opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1171 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Development of Cruise Services
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Arvind Ganpat Sawant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1171

ANSWERED ON 09.02.2024

## DEVELOPMENT OF CRUISE SERVICES

## 1171.  SHRI ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT:

## Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be pleased to state:

## पȅन , पोत पįरवहन और जलमागŊ मंũी

(a) whether  the  Government  has  initiated  action  for  development  of  Cruise services in various Ports in the country and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  for  development  of  ports  in  the country and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and (c) whether  any  plan  has  been  submitted  for  the  development  of  Mumbai  Port along  with  the  initiatives  that  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  develop  the Port of MbPT to generate more revenue?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

- (a) The action  taken  by  the  Government  for  development  of  cruise  services  in various ports of the Country are as below:-
- (i) For berthing, cruise vessel is given priority over cargo vessel.
- (ii) Rationalised cruise tariff has been introduced.
- (a) Port charges are recovered @ $0.085/GRT (fixed rate) and a nominal passenger head tax of $ 6 for first 12 hours of stay at berth.
- (b) Cruise ships are provided discounts ranging from 10% to 30% based on volume of their calls.
- (iii) Ousting charges have been removed to attract cruise vessels.
- (iv) E-Visa and on-arrival visa facilities have been extended.
- (v) Single e-Landing Card has been introduced which is valid for all ports in cruise itinerary.
- (vi) Cabotage  has  been  waived  for  foreign  cruise  vessels. This  relaxation allows foreign cruise ship to transport Indian nationals from one Indian Port to another Indian Port during its domestic leg.
- (vii)  Inorderto promote tourism, conditional IGST exemption hasbeen approved  for foreign  going  vessel  when  it  converts  to  coastal run, subject to its reconversion to foreign going vessel within six months.
- (viii)  During  Global Maritime  India  Summit,  October,  2023  sessions  on 'Embark on a voyage to attract 50 million Cruise Passengers in India by 2047' and a 'Roundtable with Cruise lines' were organized with participation of stakeholders.

(b) Seven Major Ports, namely, Mumbai (Maharashtra),  Mormugao (Goa),  New Mangalore (Karnataka), Cochin (Kerala), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Visakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh) and Syama Prasad Mookerjee(West Bengal) have operational cruise terminals.

- (c) Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) has initiated development of Mumbai International  Cruise  Terminal  (MICT)  under  Public  Private  Partnership  with  an estimated cost of Rs. 555 Crore.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1170 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Generative AI in Pharmaceutical Research
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1170 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## Generative AI in Pharmaceutical Research

## 1170. SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  Generative  AI  (Gen  AI)  can  revolutionize pharmaceutical research by predicting how specific compounds interact with different targets in the body, expediting drug discovery and development, can identify potential drug candidates more rapidly, leading to breakthrough treatments for various diseases, and can also assist in identifying  suitable  patient  cohorts  for  clinical  trials,  optimizing  the  research  process  and accelerating the delivery of innovative therapies to patients in need;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government for adopting this technology to speed up the traditional drug discovery process in the country which presently is time-consuming and expensive?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS (SHRI BHAGWANTH KHUBA)

(a)  to  (c):  Yes,  Generative  AI  is  revolutionizing  the  pharmaceutical  industry  by  analyzing molecular properties, projecting compound models, and predicting outcomes. Generative AI holds significant importance in pharmaceutical research due to its ability to accelerate drug discovery  and  development  processes.  Key  aspects  include  drug  design  and  discovery, optimizing drug formulation, target identification and validation, AI algorithms for drug side effects prediction, optimizing clinical trials, data analysis and integration. In India, it's being used for patient-centric applications and drug development, with biotech startups leading the way.

National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPERs) under the aegis of the Department of Pharmaceuticals is training, educating and undertaking research using AI.   NIPERs are integrating the AI/ML tools in Drug Discovery and Development and Health Care Projects to speed up traditional drug discovery process and its translational output.   Further,  the  Department  of  Biotechnology  has  implemented  projects  for  use  of Generative AI in Pharmaceutical research. In addition, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow is also engaged in research activities using AI in collaboration with other agencies.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 1169 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Assisted Reproductive Technology
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH RESEARCH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1169 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH FEBRUARY, 2024

## ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY

## 1169 DR. T. SUMATHY (A) THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN :

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has collected any data on the number of children born through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART);
- (b) if so, the details of the gender of such children born during the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor along with the future plans in this regard;
- (d) the details of the number of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) centres inspected during the last three years and the current year by the National Inspection and Monitoring Committee; and
- (e) the details of the types of offences recorded during such inspections?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISRTY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## (PROF. S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) to (c) The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 has come into force with effect from 25.01.2022. The responsibility for implementation of the Act lies with the States/UTs. The Registrar General of India (RGI) brings out 'Statistical Report' which provides data regarding sex ratio at birth for India and bigger States/ UTs. However, the data on the number of children born through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and their sex is not maintained by RGI.
- (d) & (e) The Pre-Conception and Pre- Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PC-PNDT Act) prescribes a robust implementation and monitoring mechanism at National/State/District levels to ensure strict implementation of the law. During the year 2022, the National Inspection and Monitoring Committee (NIMC) visited one In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) centre. The offences recorded during the inspection are as follows:
- (i) Conducting IVF camps by the Centre in the Districts without any prior information to the local authority.
- (ii) Irregularities in record maintenance by the centre.
- (iii) Registration Certificate not displayed as public information.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1168 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: AYUSH Diksha
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Raja Amareshwara Naik, Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1168 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 th  February 2024

"AYUSH Diksha"

## 1168. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR: SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR: SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK: SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has recently set up 'Ayush Diksha', a first of its kind centre to develop human resources of AYUSH professionals for future use;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether 'Ayush Diksha' is being developed within the campus of the Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bhubaneswar and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) other steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AYUSH (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a) to (b) Yes.  Ministry of Ayush has approved setting up of a dedicated training centre for personnel of Ayurveda institutes & research organizations. This has been named as 'Ayush Diksha'  -  a  Human  Resources  Development  Centre  (HRDC)  for  Central  Council  for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). It is being established at a cost of Rs. 30 Crores approx. including civil construction, furniture, equipments & recurring expenditure.

- (c)  Yes,  the  foundation  laying  ceremony  was  held  on  20.01.2024  at  Central  Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Bhubaneswar.
- (d) A time frame of 2 years has been tentatively fixed for its functioning.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1167 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Fertilizer Plants
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Ramesh Chander Kaushik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS

## DEPARTMENT OF FERTILIZERS

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1167 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 09.02.2024

## Fertilizer Plants

## 1167:  SHRI RAMESH CHANDER KAUSHIK:

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

- (a) the details of the Government owned operational fertilizer plants across the country, State/ UT and district-wise including Sonipat Parliamentary Constituency in Haryana;
- (b) the total amount of funds spent by the Government on fertilizers during the last five years, year-wise; and
- (c) the  details  of  subsidy  extended  on  fertilizers  during  the  said  period,  yearwise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a):      The  details of  Government owned operational fertilizer plants in the country are as under:

| PSU                                       | Unit        | District        | State          |
|-------------------------------------------|-------------|-----------------|----------------|
| National Fertilizers Ltd.                 | Nangal-II   | Rupnagar        | Punjab         |
| National Fertilizers Ltd.                 | Bhatinda    | Bhatinda        | Punjab         |
| National Fertilizers Ltd.                 | Panipat     | Panipat         | Haryana        |
| National Fertilizers Ltd.                 | Vijaipur-I  | Guna            | Madhya Pradesh |
| National Fertilizers Ltd.                 | Vijaipur-II | Guna            | Madhya Pradesh |
| FACT                                      | Udyogmandal | Ernakulam       | Kerala         |
| FACT                                      | Cochin      | Ernakulam       | Kerala         |
| Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd.    | Thal        | Raigad          | Maharashtra    |
| Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd.    | Trombay     | Mumbai Suburban | Maharashtra    |
| Madras Fertilizers Ltd.                   | Chennai     | Chennai         | Tamil Nadu     |
| Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corp. Ltd. | Namrup-III  | Dibrugarh       | Assam          |

- (b) & (c):   The details of expenditure incurred on fertilizers/subsidy on fertilizers for the last five years are as follows:

(Rs. In Crore)

|   S. No. | Financial Year   |   Expenditure on Fertilizers/Subsidy |
|----------|------------------|--------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2018-19          |                              73435.2 |
|        2 | 2019-20          |                              83466.5 |
|        3 | 2020-21          |                             131230   |
|        4 | 2021-22          |                             157641   |
|        5 | 2022-23          |                             254799   |

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 1166 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Passenger Ship from Mangalore to Lakshadweep
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Nalin Kumar Kateel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1166

ANSWERED ON 09.02.2024

## PASSENGER SHIP FROM MANGALORE TO LAKSHADWEEP

1166. SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL:

## Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS be please to state: पȅन , पोत पįरवहन और जलमागŊ मंũी

- (a) whether  the  Government  was  operating  a  Passenger  Ship  from  Mangalore
- Old  Port to Kadmatt Island, Lakshadweep since March 2020 onwards;
- (b) if so, whether the said service has been discontinued;
- (c) if so, whether the Government has any proposal to resume the operations and if
- so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefore; and
- (d) the distance between Mangalore and Kadmatt Island?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

- (a) Yes,  Union  Territory  of  LakshadweepAdministration  was  operating  Passenger Ship from Mangalore Old Port to Kadmat island, Lakshadweep.
- (b) Yes, the service of Passenger Ship was discontinued.
- (c) Memorandum  of  Understanding  has  been  signed  between  Union  Territory  of Lakshadweep  Administration  and  Karnataka  Maritime  Board  for  implementation  of the  project  of  ' Development  of  dedicated  jetty  for  Lakshadweep  with  allied infrastructure  facilities  for  cargo  and  cruise  terminal  at  Old  Mangalore  Port '. These facilities willfacilitate shipping service betweenMangalore port andLakshadweep  islands  especially  northern  group  of  islands  like  Amini,  Kadmat, Kiltan,  Chetlat,  Bitra. Government  of  Karnataka is  also  planning  to  operationalise passenger cruise between Mangalore and Lakshadweep Island.
- (d) The distance between Mangalore and Kadmat island is 155 Nautical miles.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1159 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Voters with Disabilities
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: K. Muraleedharan, Faizal P.P. Mohammed, Anto  Antony, Adoor Prakash, Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE

## LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1159

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 09 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## VOTERS WITH DISABILITIES

1159. SHRI K. MURALEEDHARAN:

SHRI MOHAMMED FAIZAL P.P.:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH:

SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

## Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of voters with disabilities who opted to vote from home in the recently conducted state elections, State-wise;
- (b) whether it is a fact that some voters with disabilities were denied the  facility  based  on  the  percentage  of  disability;  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (c)  the  number  of  complaints  received  by  ECI  from  voters  with disabilities or caretakers of such individuals for failure to provide voting from home facilities during the last five years, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

*******

- (a) :      The  Election  Commission  of  India  has  informed  that  the  number  of voters  with  disabilities  who  opted  for  voting  from  home  in  the  recently conducted State elections, are as under:-
- (b)  :    The  Election  Commission  has  informed  that  the  eligibility  criteria  for Absentee Voters in the category of Persons with Disability for the purpose of home voting is an elector, who is flagged in the database for electoral roll and having  a  benchmark  disability  certificate  (not  less  than  40%  of  specified disability) as certified by the concerned certifying authority, under section 2 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
- (c)  :      The  Election  Commission  has  informed  that  one  complaint  was received from the State of Karnataka.

|   Sl. No. | State        |   Number of voters with disabilities opted for voting from Home |
|-----------|--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Chhattisgarh |                                                            1501 |

|   2. | Madhya Pradesh   |   21051 |
|------|------------------|---------|
|    3 | Mizoram          |     170 |
|    4 | Rajasthan        |   12121 |
|    5 | Telangana        |    9961 |

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1154 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Doctor and Patient Ratio
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Abhishek Banerjee

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1154 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9th February, 2024

## DOCTOR AND PATIENT RATIO

## 1154. SHRI ABHISHEK BANERJEE:

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

- (a) the doctor and patient ratio in rural areas; and
- (b) the details regarding the incentive schemes given to doctors for practicing in rural areas?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

(a) to (b): As per information provided by National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on June, 2022. Assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000.

Under National Health Mission (NHM), support is provided to the States /UTs to strengthen their health care systems based on the proposals received from the States so as to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care services all over the country including in Rural/Tribal Areas. Further, under NHM, flexibility is given to the States for providing hard area allowance, performance-based incentives, providing accommodation and transport facilities in rural and remote areas, sponsoring training programmes, etc. to engage human resources, to address the issue of shortage of doctors and specialists in the public health facilities. States have also been allowed to offer negotiable salaries to attract Specialists including flexibility in strategies such as ''You quote, we pay".

The States are also encouraged to adopt flexible norms for engaging doctors and specialists for public healthcare facilities. These include 'contracting in' and 'contracting out' of specialist services and engaging specialists outside the government system for service delivery at public facilities under NHM.

To enhance healthcare facilities at District/Rural level and to address the issue of shortage of specialists in the country, the Government has approved District Residency Program where the second/third year PG students of medical colleges are to be posted in the district hospitals for a period of three months.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 99 (STARRED), answered on 2024-02-08
Subject: Guidelines for Low Floor Buses
Ministry: ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
Asked by: Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 99 ANSWERED ON 8 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## GUIDELINES FOR LOW FLOOR BUSES

## *99. SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM

## Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether guidelines or instructions have been issued to the States for floating tender only for low floor buses;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government maintains any information/data on the
- number of bus stands that are accessible; and
- (d) if so, the details of such  stands  and  the  nature  of accommodation/amenities provided on these stands, State-wise?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

- the

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 99 ANSWERED ON 08.02.2024 ASKED BY SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM REGARDING GUIDELINES FOR LOW FLOOR BUSES (a) and (b) No  Sir.  However,  Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and Highways has formulated 'Accessibility Guideli nes for Bus Terminals and Bus Stops' in August, 2022. These Guidelines cover the planning and  design  aspects  of  areas  in  bus  ports  /  bus  terminals  and  bus stops, so that such areas can be made accessible to all. The said Guidelines inter alia state that accessible buses should be low floor. (c) and (d) Transportation by Road is a State subject and State Road Transport Undertakings are under the administrative control of the respective State/UT Governments.

*****