opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 413 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Maximum Utilisation of Prime Lands
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Y S Avinash Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 413 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## MAXIMUM UTILISATION OF PRIME LANDS

413.    SHRI Y S AVINASH REDDY:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  decided  to  maximise  the  utility  of  its prime lands abutting railway stations by replacing decades-old sparsely  distributed  buildings  with  multistorey  structures  as  city centres and master plans are being prepared for station development across  the  railway  network,  as  cities  generally  grow  around  railway stations  whereas  the  constructions  around  stations  were  filled  with several decades-old low-heights buildings;
- (b) if so, the details of such lands identified and progress made thereon, zone-wise especially in South Central Railways;
- (c)  whether  in  view  of  the  prime  location  of  the  station,  it  provides  an opportunity to go for dense utilisation and redevelop the entire area in such a manner that the whole place becomes much more useful for the citizens and in turn it brings value to railways, so that station becomes the 'City Centre' and stop encroachment into vacant railway lands; and
- (d)  if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. *****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  413  BY  SHRI  Y  S  AVINASH  REDDY  TO  BE ANSWERED  IN LOK SABHA  ON  24.07.2024  REGARDING  MAXIMUM UTILISATION OF PRIME LANDS

(a) to (d): Ministry of Railways has launched 'Amrit Bharat Station Scheme'  for  development  of  Railway  stations  on  Indian  Railways.  This scheme envisages development of stations on a continuous basis with a long-term approach.

It  involves preparation of Master Plans and their implementation in phases  to  improve  the  amenities  at  the  stations  like  improvement  of station access, circulating areas, waiting halls, toilets, lift/escalators as necessary, platform surfacing and cover over platform, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi,  kiosks  for  local  products  through  schemes  like  'One  Station  One Product',  better  passenger  information  systems,  Executive  Lounges, nominated  spaces  for  business  meetings,  landscaping  etc.  keeping  in view the necessity at each station.

The scheme also envisages improvement of building, integrating the station with both sides of the city, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless  tracks  etc.,  as  per  necessity,  phasing  and  feasibility  and creation of city centres at the station in the long term.

As  of  now,  1324  stations  have  been  identified  under  this  scheme, with 119 stations located in the South Central Railway region.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 409 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Mobile Towers in Odisha
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Pradeep Purohit

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 409 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## MOBILE TOWERS IN ODISHA

## 409 SHRI PRADEEP PUROHIT:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of mobile towers installed in Odisha during last three years, village-wise, GP-wise in the district of Bargarh and Jharsuguda during the last three years; and

(b) the  expenditure  incurred  by  the  Government  for  the  said  installation  in  these  districts  of Odisha?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The total number of mobile towers installed  by all  Telecom  Service Providers in  Odisha during last three years is 7,582. During last three years, in Bargarh district, 168 towers have been installed in 116 Gram Panchayats (GPs) that covers 165 villages and in Jharsuguda district, 75 towers have been installed in 51 GPs that covers 77 villages.
- (b) During last three years, through Government's Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) schemes, 1152 mobile towers have been installed in Odisha, which also include towers installed in Bargarh district. Total Rs.804.70 crore has been disbursed from USOF during last three years for installation of mobile towers in Odisha.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 408 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Internet Shutdown in the world in 2023
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M., Dr. Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 408 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## INTERNET SHUTDOWN IN THE WORLD IN 2023

## 408 SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.: DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that India witnessed the highest number of incidents of Internet shutdowns in the world in 2023;
- (b) whether it is a fact that this was the sixth straight year that India recorded the highest number of such incidents;
- (c) whether the Internet was snapped 116 times in the country last year;
- (d) whether it is a fact that most of these shutdown orders were applied regionally rather than locally; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) On the occurrence of any public emergency, or in the interest of public safety, Central Government  or  State  Governments  are  empowered  to  issue  orders  for  temporary  suspension  of internet service as per the provisions contained in the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.

Hon'ble Supreme Court has mandated the publication of suspension orders in public domain; and all orders for suspension of Telecom Services must adhere to the principle of proportionality; and must not extend beyond the necessary duration. The said directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court have been communicated to all Chief Secretaries/ Administrators of States/ Union Territories (UTs) on 10.11.2020. The details regarding internet suspension orders issued by State Government/ Union Territories (UTs) are not maintained centrally by the Department of Telecommunications.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 407 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission, 2030
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 407

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## MISSION NET ZERO CARBON EMISSION, 2030

## 407. DR. BHOLA SINGH:

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

- (a) whether the Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with United States Agency for International Development/India (USAID/India) for supporting Indian Railways to achieve Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  MoU  provides  a  platform  for  Indian  Railways  to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector;
- (d) if  so,  whether  the  MoU  facilitates  utility  modernization,  advanced energy  solutions  and  systems,  regional  energy  and  market  integration and  private  sector  participation  and  other  interactions  for  knowledge sharing;
- (e) if  so,  whether  it  will  help  Railways  to  reduce  dependence  on imported  fuel  such  as  Diesel,  Coal  etc.  and  deployment  of  Renewable Energy (RE) plants will give fillip to RE technology in the country; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof along with the present status thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (f):  Indian Railways (IR) is working on 'Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030' target with multipronged approach of shift from Diesel to

Electric traction, procurement of power through renewable energy and Implementation of energy efficiency measures.

It is expected to give fillip to Renewable Energy (RE) technology in the country  and  will  also  result  in  reduced  dependence  of  IR  on  imported fuel such as diesel, coal etc.

Indian  Railways  efforts  will  enable  IR  to  achieve  'Net  Zero  Carbon Emission by 2030'.

For keep abreast with others in these areas, IR enters into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various countries.

On the similar lines a MoU was signed between IR, Government of India and United States Agency for International Development/India (USAID/India) on 14th June, 2023. The MoU, inter-alia, includes different areas  of  cooperation  such  as  long  term  clean  energy  planning  and procurement; development of energy efficiency policy; technical support for  addressing  regulatory  and  implementation  barriers;  and  capacity building programs.

Scope of the USAID MoU is in line with the already planned and ongoing works of deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures over IR.

This MoU is effective for a period of five years or until the effective end of South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) program of USAID/India.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 406 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Personal Data Protection Laws
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Shafi Parambil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 406

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 24.07.2024

## PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION LAWS

## 406.      SHRI SHAFI PARAMBIL:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is any law or mechanism that ensures the citizens' right to object to use of their data without consent;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d)  whether  the  government  has  made  a  special  category  of  sensitive  digital  personal  data which can only be processed with special permission and protocol;
- (e) if so, the details of categories of critical personal data; and
- (f)  if  not,  the  reasons  for  not  providing  additional  security  mechanisms  for  sensitive  and critical personal data?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (f):  The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 recognises the right of individuals to protect their personal data and incorporates all well-accepted principles for protection of personal data. These include:

- (i) The principle of consented, lawful and transparent use of personal data;
- (ii) The  principle  of  purpose  limitation  (use  of  personal  data  only  for  the  purpose specified at the time of obtaining consent of the Data Principal);
- (iii) The  principle  of  data  minimisation  (collection  of  only  as  much  personal  data  as  is necessary to serve the specified purpose);
- (iv) The principle of data accuracy (ensuring data is correct and updated);
- (v) The principle of storage limitation (storing data only till it is needed for the specified purpose);
- (vi) The principle of reasonable security safeguards; and
- (vii) The principle of accountability (through adjudication of data breaches and breaches of the provisions of the Bill and imposition of penalties for the breaches)

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 402 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Extension of Nuapada-Gunupur Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.402 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## EXTENSION OF NUAPADA-GUNUPUR RAILWAY LINE

402.   SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of the extension of Nuapada-Gunupur railway line upto Therubali railway project;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to sanction the project and mitigate delays; and
- (c) the time by which  the  said project is likely  to  be  made operational?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (c):  Detailed  Project Report (DPR) of Gunupur - Therubali new line project has been prepared. As per DPR, the cost of the project is approx. ₹1165.89 crore excluding the cost of land. State Government of Odisha has agreed to provide land free of cost.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 400 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Sampann Platforms
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 400 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## SAMPANN PLATFORMS

## 400 SHRI CHUDASAMA RAJESHBHAI NARANBHAI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  manner  in  which  Sampann  platforms  benefit  the  pensioners  in  the  Department  of Telecom; and
- (b) the details of the total number of pensioners benefitted from the portal?

## ANSWER

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

(a) SAMPANN  -  Comprehensive  Pension  Management  System  -  is  a  seamless  pension processing  system  of  Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT)  which  brings  the  processing, sanctioning, authorization and payment as well as accounting of Pension and other terminal benefits under  a  common  platform. SAMPANN is benefitting the Telecom Pensioners (including Family Pensioners) in the following ways :-

- (i) Department  of  Telecommunications  directly  disburses  pension  (family pension, wherever applicable) into pensioner's bank account through SAMPANN. This has eliminated the need of processing of pension by intermediaries like Banks/Post Offices.
- (ii) SAMPANN Portal facilitates pensioners to submit Life Certificate/ Digital Life Certificate, to view ePPO (Electronic Pension Payment Order), Gratuity Sanction, sanction of revision of Pension and arrears. Retiring officer/official can also see the progress of their respective pension cases from their dashboard till pension is sanctioned.
- (iii) SAMPANN also sends SMS texts/ pension slip to pensioners indicating break-up of monthly Pension/ Dearness Relief/Arrears etc. Pensioners can file their Income Tax  related  documents  viz.  Declaration  of  Savings,  Saving  Certificate  etc  on SAMPANN.

(b) As  on  16.07.2024,  total  4,30,927  Telecom  Pensioners  (including  Family  Pensioners)  are present and benefitting from SAMPANN.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 399 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Objectives of Kavach on Train
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy

## (a) to (f):

1. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP)  system. Kavach  is a  highly  technology  intensive   system,

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 399 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2024

## OBJECTIVES OF KAVACH ON TRAIN

## 399.  SHRI PRABHAKAR REDDY VEMIREDDY:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the aims and objectives of Kavach to prevent collision of trains;
- (b) the  details  of  potential  hazards/possibilities  from  which  Kavach protects trains and safety Integrity Level-4 that Kavach  is equipped with;
- (c) whether  it  is  true  that  Kavach  anti-collision  technology  is  the cheapest  in  the  world  costing  just  Rs.  50  lakhs  per  kms  when compared  to  around  Rs.  2  crore  per  kms  worldwide,  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (d) the efforts being made to further bring down costing from Rs. 50 lakhs/km;
- (e) whether there are any plans to sell Kavach technology to other countries to earn money and the same can be used in expanding Kavach in all routes; and
- (f) If, so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- which requires safety certification of highest order.
- Kavach aids the loco pilot in train running within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case Loco Pilot fails to  do  so  and  also  helps  the  train  to  run  safely  during  inclement
2. weather.
3. Kavach system is certified for Safety Integrity Level-4.
4. Further, Kavach reduces the probability of train collisions in block sections  and  on  running  lines  at  stations  through  its  non-SIL features.
5. On  16.07.2024,  Kavach  4.0  specification  has  been  approved  by RDSO. This version covers all the major features required for the diverse railway network. This is a significant milestone in safety for  Indian  Railways.  Within  a  short  period,  IR  has  developed, tested and started deploying Automatic Train Protection System.
6. To increase capacity and scale up implementation, trials of more OEMs are at difference stages.
7. India is one of the few countries world over who have developed their own train protection technology.
8. Kavach  has  been  certified  for  highest  level  of  Safety  Integrity Level-SIL4 by Independent Safety Assessor. With this, Kavach has potential for adoption by other countries.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 397 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Poor Performance of BSNL and MTNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Omprakash Bhupalsinh Alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 397 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## POOR PERFORMANCE OF BSNL AND MTNL

## †397   SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAVAN RAJENIMBALKAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether public sector companies like BSNL and MTNL are on the verge of shambling and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the public communication system is getting affected due to  poor performance  of BSNL and MTNL;
- (c) if so, the details of loss suffered by the BSNL during the last five years;
- (d) the effective steps being taken by the Government to strengthen BSNL; and
- (e) the details of the appropriate steps taken by the Government for permanent solution of this issue?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) The mobile and landline services provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) are working satisfactorily and meeting most of the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters as per Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Government has taken various steps for revival of BSNL and MTNL.

-  In 2019, first revival package amounting to around Rs. 69 Thousand Crore that brought down the operating costs of BSNL/MTNL.
-  In 2022, revival package amounting to around Rs. 1.64 Lakh Crore was given. It focused on infusing fresh capital, restructuring debt, viability gap funding for rural telephony etc.
-  In 2023, Government approved the allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to BSNL with the total outlay of around Rs. 89 Thousand Cr.

As a result of these packages, BSNL/MTNL have started earning operating profits from FY 2020-21.

Further, in line with Atmanirbhar initiative, BSNL has placed purchase order for 1 lakh 4G sites for deployment of indigenous 4G technology. The equipment is upgradable to 5G. The profits/losses incurred by BSNL during the last five years is as below:

|                |                   | Rs. in Crore         |
|----------------|-------------------|----------------------|
| Financial Year | BSNL              | BSNL                 |
|                | Net Profit/(Loss) | EBITDA Profit/(Loss) |
| 2019-20        | (15,500)          | (6,879)              |
| 2020-21        | (7,441)           | 1,177                |
| 2021-22        | (6,982)           | 944                  |
| 2022-23        | (8,161)           | 1,559                |
| 2023-24        | (5,371)           | 2,164                |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 395 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Food Security
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 395 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24th JULY, 2024

## FOOD SECURITY

## 395 SHRI VIJAYAKUM AR ALIAS VIJAY  VASANTH:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION wim WIg, um aiT tIT+XfM  fiewr +it be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to ensure food  security to people of  the countrY with  free foodgrains every month;
- (b) if  so, the details thereof and action taken by the Government in this regard;
- (C) the details of the fund allocations for food security of the Indian poor, State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether it  is true that many of  the States have not received  their quota of  foodgralns every month; and
- (e) if  so, the details thereoF

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIB FHI BAMBHANIYA)

(a) to (c): The  Central Government, in  order to  remove the  financial burden of  the  poor beneficiaries and to ensure nationwide uniformity  and effective implementation of the programme for support  of the poor had decided to provide food grains free of cost to about 81.35 crore beneficiaries (i.e, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households and Priority Households (Pm) beneficiaries), beginning from  1 ;t January 2023 under the Pradhan  Mantri  Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).

The Government further  decided to continue to provide  free food grains under the PMGKAY for  a period of  five  years with effect from  1;t January, 2024, with an estimated financial outlay of Rs. 1 1.80 lakh crore totally to be borne by Central Government,

(d) & (e): There is no such report from  any State/UT

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