opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 898 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Reclamation of Water Bodies in Goa
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Captain Viriato Fernandes

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 898 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## RECLAMATION OF WATER BODIES IN GOA

## 898. SHRI CAPTAIN VIRIATO FERNANDES:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the Railways has reclaimed and filled low-lying areas, water bodies, natural drains, nullahs, and canals near fields and rivers for the railway project between Collem and Vasco da Gama without consultation with State Water Resource Department (WRD),  Disaster  Management  Authority,  Agricultural  Department,  Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), and also local governing
- bodies like the Panchayat and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the steps being taken to address the environmental and local concerns arising from these actions;
- (c) the details of the corrective measures taken by Railways with respect to directives by WRD/GCZMA to the Railways to restore to original state; and
- (d)  the  details  of  the  measures  proposed  by  the  Government  to  ensure compliance  with  environmental  regulations  and  effective  engagement with  State  authorities  and  also  local  stakeholders  for  this  project moving forward?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d):        To  improve  the  rail  connectivity  of  Goa  region,  doubling  of Hosapete-Hubballi-Londa-Vasco-da-Gama  (312 Km) has been taken up. Out of   total   312 Km,   doubling   of   261 Km   length   has   been   completed.

Completion of this project will improve mobility and connectivity of goods & passengers from Goa to other parts of the country.

Before  carrying  out  any  new  line/doubling  projects,  detailed  survey  is carried out to finalize for alignment, deciding location and nature of various structures  such  as  bridges,  tunnels,  stations,  etc.  It  depends  on  the topography of the area, availability of materials, cost etc. in consultation with various stakeholders.

Accordingly,  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR)  for  the  above  project  was prepared so that there is minimum damage to ecology and water bodies. Due consultation has been carried out with concerned authorities during preparation of DPR/Survey.

Further, regular meetings and site inspections are conducted with concerned  authorities  to  identify  various  issues  and  take  corrective measure as deemed fit.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 897 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: No Mobile Coverage in Mansar Village
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Chandubhai Chhaganbhai Shihora

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 897 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## NO MOBILE COVERAGE IN MANSAR VILLAGE

## †897.  SHRI CHANDUBHAI CHHAGANBHAI SHIHORA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  as  per  the  directions  of  the  Department  of  Telecommunications,  a  survey  was conducted in Mansar village and it was found that there is no mobile signal coverage in the said village and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether mobile towers are likely to be installed using DBN fund under the 4G Saturation Project to provide 4G coverage in villages which are depriving of 4G connectivity and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether there is any proposal to include Mansar village under the 4G Saturation Project and whether  installation  work  is  likely  to  be  commenced  only  after  getting  due  approval  from DoT/USOF; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) As per data from the Registrar General of India available with the department, 9 villages with name ' Mansar' are found in the list of villages across 6 states/union territory viz. Bihar-1, Gujarat-2, Himachal Pradesh-1, Jammu and Kashmir-1, Maharashtra-1, and Rajasthan-3. 4G mobile coverage is available in all these 9 villages.

- (b) to (d) Does not arise, in view of (a) above.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 894 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Persistent Issues of Slow Mobile Data Speeds, Frequent Call Drops
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri E T Mohammed Basheer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 894 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## PERSISTENT ISSUES OF SLOW MOBILE DATA SPEEDS, FREQUENT CALL DROPS

## 894. SHRI E T MOHAMMED BASHEER:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has  taken note  of  persistent  issues  of  slow  mobile  data  speeds, frequent call drops and network congestion across several States, particularly in light of the country's continued  middling  performance  in  global  mobile  speed  rankings  and  recurring  service  outages reported by subscribers; and

(b) if so, the concrete steps taken or proposed to improve Quality of Service (QoS), including network  capacity  augmentation,  spectrum  utilisation  and  penalties  imposed  on  telecom  service providers for non-compliance with prescribed benchmarks?

## ANSWER

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

(a) As per Performance Monitoring Report published by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)  for  the  month  of  Dec-25,  all  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs)  are  meeting  Quality  of Service (QoS) benchmarks for network related parameters in the country.

- (b) Following steps have been taken by the government to improve quality of service -
- i. TRAI has revised Quality of Service benchmarks on 02.08.2024 applicable from 01.10.2024 for  various  parameters,  and  performance  of  service  providers  against  the  benchmark  is regularly  monitored  by  TRAI  to  ensure  better  quality  of  services.  Wherever  the  QoS benchmarks set by TRAI are not met by service providers, the explanation of the concerned service provider for non-compliance is called for and after considering the response, financial disincentives are imposed, as per existing regulation.
- ii. Assignment of sufficient spectrum for mobile services through auction.
- iii. Spectrum sharing, trading and surrender has been permitted for efficient use of spectrum.
- iv. Simplification of Procedure for SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations) clearance.
- v. Notification  of  Telecommunications  Right  of  Way  (RoW)  Rules  and  launch  of  PM GatiShakti Sanchar portal has resulted in streamlining of RoW permissions and expeditious clearance for installation of telecom infrastructure.

The above steps facilitated TSPs to expand their network and to improve quality of service.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 891 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Selection of EWSs under PM-SGMBY
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Haribhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 891

ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## SELECTION OF EWSS UNDER PM-SGMBY

891. SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL

## WILL THE MINISTER OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY BE PLEASED TO STATE:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to launch the Pradhan Mantri-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY) across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government's primary objective is to select households/individuals who fall under the economically weaker sections across the country and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the manner in which the Government proposes to monitor the progress and impact of PMSGMBY?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER

## (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

(a) to (c) The Government of India launched PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) in February, 2024, aiming to achieve rooftop solar (RTS) installations in one crore households in the residential sector by FY 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore.

PMSG:  MBY  is  a  demand-driven  scheme  wherein  all  residential  consumers  in  the  country including having grid-connected electricity connection of the local DISCOM can avail the benefits of the scheme, for installation of rooftop solar (RTS) systems, by applying on the National Portal of the scheme.

To  promote  adoption  of  the  PMSG:  MBY  for  rural  households  or  the  economically  weaker sections,  Ministry  has  issued  guidelines  for  installation  of  RTS  systems  under  Utility  Led Aggregation (ULA)/RESCO model.

The Ministry is regularly monitoring the progress of the scheme at different levels including with states/DISCOMs. In addition, regional review meetings are being conducted from time to time. Further, MNRE and REC Ltd., as the National Programme Implementing Agency (NPIA), for PMSG: MBY, work in close coordination with all the DISCOMs, for effective implementation of the scheme.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 885 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) funded Mobile Connectivity in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri C N Annadurai, Shri Selvam G

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 885 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## DIGITAL BHARAT NIDHI (DBN) FUNDED MOBILE CONNECTIVITY IN TAMIL NADU

## 885. SHRI C N ANNADURAI: SHRI SELVAM G:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of number of villages in Tamil Nadu that currently have 4G mobile coverage;
- (b) the details of towers commissioned in Tamil Nadu under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN)funded mobile connectivity schemes and the number of villages benefiting from these installations;
- (c) the current status of the BharatNet project in Tamil Nadu, including the number of Gram Panchayats made service-ready for broadband connectivity as on date;
- (d) whether the Government has proposed to upgrade the existing BharatNet network and extend fibre connectivity to non-Gram Panchayat villages in Tamil Nadu under the Amended BharatNet Programme; and
- (e) the steps taken by Government to ensure 100% mobile and broadband coverage in all villages of Tamil Nadu, including remote and hilly regions?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) As of December-2025, 16,452 villages have been covered with 4G mobile services in Tamil Nadu.

(b) to (e) The  DBN  funded  project  for  saturation  of  4G  mobile  services  for  providing  4G mobile services in uncovered villages in remote and hilly regions of the country, including Tamil Nadu is under implementation. Under this, 4G Saturation Scheme, till Dec-2025, 255 mobile towers have been commissioned in Tamil Nadu covering 297 villages.

BharatNet  project  is  being  implemented  in  a  phased  manner  to  provide  broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages in the country, including Tamil Nadu. As of Dec-2025; 10,869 GPs have been made service ready under BharatNet project in Tamil Nadu. Further, Amended BharatNet Program (ABP), approved by the Government on 04.08.2023, is under implementation for up-gradation of existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II, creation of network in balance GPs and connectivity to remaining non-GP villages on demand basis from their respective GPs.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 883 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Renewable Energy Potential in Uttar Pradesh
Ministry: NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
Asked by: Smt. Krishna Devi Shivshankar Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 883

ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL IN UTTAR PRADESH

883. SMT. KRISHNA DEVI SHIVSHANKAR PATEL

Will the Minister of NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any assessment has been made on the potential of solar, wind or bio-energy in the BandaChitrakoot region of Uttar Pradesh;
- (b) whether any proposal is under consideration for setting up of renewable energy projects in the said area;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any assessment has been made by the Government on the possible impact of this on availability of energy and employment; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

- (a) to (e) Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has informed as under:
- Estimated Solar potential (Ground Mounted) in Banda-Chitrakoot region is 1530.3 MW as per potential assessment conducted by National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE).
- Total  260  MW  Solar  Power  Projects  (Utility  Solar  Project)  have  been  commissioned  and additional projects are under implementation in the Banda- Chitrakoot region.
- Estimated availability of paddy straw is 167 lakh tonnes yearly as per Planning Department Uttar Pradesh report.
- Availability  of  non-fossil  fuel  based  green  energy  contributes  to  the  sustainable  energy development and creates local jobs through employment generation.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 879 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: New Railway Division at Madurai
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan, Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 879 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## NEW RAILWAY DIVISION AT MADURAI

879. DR. GANAPATHY RAJKUMAR P: THIRU THANGA TAMILSELVAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Madurai  Railway  Division,  Tamil  Nadu  is presently  functioning  under  the  administrative  control  of  Trivandrum Railway Division, Kerala and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  Union  Government  has  any  request  to  Establishment  of new  Railway  division  at  Madurai  which  is  to  be  functional  under  the administrative  control  of  Chennai  division,  Southern  Railway,  Tamil Nadu for the conveniences of Southern districts of Tamil Nadu and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  also  any  proposal  to  detach  Madurai Railway Division from Tiruvanthapuram Railway Division, Kerala and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c): Madurai division is already an existing division of Indian Railways which works independently of Thiruvananthapuram division.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 876 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Relaxing of the Moisture Norms
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 876

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 4TH FEBRUARY, 2026

## RELAXING OF THE MOISTURE NORMS

## 876.  THIRU THANGA TAMILSELVAN:

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

- (a): whether the  Union  Government has received any letter from  the State Government of Tamil Nadu requesting to relax the moisture norm from  17 per cent to 22 per cent to avoid ruin and to save the paddy farmers from heavy losses to raise the Union's Kharif  procurement target for  Tamil Nadu from  16 lakh tonnes to  match actual output and ease norms for  sampling Fortified  Rice Kernels  (FRK)  so that hulling  and movement of stocks are not slowed down;
- (b): if  so, the details thereof;
- (c): whether any action taken or proposed to  be taken by the Government on the Tamil  Nadu Government request; and
- (d): if  so, the details thereof and if  not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRIM ATI  NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a) to (d):  Yes. The request  of the State Government of Tamil Nadu to relax the moisture norm for paddy from  17 % to 22%  has not been considered  due to following  facts:
- > Paddy can be dried before milling;  procurement of excessively moist paddy introduces significant operational risk, including  loss of stock during storage and compromised milling recovery.
- > Paddy with  high  moisture content is  susceptible in  terms of  rapid deterioration, fungal growth, discolouration, and infestation.
- > The  State Governments have been repeatedly advised to  develop driage facilities  at the procurement stages.
- > The relaxation in moisture content has no direct financial  implication  on farmers, therefore, such relaxation is no longer considered.

Further, the estimates for procurement of paddy are finalized by the Government of  India in consultation with the State Governments before the  commencement of each  marketing season, based on estimated  production, marketable surplus and crop patterns.  Accordingly,  the estimates of procurement of  paddy for  KMS  2025-26 (Kharif  crop)  in Tamil  Nadu  have been fixed  at  16.00 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT)  in terms of rice.

Moreover, with  respect to  the easing of  norms for  sampling Fortified  Rice Kernels (FRK), the department has revised the Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK)  sample size from  10 MT  to 21 MT and packaging size from 25 Kg to 50 Kg.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 869 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Software Technology Park in Bhagalpur
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Ajay Kumar Mandal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 869

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 04.02.2026

## SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY PARK IN BHAGALPUR

## †869. SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL:

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

- (a) whether a Software Technology Park (STP) has been set up in Bhagalpur city of Bihar;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the targets set up for STPI Bhagalpur; and
- (d) the percentage of targets achieved and current status of the same?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d):  The Government of India is actively promoting growth of IT sector, especially in smaller cities and towns Government has set up 68 Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) centres of which 60 centres are located in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. As a part of this initiative Software Technology Park has been set up in Bhagalpur, Bihar in Government Industrial Training Institute.

It  offers  incubation  services,  High  Speed  Data  Communication  services,  Cloud  services  and  other statutory support services. It has an incubator with 94 Plug-and-Play (PnP) incubation seats so that entrepreneurs with innovative ideas can establish and grow their startups with the help of STPI.

It has facilities for meeting investors, mentors and IT professionals so that young students of Bhagalpur and nearby areas get good opportunity for developing their ideas into startups.

******

† O.I.H.
Lok Sabha Question No. 866 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-04
Subject: Concerns regarding Arbitrary Censorship Decisions by CBFC
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri T R Baalu, Shri Manish Tewari

(a) to (e):

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 866

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026

## CONCERNS REGARDING ARBITRARY CENSORSHIP DECISIONS BY CBFC

866:

SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

SHRI T.R. BAALU:

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

(a) whether the Government has taken note of increasing concerns from filmmakers and artists regarding  arbitrary  or  inconsistent  censorship  decisions  by  the  Central  Board  of  Film

Certification (CBFC);

(b) the number of films which were subjected to major edits, delays or denial of certification during the last five years along with the reasons for the same;

(c) the details of cases which certificates were issued in deference to court orders without any modifications or changes insisted by CBFCs along with the action taken to avoid recurrence of

such incidents;

(d)  whether  any  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  consistency  and transparency  across  regional  CBFC  offices  to  avoid  subjective  or  politically  influenced

decisions and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to review and reform existing censorship guidelines and digital content regulations to uphold freedom of artistic expression in Indian cinema?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND

PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

(DR. L. MURUGAN)

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, certifies films for public exhibition under the Cinematograph

Act 1952, Cinematograph Certification Rules 2024 and related guidelines.

Cuts  or  modifications  are  recommended  only  if  the  content  violates  statutory  parameters concerning  sovereignty  and  integrity  of  India,  security,  public  order,  decency,  morality, defamation, contempt of court or incitement to offence. Over the last five years (2020-21 to 2024-25), CBFC has certified 71,963 films. The Cinematograph Act provides for an appeal against the order of the Board before the High

Court. Such cases are dealt in accordance with the outcome of the judicial proceedings.

The  Government  is  committed  to  maintaining  a  transparent  and  accountable  certification process, while  protecting creative freedom  and  discharging  its obligations under  the Cinematograph Act.

*****