opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 573 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Revision of Permissible Works under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 573 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2024

## REVISION OF PERMISSIBLE WORKS UNDER MGNREGS

## 573.  SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the last revision of permissible works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS);
- (b) whether any stakeholders from States involved in the revision process, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the frequency of revising the permissible works under MGNREGS;
- (d) whether the Government is aware that demand for MGNREGS has grown exponentially since the pandemic and that there are several local area specific jobs which can be included but are not under MGNREGS;
- (e) if so, whether the Government has taken any steps in this regard; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)to(c):   As  per  Section  29  of  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), Central Government may add new works to the permissible list of works under Schedule 1 of the Act. Adding new works under Schedule 1 of the Act is a regular exercise and new works are added on the basis of merit in alignment with the focus and objectives of the Act.

The demand from States to add work to the list  of  permissible works is examined in consultation with stakeholders. Also, the list of permissible  works  is  reviewed  annually  by  a  Committee  of  Central Government  having  different  States  as  members  of  the  Committee. Accordingly, there are 266 permissible works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.

Some  of  the  recently  added  works  to  the  list  of  permissible  works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA are given below:

- i. Construction of biogas plant for individual;
- ii. Unskilled  wage  component towards the construction of bio-gas plant for community;
- iii. Maintenance of tunnel constructed by Border Road Organisation (BRO);
- iv. Maintenance of bridges constructed by Border Road Organisation (BRO); and
- v. Construction of Liquid Waste Chamber for individuals

(d)to(f):   Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  is  a  demand  driven  scheme  to provide wage employment to the Rural Households which volunteer to do the unskilled manual work. There are 266 permissible work under the  Scheme  and  beneficiaries  are  being  offered  wage  employment from the works already available in shelf of work in a Gram Panchayat. Currently, against the demand for work by the Households more than 99.83%  Households  have  been  offered  wage  employment  from  the already available shelf of work. There is a provision of unemployment allowances  in  case  wage  employment  is  not  offered  as  per  the Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 564 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Special Unit for North East Region
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Pradyut Bordoloi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 564

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 6 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024/ MAGHA 17, 1945 (SAKA)

SPECIAL UNIT FOR NORTH EAST REGION

564.      SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the details of residents from the North Eastern Region, Darjeeling and Ladakh  living  in  Delhi,  as  collected  by  the  Special  Unit  for  North  East Region (SPUNER) of Delhi Police, gender and State-wise;

(b)  the  methodology  employed  by  SPUNER  under  the  Delhi  Police  for collecting  personal  information,  including  a  comprehensive  overview  of the types of data collected;

(c)  the  manner  in  which  the  collected  data  will  be  utilized,  ensuring privacy and security;

(d)  whether  it  will  be  shared  with  any  external  entities  and  if  so,  the details thereof;

(e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  set  up  SPUNER  in  other  major cities, if so, the details thereof; and

(f)  whether  the  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  plans  to  classify  racial crimes against Northeast residents, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a): Special  Unit  for  the  people  of  North  Eastern  Region  (SPUNER)  was established by the Delhi Police on 14.02.2014 for safety and security of the people from North-Eastern Region, Ladakh and Gorkhas of Darjeeling

## L.S.US.Q.NO. 564 FOR 06.02.2024

residing in Delhi. SPUNER has taken various measures for the safety and security of these people which include - a dedicated Helpline number 1093 (toll free) for receiving distress call and grievances, mobile vehicles with dedicated team for response, regular interactions / meetings with stakeholders,  sensitization  and  training  of  Delhi    Police  personnel,  etc. Delhi Police has reported that in view  of privacy and  security of individuals, such specific data of residents from the North-Eastern Region, Ladakh and Gorkhas of Darjeeling living in Delhi, is not being collected.

(b) to (d): Do not arise in view of (a) above.

(e): 'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  state  subjects  as  per  the  Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.

(f): National Crime Records Bureau (N.C.R.B.) has reported that specific information  with  regard  to racial  crimes  against  the  residents  of  North Eastern Region is not maintained by the Bureau. However, National Crime Records Bureau  collects  and  collates  data  from  States/Union  Territories under crime as per various sections of Indian Panel Code (IPC) and Special &  Local  Laws  (SLL).  The  data  collected  from  States/Union  Territories  is published in NCRB's annual Crime in India Report.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 563 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Direct Benefit under PM-KISAN
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Satyadev Pachauri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 563

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## DIRECT BENEFIT UNDER PM-KISAN

563. SHRI SATYADEV PACHAURI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी be pleased to state:

(a) the number of farmers across the country who have got direct benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) so far;

(b) the number of such farmers in the State of Uttar Pradesh including Kanpur city;

- (c)  whether the Government has also tried to collect information from the farmers in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE क ृ िष एवं िकसान कʞाण मंũी (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

(a) & (b): The PM-KISAN scheme is a central sector scheme launched in February 2019 by the Hon'ble Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers. Under this scheme, the financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year in three equal instalments every  four  months  is  transferred  into  the  bank  accounts  of  farmers'  families  across  the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. The PM-KISAN scheme is one of the largest DBT Schemes of the World.

A farmer-centric digital infrastructure has ensured the benefits of the scheme reach all the farmers across the country without any involvement of the intermediaries. Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has so far disbursed over Rs. 2.81 lakh Cr to more than 11 Cr farmers in 15 instalments. In Uttar Pradesh, 2,62,45,829 farmers have received the benefit of PM-KISAN since inception of the Scheme which also includes 2,64,827 farmers from Kanpur District.

(c) to (e): As  per  operational    guidelines  of  the  Scheme,  it  is  responsibility  of  the States/UTs to identify and verify the eligible beneficiaries under the scheme. Benefits are transferred to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer mode, on the basis of verified data  received  from  the  States/UTs  on  the  PM-KISAN  portal.  To  help the  States/UTs  for automated validation of the beneficiaries' data, PM-KISAN portal has been integrated with the portals of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for Aadhar authentication; with Public  Finance  Management  System  (PFMS)  for  validation  of  account  and  Government employees/pensioners data; with Income Tax department for validation of income tax payee status; and with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) for account validation and Aadhaar based payments.

In  addition,  facility  of  self-registration  has  also  been  provided  to  farmers  through farmers corner on the PM-KISAN portal. The same facility is also available through the PMKISAN mobile app.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 560 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Welfare Schemes at Panchayat Level
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 560 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2024)

## 'WELFARE SCHEMES AT PANCHAYAT LEVEL'

## 560. DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has taken any step to ensure that information about Government welfare  schemes  reaches  the  people  at  Panchayat  level  in  Bihar,  particularly  Gopalganj District and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has any schemes to connect all public administration offices with e-governance for better transparency, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether the Government has planned to streamline the process of setting up audio or visual communications  in  rural  areas  for  better  information  management  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS {SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR}

(a):  Ministry  of  Information  and  Broadcasting  disseminates  information  on  Government policies,  programmes,  initiatives  and  achievements  utilizing  various  media  vehicles.  The target  area  for  such  information/  publicity  campaigns  depends  on  the  target  audience specified by the concerned Ministries/Departments.

(b):  As  part  of  the  Digital  India  Programme,  the  Government  has  launched  the eGramSwaraj application under the e-Panchayats Mission Mode Project. The application serves  as  a  comprehensive  digital  platform  for  Panchayats,  encompassing  planning, accounting, monitoring and facilitating online payments.

(c):    Central  Bureau  of  Communication  (CBC)  utilized  the  regional  TV  channels  for dissemination of information about Government schemes as per the target audience for the messaging  of  the  concerned  information/publicity  campaign.  In  order  to  improve  the communication in rural areas, the Government of India has also approved a policy for the grant of licenses for setting up Community Radio Stations to educational institutions and 'non-profit'  organizations  such  as  civil  society  and  other  voluntary  organizations.  It facilitates development by disseminating information regarding rural development, agriculture  health,  nutrition,  education  etc.,  thus  enabling  Government  to  reach  out  to beneficiaries effectively.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 559 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Reservation for OBCs in Education and Employment
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.559 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2024

## RESERVATION FOR OBCS IN EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

## 559. DR. T: SUMATHY (a) THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:

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

- (a) whether the Government has any plans to abolish creamy layer in providing reservation for OBCs in both education and employment in the Government and public sectors;
- Justice for people belonging to Other Backward Class (OBC) and Backward Class (BC) in the country; and
- (c the details of the total vacancies available under OBCIBC category in all the Government jobs and the steps taken by the Government to expedite the filling of vacant posts under OBCIBC category?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SUSHRI PRATIMA BHOUMIK)

- (a) (b) No Sir. The schemes being implemented by the Government to ensure Social Justice
- (i) In matter of direct recruitment to Central Government jobs and in admission to Central Government educational institutions 27% reservation is available to the OBCs.
- (ii) Pre-Matric Scholarship for OBCs
- (iii) Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC students for students of classes XI and XII
- (iv) Dr. Ambedkar Scheme of Interest Subsidy on Educational Loan for Overseas Studies for OBCs/EBCs
- (v) National Fellowship for OBCs
- (vi) Construction of Hostels for OBC and Girls Boys
- (viii) Launch of Venture Capital Fund for OBCs.
- (vii) Assistance for Skill Development of OBCs/DNTs/EBCs
- (ix) Low Interest Loan/Finance Assistance Schemes of National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC) for OBCs.
- (c): As per information provided by the Department of Personnel & Training; occurrence and filling up of vacancies is a continuous process The representation of OBCs against the total appointment through direct recruitment is more than 27%.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 558 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Decline in Sea Fish Volume
Ministry: FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
Asked by: Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 558 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## Decline in Sea Fish Volume

## 558. SHRI SHRINIWAS PATIL:

## Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING मत्स्यपालन , पशुपालन और डेयरी मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether certain popular varieties of sea fish caught by fishermen are declining rapidly in numbers;
- (b)  if so, the details of the major contributing factors leading this decline in sea fish volume; and
- (c)   the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure that  the numbers do not decline below  a certain threshold which may result in the extinction of certain culinary varieties of fish?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING

## (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a) :  As per the latest study undertaken by the ICAR-CMFRI, the marine fish stocks of the Indian waters are in good health and 91.1% of the 135 fish stocks evaluated in different regions during 2022 were found sustainable. The fishing efforts and fish landings are quite in usual tandem, and as such the decline in fish volume is not noticed.
- (b) : Does not arise.
- (c) The  potential  of  fishery  resources  are  estimated  by  the  committee  of  experts  constituted  by Department of Fisheries, Government of India in regular intervals to ascertain the status of fish stocks and revalidation of potential of fishery resources in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). As per the latest report of the Expert Committee for Revalidation of potential  Fishery Resources (2018) the marine fishery resources in the EEZ are estimated at 53.1 lakh tones. Against this potential, the average harnessing of marine fishery resources was about 37.88 lakh tons during the last 5 years (2017-18 to 2021-22), which is below the potential yield of 53.1 lakh tones of fishery resources in Indian EEZ. The Government of India has taken several steps to increase the fish  stocks  and  improving  the  marine  ecosystem  such  as  installation  of  Artificial  Reefs  and promotion of sea ranching, mariculture  including  seaweed  cultivation  etc.  under  the  'Pradhan Mantri  Matsya  Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)'. Besides, in order to  ensure sustainable  fisheries measures have been implemented such as (i) Implementation of 61 days uniform ban on fishing in the Indian EEZ annually, (ii) Ban on destructive fishing practices in the Indian EEZ viz. paired bottom trawling or bull trawling and use of artificial and LED lights in fishing, (iii) Declaration of marine protected  areas  (MPAs)  and  protection  of  endangered,  threatened  and  protected  (ETP) species (iv) Installation of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawl nets, fishing gear and meshsize regulations, minimum legal size (MLS) of fishes, spatial-temporal restrictions, zonation of fishing areas by the coastal States/UTs, etc.
Lok Sabha Question No. 553 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 553 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 TH  FEBRUARY, 2024

## IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING ON AGRICULTURE

553.   SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a)  whether the Government has taken note of the adverse impact of global warming on agriculture in the country which has led to abnormal trends like irregular rainfall and decreasing forest cover;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto; and

(c)  whether the Government has assessed the impact of global warming on various agro-climatic zones of the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि और ककसान कल्याण मंत्री (SHRI ARJUN MUNDA)

(a) & (b): Yes,  Sir.  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  adverse  impact  of global  warming  on  agriculture  in  the  country.  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural Research  under  National  Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture  made climate change projections for India using bias corrected probabilistic ensemble of 33 global climate models. The Study revealed that Kharif rainfall is projected to increase in the range of 4.9-10.1% and 5.5-18.9% by the year 2050 and 2080, respectively, while rabi rainfall is projected to increase in the range of 12-17% and 13-26% by the year 2050 and 2080, respectively.

However, forest cover in India has increased from 6,92,027 sq.km in the year 2011 to 7,13,789 sq.km in the year 2021 due to adaptation measures viz. conservation,  protection  and  afforestation,  tree  plantation  drives,  and  agroforestry etc.

To mitigate weather related challenges in the country, the Government of India implements National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA),

which is one of the Missions within the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).  NMSA  consists  of  three  major  components  i.e.  Rainfed  Area Development (RAD); On Farm Water Management (OFWM); and Soil Health Management (SHM).

RAD  focuses  on  Integrated  Farming System  (IFS)  for  enhanced productivity and reduced risks associated with climatic variability and also to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events like drought and flood.

Government of India also implements Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) for enhanced water-use efficiency at farm level through Micro Irrigation Systems.

Soil Health Management (SHM) focuses on improvement in soil health for climate resiliency.

(c): Yes, Sir. ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur  has  assessed  the  impact/effect  of  global  warming  on  various  agroecological zones of India. Accordingly, the Agro-ecological map of India has been updated.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 552 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-06
Subject: Broadcasting Infrastructure Network Development
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Ritesh Pandey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 552 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.02.2024)

BROADCASTING INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK DEVELOPMENT 552.  SHRI RITESH PANDEY:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  projects  or  schemes  initiated  for  'Broadcasting Infrastructure Network Development';
- (b) if so, the details thereof and total funds sanctioned, allocated and spent for such schemes under 'Broadcasting Infrastructure Network Development';
- (c) whether there was lapse of any sanctioned fund allotted under Broadcasting  Infrastructure  Network  Development,  if  so,  the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government has approved the plan to spend over Rs.  2,500  crore  on  'infrastructure  development'  at  Prasar Bharati  -  specifically  All  India  Radio  and  Doordarshan  under 'Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND)' in January 2023, if so, the details of the project and the budget allocation?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND

## MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## (SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR)

(a) to (d) The Government has approved continuation of the Central Sector Scheme 'Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND)' on 18.01.2023 with an outlay of Rs. 2539.61 crore for the period 2021-26 with various components for modernization and upgradation of Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development aimed at enhancing the physical infrastructure of Doordarshan and All India Radio .

During the financial years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 (till date), an amount of Rs. 965 crore has been allocated under BIND Scheme. Based  on  the  requirements  of  Prasar  Bharati,  an  amount  of  Rs. 620.33  crore  has  been  released  by  the  Ministry  out  of  which  Rs. 456.23 crore has been spent by Prasar Bharati till December 2023.

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