Land acquisition
-  Forest clearance
-  Shifting of infringing utilities
-  Statutory clearances from various authorities
-  Geological and topographical conditions of area
-  Law and order situation in the area of project site
-  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

All  these  factors  affect  the  completion  time  and  cost  of  the project/s.

Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors which include the following:

-  Anticipated  traffic  projections  and  remunerativeness  of  the proposed route
-  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
-  Connection of missing links and providing additional route

-  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
-  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives,
-  Railway's own operational requirements
-  Socio-economic considerations
-  Overall availability of funds

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2927 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Nuclear Energy Capacity
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Arup Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2927

ANSWERED ON 17/12/2025

## NUCLEAR ENERGY CAPACITY

## 2927. SHRI ARUP CHAKRABORTY

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state :-

- (a) the  details  of  the  current  amount  of  nuclear  energy  generated  in  the  country  and  the capacity of generation; the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has set any target of generation of nuclear energy and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the initiatives taken by the Government to sensitize people and industries on the effective usage of nuclear energy;
- (d) whether nuclear energy contributes to generation of electricity in the country and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The present installed nuclear power capacity is 8780 MW (excluding RAPS-1, 100 MW) and the nuclear electricity generated during 2024-25 is 56681 Million Units.
- (b) The Government has announced an ambitious Nuclear Energy Mission (NEM) with a target of reaching an installed nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047.
- (c) The Department of Atomic Energy implements a large public awareness programme based on multi-pronged approach to spread awareness about nuclear energy and all its related  aspects,  including  sensitization  of  various  sections  of  the  people  about  its importance in India's energy mix .
- (d) In the year 2024-25, the share of nuclear power was about 3.1% in the total electricity generation of the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2925 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri K E Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2925 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## BHARATNET PHASE-I AND PHASE-II

## 2925.   SHRI K E PRAKASH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of original targets assigned under BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II and  the extent to which these targets have been achieved till now; and
- (b) whether it is a fact that Phase-I's reliance on legacy BSNL fibre led to poor network quality, frequent downtimes and difficult fault-localisation and if so, the corrective measures being adopted to upgrade the network architecture and improve reliability?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) BharatNet is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs). The total number of GPs undertaken under BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II are 2,22,341 GPs, out of which 2,14,904 are Service Ready.
- (b) Reliability of BharatNet network was low due do its predominantly linear structure. A revised implementation  model  has  been  worked  out  and  Amended  BharatNet  Program  (ABP)  has  been approved by the Union Cabinet with the following features to upgrade the network architecture and improve reliability.
- (i) Creation and Upgradation of BharatNet network in ring architecture
- (ii)  Operations  &  Maintenance  of  the  entire  network  based  on  Service  Level  Agreement (SLA)
- (iii) Single Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for construction and O&M of the network in a Package
- (iv) Dedicated Network Operation Centre
- (v) Remote Fiber Monitoring System

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2924 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Ocean Mining and Technology Upgradation
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Narayan Tatu Rane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2924

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 17TH DECEMBER, 2025

## OCEAN MINING AND TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION

## 2924.      SHRI NARAYAN TATU RANE:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken steps to promote ocean mining and technology upgradation in the said area;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of heliport warning systems installed by the Government; and
- (d) the details of mobile applications developed for disseminating weather warnings?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)&(b)   Yes Sir. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences has designed a deep-sea bed mining system aiming at sustainable harvesting of polymetallic nodules from depths of up to 5500 m. A remotely operable submersible (ROSUB 6000) and a remotely operable in-situ soil  testing  equipment  was  also  developed.  NIOT  has  also  designed  the  manned submersible namely MATSYA 6000.
- (c) India Meteorological Department  (IMD)  has  installed fifteen (15) Heliport Automatic Weather Observing Systems (AWOS) in the country.
- (d) The  mobile  applications  used  for  the  dissemination  of  weather  warnings  are MAUSAM (for weather forecasting and warnings), MEGHDOOT (for Agricultural Meteorology (Agro-Mets services), DAMINI (for lighting warning), and UMANG (for Weather forecasting and warnings).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 2921 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Stoppage of Trains at Keeranur Railway Station in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Durai Vaiko

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2921

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## STOPPAGE OF TRAINS AT KEERANUR RAILWAY STATION IN TAMIL NADU 2921. SHRI DURAI VAIKO:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government considers providing  a stoppage for Train Nos. 16751/16752 Rameswaram-Chennai Egmore Express (Boat Mail) at Keeranur, in  view  of  consistent  public  representations  and  long-standing  passenger demand  as  Keeranur  Railway  Station  serves  as  an  important  halt  for surrounding villages, educational institutions and industrial establishments and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government intends to take early steps to approve at least a one-minute stoppage at Keeranur in order to benefit students, office-goers and  the  general  travelling  public  from  the  region  and  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (c) whether the Government considers establishing an Integrated Unreserved  Ticketing  System  (IUTS)  counter  or  Passenger  Reservation System (PRS) facility at Keeranur Railway Station to cater to the increasing number of daily and long-distance travellers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a)  to  (c)  Keeranur  station  is  presently  served  by  2  Mail/Express  and  6 Passenger train services (listed below) which provide connectivity inter alia to cities like Rameswaram, Karaikkudi, etc.
1. 16849/16850 Tiruchchirappalli - Rameswaram Express.
- 2.
- 56803/56804 Tiruchchirappalli - Karaikkudi Passenger.
3. 56815/56816 Tiruchchirappalli - Karaikkudi DEMU Passenger.
4. 56831/56832 Tiruchchirappalli - Karaikudi Passenger.

Presently,  16751/16752  Rameswaram-Chennai  Egmore  Express  has scheduled  stoppage  at  Tiruchichirappalli  station  which  is  located  near Keeranur and is served by 155 train services.

To  serve  Keeranur  area,  the  PRS  facility  is  presently  available  at Tiruchichirappalli station and Pudukkottai station on either side of Keeranur station.

Moreover,  opening  of  a  new  ticket  counter  at  any  station  depends  on anticipated footfall, daily ticket sales, availability of PRS nearby etc.

Further,  Railways  has  also  recently  launched  RailOne  App.  This  App enables  passengers  to  book  reserved  as  well  as  unreserved  tickets  on mobile  phones.  This,  in  effect,  brings  the  PRS  facility  to  the  passenger's palm.  Further,  about  87%  of  the  reserved  tickets  are  now  being  booked online.

Similarly, provision of stoppages of train services depends on the traffic justification, operational feasibility including availability of extra time on the section & availability of matching infrastructure such as Platform length etc.

*****