opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3730 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Higher Education Improvement in Haryana
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Deepender Singh Hooda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3730

ANSWERED ON- 24/03/2025

## Higher Education Improvement in Haryana

## 3730. Shri Deepender Singh Hooda:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  State  Government  of  Haryana  has  failed  to  ensure  the  quality education  despite  being  in  power  for  over  a  decade  as  the  NITI  Aayog  report highlights  that  Haryana  is  the  worst  performer  among  its  neighbouring  States  in

higher education; (b) if so, the reasons therefor; and (c)  the  portion  of  the  State's  education  budget  is  actually  being  spent  on  higher

- education improvement in Haryana?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a)  to  (c):  Education  is  a  subject  which  falls  under  the  concurrent  list  of  the Constitution of India, where both Centre as well as State have legislative power to make laws.  State  Universities  are  established  by  an  Act  of  the  State  Legislation, functions under the administrative control of the concerned State and development fund for improving the overall quality of existing State higher educational institution is primarily the concern of that State Governments.

Further,  the  report  on  'Expanding  Quality  Higher  Education  through  States and State Public Universities' published by NITI Aayog in February 2025 provides temporal  analysis  of  various  aspects  of  higher  education  across  all  states  using publicly available data. No specific reference to the quality of education in the state of Haryana has been made in the said report. Moreover, managing and monitoring of expenditure of a State Government does not come under the purview of the Central Government.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3726 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Wedding Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Shri Basavaraj Bommai, Shri Gajendra  Singh Patel, Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Dr. Bhola Singh, Shri Praveen Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3726

## ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## WEDDING TOURISM

3726. SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL:

SHRI BASAVARAJ BOMMAI:

DR. BHOLA SINGH:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND:

SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA:

SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  launched  'Wedding  Tourism'  in  the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken/being taken by the Government to ensure uniform and simplified marriage registration processes across all States and Union Territories;
- (c) the details of the measures taken/being taken to address concerns regarding legal validity and documentation requirements for marriages registered under the proposed uniform system;
- (d) whether  the  Government  intends  to  introduce  any  legislative  or policy reforms to facilitate inter-state marriage registrations and eliminate domicile-based restrictions;
- (e) whether States and Union Territories have responded positively to the  Centre's  request  for  easing  marriage  registration  for  nonresidents; and
- (f)
- if so, the details along with the numbers thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM        (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a) to (f): Development  and  promotion  of  tourist  destinations  and products,  including  wedding  tourism  is  undertaken  by  the  respective State Government / Union Territory Administration. The Ministry complements  the  efforts  of  States / UTs  by  promoting  various  tourism

products  of  the  country,  including  wedding  tourism  through  various initiatives. The Ministry of Tourism launched a promotional campaign "India says I do" which aims at showcasing India as a premier wedding destination on the  global  stage.  The  campaign  aims  to  leverage  digital  marketing, website, social media campaigns, influencers, offline and online activations. The Ministry  of  Tourism  in  collaboration  with  Department  of  Tourism, Government  of  Rajasthan and Federation of Indian  Chambers  of Commerce  and  Industry  (FICCI) organized  the  'Wed  in  India'  expo alongside the Great India Travel Bazaar at Jaipur on 5 th  May 2024. The event was attended by wedding planners from India and abroad, State Governments,  media,  international  and  domestic  tour  operators  and event management companies. Registration of marriages is dealt by the local administrations in various States and Union Territories.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3725 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Schools of Eminence Project in Punjab
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3725 ANSWERED ON - 24/03/2025

## Schools of Eminence Project in Punjab

3725. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the progress of the Schools of Eminence Project in Punjab;
- (b) the number of such schools established so far;
- (c) the criteria for selection of schools under this project;
- (d) the funds allocated for upgrading these schools; and
- (e) the impact of this project on the quality of education in the State?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a)  &  (b)  As  informed  by  the  State  Government  of  Punjab,  118  Government  Senior  Secondary Schools  in  the  state  of  Punjab  are  being  transformed  into  Schools  of  Eminence  (SoE).    The construction  and  renovation  of  14  SoE  schools  have  been  completed.  The  construction  and renovation of SoE Schools are being done in phases.

- (c)    The criteria for selecting Schools of Eminence in Punjab were as follows:
- i. Schools were required to have the minimum necessary infrastructure and sufficient space for future expansion.
- ii. Schools were required to have adequate students' enrollment preferably co-educational with the capacity to accommodate more number of students.
- iii. Schools were selected based on their strategic location in urban and semi-urban areas to ensure easy access for students.
- (d)     Budget allocation of Rs. 168 crore was made by the State Government from 2022-23 to 202425 to upgrade these schools.
- (e)     In these Schools of Eminence, Students for 9 th and 11 th grades are admitted through an entrance examination. Special coaching is provided to prepare students for competitive exams such as JEE, NEET and CLAT. Additionally,  career counselling  is  offered  along  with  exposure  visits  for  all students of Schools of Eminence enriching their academic experience and offering valuable insights into professional life.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3722 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Financial Technology Evolution
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:3722

ANSWERED ON THE MONDAY, 24 MARCH, 2025/3 CHAITRA, 1947 (SAKA)

## FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION

## 3722. SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

(a) whether rapid technological changes in financial services are impacting the country's global financial market position;

(b) the share of digital transactions in India's total financial transactions compared to other major economies;

(c) whether existing regulatory frameworks adequately address emerging financial technologies; and

(d) the implications of increasing digitalization on financial inclusion and economic growth?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a)  and  (b):  The  financial  services  sector  in  India  has  undergone  lots  of  technological advancements with emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML),  Cloud  Computing,  Blockchain,  etc.  in  the  recent  past.  These  technologies  have  been deployed in various areas such as digital payments, customer service, fraud detection mechanisms, alternative credit assessment models, predictive analytics for financial market trends, etc. This has helped  in  bringing  innovation,  efficiency,  strengthening  risk  management,  reducing  cost  and increasing ability of the institutions to deal with scale-based operations. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has revolutionised India's payments industry by ensuring convenient, seamless, fast and secure payments. As per ACI Worldwide Report 2024, around 49% of the global realtime payment transactions were made in India. India's UPI payment solution has been globally recognised. Presently, UPI is fully functional and live in seven countries such as UAE, Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Mauritius, France and Sri Lanka.

(c):  Sustainable and orderly development of the fintech sector requires an appropriate balance between innovation and prudence. Several regulatory guidelines have been issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the recent past such as 'Guidelines on Digital Lending' (September 2022); 'Master Direction on Outsourcing of Information Technology Services' (April 2023); 'Master Directions on Cyber Resilience and Digital Payment Security Controls for non-bank Payment System Operators' (July 2024) and the Framework for Recognising Self-Regulatory Organisation(s) for FinTech Sector.

(d): The increasing digitalization in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector has democratized the financial services to the underserved/unserved communities. By reducing the  barriers  to  banking,  facilitating  easy  credit  access  through  digital  footprints,  and  enabling seamless payment system (UPI), digitalization has supplemented the efforts of the Government to enhance financial inclusion and achieve sustainable economic growth.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3721 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Disbursement of Petitions of Labourers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri M K Raghavan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3721 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## DISBURSEMENT OF PETITIONS OF LABOURERS

## 3721. SHRI M K RAGHAVAN:

Will  the  Minister  of  LABOUR  AND  EMPLOYMENT  be  pleased  to state:

(a)whether  the  Government  has  noticed  delay  in  disbursement  of petitions of labourers by institutions and agencies under the Ministry

- of Labour and Employment; and
- (b)if so, the details thereof including steps taken by the Government to overcome the delay in disbursement of petitions?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a)  &  (b):  Industrial  disputes/petitions/  claims/complaints  filed  on SAMADHAN  Portal  by  workers,  trade  unions  etc.  are  handled  by

- Regional Offices of Central Industrial Relations Machinery (CIRM).

Resolution of disputes/petitions and claims is done by way of conciliation and quasi-judicial process by CIRM offices designated as competent  authorities  under  respective  Acts.  Time  taken  to  resolve these matters depends upon various factors like nature of complaints, cooperation from the parties involved,  number and nature of demands etc.

The Ministry has taken several steps for faster disposal of cases  which  includes  close  monitoring  of  pendencies  by  the  Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) and Ministry officers on a regular basis, judicious  distribution  of  pending  cases  amongst  designated  officers, and appointment of 29 new Assistant Labour Commissioners.

Additionally,  the  Employees'  Provident  Fund  Organisation (EPFO)  has  taken  several  steps  to  streamline  the  claim  settlement process. Now, the limit for auto-mode processing of advance claims has been enhanced to Rs. 1 lakh, and claims are processed within three days.  The  claim  settlement  process  is  being  further  simplified  with Centralization  of  member  database  under  Centralized  IT  Enabled System (CITES 2.01).

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3717 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: PRASAD Scheme in Tirupati
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Maddila Gurumoorthy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO . 3717 ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## PRASAD SCHEME IN TIRUPATI

## 3717. SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state :

- ( a ) whether the Government has taken steps to implement the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) Scheme in Tirupati district, given its significance as a major religious destination;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  projects  sanctioned  under  the PRASAD Scheme in Tirupati district and their current status;
- (c) whether the Government is planning to allocate additional funds to enhance infrastructure and facilities for pilgrims visiting Tirupati under the PRASAD Scheme;
- (d) if not, the reasons for the delay or non-implementation of the Scheme in the district; and
- (e) the  timeline  for  completing  the  projects  under  the  PRASAD  Scheme  in Tirupati district?

## ANSWER

(

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT )

(a) to (e): The Ministry of Tourism under the 'Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual,  Heritage  Augmentation  Drive'  (PRASHAD)  provides  financial assistance to the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations for development of tourism infrastructure at identified pilgrimage destinations. The projects under the scheme are identified for development in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations.

Receiving  proposals  from  the  State  Governments/UT  Administrations  for financial  assistance  for  tourism  projects  is  a  continuous  process.  The proposals received are examined with reference to the prescribed guidelines and financial assistance is extended for such projects subject to fulfilment of the stipulated conditions and availability of funds. Proposal to implement the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) Scheme in Tirupati district is presently not under  consideration  of  Ministry  of  Tourism.  However,  the  Ministry  has sanctioned  4  projects  namely  Development  of  Amaravati  Town,  Guntur District  as  a  Tourist  Destination,  Development  of  Srisailam  Temple,  Sri Varaha  Lakshmi  Narsimha  Swami  Vari  Devasthanam  at  Simhachalam  in Vishakhapatnam Temple and Development of Pilgrimage Tourism Infrastructure in Annavaram Temple Town and has also identified Vedagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Nellore District for development under the PRASHAD Scheme.

*********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3705 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Sports Infrastructure in Banswara and Dungarpur
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Shri Rajkumar Roat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS (DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3705 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

Sports Infrastructure in Banswara and Dungarpur

†3705 . Shri Rajkumar Roat:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

- (a) the names of the States and the number of sports infrastructures (sports complex, football ground, swimming pool, synthetic hockey ground, multipurpose hall, athletic track etc.)  that  have  been  constructed so  far  under Khelo India Scheme (KIS) in the country particularly in all the districts of Rajasthan;
- (b)  whether it is a fact that 48 infrastructures constructed under the said scheme  but  none  of  these  infrastructures  have  been  constructed  in Dungarpur  and  Banswara  districts  under  the  Banswara  Parliamentary Constituency;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to construct sports infrastructure in the  said  districts  of  the  Banswara  Parliamentary  Constituency  under  the KIS; and
- (e) if so, the time line fixed in this regard and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS { DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA }

(a) to (e) 'Sports' being a State subject, the responsibility of development of sports, including development of sports infrastructure, rests primarily with the  respective  State/Union  Territory  Governments.  The  Union  Government only  supplements  their  efforts  by  bridging  critical  gaps.  There  is  no  such proposal under consideration in this Ministry to construct sports infrastructure in Dungarpur  and  Banswara  districts of  the  Banswara Parliamentary Constituency. However, the Khelo India Scheme is a demand-

driven scheme. The proposals received from the State/UT Governments and other eligible entities are considered for financial support, subject to their completeness,  technical  feasibility  and  availability  of  funds  under  the Scheme in line with the twin objectives of mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports to infuse sports culture in the country. The details of the  sports  infrastructure  projects  approved  under  Khelo  India  Scheme, across  the  country,  including  in  the  State  of  Rajasthan,  are  available  in public domain on the dashboard of the Ministry at https://mdsd.kheloindia.gov.in.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3697 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Modernisation of Delhi Zoo
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Jai Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3697

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Modernisation of Delhi Zoo

## 3697.   SHRI JAI PRAKASH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Government is planning to modernize the entrance of the National Zoological Park, Delhi by constructing a multi-utility plaza at its entry gate; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) and (b) For better visitors' experience, upgradation of existing facilities and creation of new infrastructure are planned on a periodic basis as per the Zoo Master Plan of the National Zoological Park, Delhi. The details are provided in the Zoo Master Plan duly approved by the Central Zoo Authority.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 3693 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: National Decarbonisation Policies
Ministry: CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Asked by: Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3693

ANSWERED ON MONDAY, THE 24 th  MARCH, 2025 / CHAITRA 3, 1947 (SAKA)

National Decarbonisation Policies

## QUESTION

3693. Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is planning to integrate various types of policies as a result of the outcomes of MoU between the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and the Carbon Market Association of India (CMAI) into national decarbonisation policies and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the measures taken/to be taken to ensure the effectiveness of carbon markets in the country;
- (c) whether  any  incentive  schemes  have  been  formulated  for industries adopting carbon offset mechanisms through this collaboration; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CORPORATE  AFFAIRS  AND MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ROAD  TRANSPORT  AND HIGHWAYS.

(SHRI HARSH MALHOTRA)

- (a) & (b):  No, the role of  Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) under this MoU, is focused on providing only the capacity building and knowledge support.

As per the inputs provided by Ministry of Power  with a view to reduce carbon  emissions,  the  Government  of  India  notified  the  Carbon  Credit

Trading Scheme (CCTS) in June, 2023 and amendment in December, 2023. The scheme defines two mechanisms, namely, compliance mechanism and offset  mechanism. In  the  compliance  mechanism, the  obligated  entities shall  comply  with  the  prescribed  Green  House  Gas  emission  reduction norms in each compliance cycle of Carbon Credit Trading Scheme. In the offset mechanism, the non-obligated entities can register their projects for Green House Gas emission reduction or removal or avoidance for issuance of Carbon Credit Certificates.

The  Carbon  Credit  Trading  Scheme  aims  to  reduce  or  avoid  the greenhouse gases emissions from the various sectors of Indian economy by  pricing  the  greenhouse  gases  emissions  through  trading  of  carbon credit certificates. The Carbon Credit trading scheme has been envisaged to facilitate public and private sector companies to lower the economic cost of reducing emissions.

(c)&(d): No incentive scheme  has been formulated through this collaboration.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3691 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Refund Process for PACL Investors
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri Murari Lal Meena

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3691

## TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 24 TH  MARCH, 2025/ CHAITRA 3, 1947 (SAKA)

## Refund Process for PACL Investors

## QUESTION

## 3691. SHRI MURARI LAL MEENA:

Will the Minister of Finance be pleased to state:

- (a) the time by which the data verification/refund process for PACL investors are likely to be completed;
- (b) whether the Government has preserved the PACL investors data in soft/hard copy and the names of company/Committee/SEBI maintaining such data in this regard;
- (c) the decision of the Committee regarding the refunds of deceased investors;
- (d) the decision taken by the Committee for those who have already submitted their bonds who missed Rs.20000 refund claim deadline; and
- (e) the total current value of the company and the details of these assets?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (e): A  Committee  was  constituted  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Justice  (Retd)  RM Lodha, on the directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court, for disposing of the properties of PACL Ltd, so that the sale proceeds can be distributed to the investors.  After considering the amount of funds available for distribution with the Committee, it has been decided to make payments, with due verifications, to the investors in a phased manner from smaller to higher amount of claims. The Committee is in possession of the relevant data in the soft form.

The Committee had sought applications for refund through a press release and the deadline to file such online claims was July 31, 2019.  Those who could not submit applications within the timeline,  have  been  informed  to  await  further  notification  in  this  regard.  The  current  refund process approved by the Committees does not envisage a claim application being made by a nominee or a legal heir.

Hon'ble Supreme Court, vide order dated August 8, 2024, allowed the Committee to auction the properties  of  PACL/  PACL  Associates  in  district  clusters.  The  Committee  is  currently  in possession of 43,931 property documents belonging to PACL/PACL Associates. The Committee has issued notice for auction of properties in six districts and total reserve price fixed for all the properties in these district clusters is Rs. 1,239 crores.