opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4929 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Review of the Reserve Bank of India Act
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri Parshottambhai Rupala

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4929 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026/CHAITRA 02, 1948 (SAKA)

## Review of the Reserve Bank of India Act

## 4929.   SHRI PARSHOTTAMBHAI RUPALA:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is examining the need for a comprehensive review and amendment of the Reserve Bank of India Act to address the evolving complexities of the Indian economy and the current global economic environment, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has assessed instances of regulatory overlap between the Reserve Bank of India and sectoral regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India the Insurance Regulatory  and  Development  Authority  of  India,  and  the  Pension  Fund  Regulatory  and Development Authority, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether comparative studies of central bank legislation in countries such as New Zealand and Sri Lanka have been undertaken to identify global best practices for possible incorporation into the RBI Act, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c):  The  amendments  to  existing  Acts  are  considered,  based  on  assessment  of  evolving landscape, dynamics of the prevailing ecosystem, and to align them with best practices so that the Acts  remain  relevant,  effective  and  able  to  address  the  emerging  complexities  of  the  economy. Further, active and engaging consultations with all the relevant stakeholders are carried out, and best practices across other jurisdiction are analyzed, while considering any amendment in existing Acts. It was only after extensive deliberations, the provision related to 'Shifting of submission of Statutory reports by Regulated Entities to Reserve Bank of India (RBI)' in Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 was recently amended through the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025.

RBI draws its powers to regulate banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) from various statutes such as BR Act, RBI Act, FEMA Act, SARFAESI Act, etc. In some cases, activities of regulated entities may come within the purview of more than one regulator. Overlapping of regulatory powers of different regulators, if any, are being dealt through mutual  consultations  and  by  Financial  Stability  and  Development  Council  (FSDC)/  its  SubCommittees, comprising all  financial  sector  regulators  which  provide  an  institutional  platform  to resolve any inter-regulatory issues and to ensure consistency and clarity in policies.
Lok Sabha Question No. 4909 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Funds spent in Kolar
Ministry: CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri M Mallesh Babu

4909. Shri M Mallesh Babu:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIR be pleased to state:

(a)  the total  amount of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds mandated to be spent by companies operating within the Narasapura and Vemagal industrial areas of Kolar in Karnataka for the Financial Year 2024-25;

(b) the specific data on unspent CSR funds from these units and whether such funds have  been  transferred  to  "Unspent  CSR  Accounts"  or  diverted  to  National  Funds (Schedule  VII)  instead  of  being  utilized  for  the  local  community,  if  so,  the  details thereof;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  monitored  the  nature  of  CSR  projects  in  Kolar  to ensure  that  they  move  beyond  "general  skilling"  to  address  the  district's  urgent environmental and health crises, such as fluoride-free water provision and groundwater recharging, if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether the Government is likely to enforce the "Local Area Preference" mandate under  section  135(5)  of  the  Companies  Act,  2013,  to  ensure  that  the  human development indices of villages in Malur and Bangarpet are prioritized by the industries operating in their vicinity and 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):  Under the Companies Act, CSR is a Board driven process and the Board of the company is empowered to plan, decide, execute and monitor CSR activities of the company  based  on  the  recommendation  of  its  CSR  Committee.  This  Committee formulates  and  recommends  the  CSR  policy,  which  outlines  the  activities  to  be undertaken  by  the  company  in  alignment  with  the  areas  or  subjects  specified  in Schedule VII of the Act.

The first proviso to Section 135 (5) of the Act provides that the company shall give preference  to  the  local  area  and  areas  around  it  where  it  operates.  However,  the emphasis on local area is only directory and not mandatory in nature and companies need to balance local area preference with national priorities. The Government does not mandate the companies to spend in any particular geographical area or for any particular activity.

(b) to (d): In view of the reply to part (a) above, the situation does not arise.

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4909 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026 / CHAITRA 02, 1948 (SAKA) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) FUNDS SPENT IN KOLAR

## QUESTION
Lok Sabha Question No. 4905 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Unemployment amongst Youth
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Bapi Haldar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4905

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD  MARCH, 2026

## UNEMPLOYMENT AMONGST YOUTH

## 4905.     SHRI BAPI HALDAR:

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

- (a) the details of the number and current weekly status of the unemployed youths aged 15 to 29 years in urban and rural areas in the country, since 2025, month and State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether it is a fact that urban unemployment rate is at 14.7 per cent and at 20.1 per cent for women as per International Labour Organisation (ILO); and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c):  The  official  data  on  Employment  and  Unemployment  is  collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18.

Also,  MoSPI  has  revamped PLFS from January 2025. The PLFS has been conducted on annual basis since 2017 and with quarterly urban estimates from 2018. Additionally, monthly as well as quarterly rural estimates are released by MoSPI since January, 2025. Changes are expected in the monthly PLFS ratios due  to  increased  frequency  and  seasonal  changes  but  do  not  necessarily reflect secular trends.

As per the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years has decreased from 16.6% in 2017-18 to 8.5% in 2023-24 in the rural areas of the country and from 20.6% to 14.7% in the urban areas of the country during the same period. State/UT-wise, area-wise  and month-wise information is available  in the PLFS  reports  which may be seen at the website of MoSPI at https://www.mospi.gov.in/publicationsreports.

As per latest available the India Employment Report 2024 brought out by ILO -IHD (International Labour Organisation-Institute of Human Development), the unemployment rate for persons of age 15 years and above was 6.3% in 2022 in  urban  areas  of  the  country  and  3.3%  for  female  in  the  country  during  the same period.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4902 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Regulation of Use of Smartphone in Schools
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4902

ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026

## Regulation of Use of Smartphone in Schools

4902. Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Union Government has any proposal to regulate and restrict the use of smartphone by students under the age of 16 in Government and private schools across the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) if not, the reasons thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Education has undertaken comprehensive interventions to address screen time management  through  its constituent bodies and affiliated organizations.  The  Ministry  of  Education,  Government  of  India,  introduced  the PRAGYATA Guidelines on July 14, 2020, which aim to ensure the safety and academic welfare  of  students  by  recommending  age-appropriate  screen  time  limits.  For  preprimary students, screen time is limited to 30 minutes per day, primarily for interactions with parents. Students in Classes 1 to 8 are advised to have no more than two online sessions of 30-45 minutes each per day. For Classes 9 to 12, up to four sessions of 3045  minutes  each  per  day  are  recommended.  The  guidelines  also  emphasise  the importance of parental involvement in monitoring children's physical and mental wellbeing,  promoting  open  communication  about  internet  use  and  balancing  online activities with offline play and physical exercise.

Education is part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution and most of the Government schools are under the administration of the State Government and its bodies. Various States/UTs  are  taking  measures  to  regulate  and  restrict  the  use  of  smartphone  by students.

These  measures  are  aimed  at  ensuring  academic  discipline,  reducing  distractions, addressing concerns related to excessive screen time and digital addiction, preventing cyber-misconduct  and  promoting  equitable  and  responsible  use  of  technology  in education.
Lok Sabha Question No. 4901 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Welfare of Gig Workers
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Smt. D K Aruna

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4901

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## WELFARE OF GIG WORKERS

4901. SMT. D K ARUNA:

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

- (a)whether the Government is aware of the gig workers strike across the  country  due  to  low  wage  and  incentives  paid  by  their companies;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken/being taken by the Government to safeguard their jobs and provide safety to them; and
- (c) whether the Government has any plan to bring the said workers under any category/sector, like skilled and semi-skilled laboures and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

For  the  first  time,  the  definition  of  'gig  workers'  and 'platform  workers'  and  provisions  related  to  the  same  have  been provided in the Code on Social Security, 2020 which has come into

(a) to (c): force on 21.11.2025.

As per the Code, the 'gig worker' has been defined as a person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of traditional employer-employee relationship.

The Code provides for framing of suitable social security measures for gig workers and platform workers on matters relating to life and disability cover, accident insurance, health and maternity benefits, old age protection, etc. The Code provides for setting up of a Social Security Fund to finance these welfare schemes. The Code also has provisions to constitute a National Social Security Board for the purposes of the welfare of gig workers and platform workers.

Multiple rounds of deliberations have been conducted with Aggregators, Knowledge Partners and Platform Workers Unions/Associations  and  State  Government/UTs  for  social  security framework for gig and platform workers.

To maximise registration of platform workers on eShram Portal, three nationwide special registration drives were held during the months of April, May and August-September, 2025 in collaboration with States and Union Territories. As on 17.03.2026, around 8.86 lakh platform workers are registered on eShram portal.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 4899 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Labour Codes Implementation
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Benny Behanan, Shri Anto Antony

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4899 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## LABOUR CODES IMPLEMENTATION

4899. SHRI ANTO ANTONY: SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

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

- (a)the details of total number and nature of stakeholder objections received during the public consultation period on the draft Central Rules pertaining to the new Labour Codes;
- (b)whether the Government has prepared and placed in the public domain any issue-wise compendium of comments received and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)whether any modifications were made to the final rules based on the said representations and if so, the details thereof, rule-wise; and
- (d)the details of status of framing and notifying corresponding State Rules  under  each  Code  and  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the Government to ensure harmonisation and timely roll-out, State/UTwise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d); The  Central  Government  has  implemented  the  four  Labour Codes, viz; the Code on Wages, 2019, the Code on Social Security, 2020, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 w.e.f. 21.11.2025.  Further, the Ministry has also pre-published the draft Central Rules under the aforesaid four Labour Codes on 30.12.2025 for seeking objections and suggestions from stakeholders. The Ministry has conducted five regional conferences during Jan- Feb, 2026 to sensitise all States/UTs to finalise their rules under the codes for smooth implementation across the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4896 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: EPF Interest Rate
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4896

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## EPF INTEREST RATE

4896. SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.:

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

- (a)whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Central  Board  of  Trustees  of  the Employees'  Provident  Fund  Organization  (EPFO)  has  recommended that the Government retain the interest rate for EPF deposits at 8.25 per cent for the year 2025-26;
- (b)if so, the details thereof;
- (c)whether it is also a fact that the Central Board of Trustees of EPFO during  their  meeting  held  recently,  has  also  approved  a  number  of reform measures for the pension fund and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)whether  it  is  true  that  the  Government  has  also  approved  a  new simplified standard operating procedure on Employees Provident Fund
- exemption and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b): The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), Employees Provident Fund,  in  its  239 th   meeting,  has  recommended  8.25  per  cent  rate  of interest on Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) to its subscribers for the Financial Year 2025-26.
- (c): The  CBT  also  approved  the  Employees'  Pension  Scheme (EPS) under the Code on Social Security, 2020 (CoSS) for notification by the Central Government. The provisions in EPS, 1995 have been aligned with  CoSS,  2020.  Further,  obsolete/redundant  provisions  have  been deleted.
- (d): The Central Board of Trustees of the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) in its 239 th  meeting held on 02, March 2026 has approved the new simplified Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on EPF exemption, consolidating the existing four SOPs and the Exemption Manual into a single comprehensive framework.

The  new  SOP,  inter  alia,  has  a  number  of  provisions  for ensuring Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4892 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Circulation of Digital e-Rupee
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4892

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026/ CHAITRA 02, 1948 (SAKA)

## Circulation of Digital e-Rupee

4892. Shri Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it s a fact that the circulation of Digital e-Rupee is still nominal;

(b) if so, the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to promote the circulation of digital e-Rupee; and

(c) whether the Government has any plan to promote the use of Digital e-Rupee especially for payments abroad and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY)

- (a): The total digital e-Rupee ( e₹ ) in circulation is ₹ 783.16 crore in value terms as on March 12,  2026.  The  cumulative  transaction  value  of  e₹  in  retail  segment  till  March  12,  2026  is ₹33,191 crore.
- (b): Currently, e₹ is in pilot stage and the objective of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to test multiple use cases that can be served by e₹. The pilot started with person to person and person to merchant payments and subsequently, offline and programmable functionalities are also  being  tested.  The  specific  feature  of  programmability  is  being  leveraged  for  multiple Direct Benefit Transfer schemes. The technical architecture is also being reviewed on an ongoing basis and multiple functionalities like interoperability with UPI, capability to process decimal payments etc. have been introduced. RBI also plans to conduct Public Awareness Campaigns to educate the citizens of the country about digital e-Rupee 's features.
- (c): RBI  is  engaging  bilaterally  with  the  Central  Banks  of  UAE,  Bank  of  Mauritius, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and participating in  multilateral  projects  of  the  Bank  of International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub Singapore for Project Mandala and Project Rialto  to  further  improve  cross-border  payment  processing  and  settlement  using  digital  eRupee. However, all of the above initiatives are currently in the exploratory stage, and no crossborder arrangements have been made operational at present.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4891 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Labour Law Reforms and Compliance
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Anup Sanjay Dhotre

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4891 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## LABOUR LAW REFORMS AND COMPLIANCE

## 4891. SHRI ANUP SANJAY DHOTRE:

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

- (a)the progress made  by the Government in simplifying and consolidating labour laws;
- (b)the manner in which the Government is enforcing compliance with labour regulations across the industries;
- (c)the  details  of  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to
- enhance inspection and grievance redressal mechanisms;
- (d)the  manner  in  which  the  technology  is  being  used  by  the
- Government to monitor the enforcement of labour law; and
- (e)whether there is any efforts made by the Government to promote formalization of informal sector employment and if so, the details
- thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): The Central Government has formulated the four Labour Codes viz; the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health  and  Working  Conditions  Code,  2020  after  amalgamating, rationalizing and simplifying the 29 Central Labour Acts. These four Labour Codes have  come into effect from 21.11.2025.
- (b) to (d): Shram Suvidha Portal(SSP) was launched on 16 th  October, 2014 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment to reduce compliance burden by providing one-stop solution for online single registration, licence,  return  filing  to  business  entities  along  with  a  web-based randomised risk based inspection system, thereby reducing manual intervention, subjectivity and improving accountability. This will also facilitate online monitoring and increasing in transparency in enforcement  of  central  labour laws. Further, under  the  Codes, the

Inspectors  are  now  designated  as  Inspector-cum-Facilitators  to support  compliance  and  guide  the  employers  and  workers.  A dedicated  help-desk  has  also  been  set  up  for  grievance  redressal relating to the portal.

(e): Labour Codes envisage provisions for strengthening the protection  available  to  workers,  including  unorganized  workers  in terms  of  statutory  minimum  wage  and  its  timely  payment,  social security, occupational safety, healthcare of workers, etc. Statutory provision has also been made for the first time for employers to issue appointment letter to every employee of the establishment which will facilitate formalization of employment.

*****