opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 5472 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Construction/renovation of Head Post Office Building in Dharashiv
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Omprakash Bhupalsinh Alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5472 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## CONSTRUCTION/RENOVATION OF HEAD POST OFFICE BUILDING IN DHARASHIV

## †5472. SHRI OMPRAKASH BHUPALSINH ALIAS PAVAN RAJENIMBALKAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that central funds have been sanctioned for the construction/renovation of the Head Post Office building in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra State and the Taluka Post Office buildings in each taluka of the district;
- (b) if so, the amount sanctioned for each office along with the total amount allocated;
- (c) the date on which the construction/renovation work commenced and its current status;
- (d) whether preference is being given to the local contractors and labourers in the construction/renovation work; and
- (e) whether any delay or problem has arisen and if so, the reasons therefor along with the steps being taken by the Government for its early completion?

## ANSWER

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

(a), (b) & (c) Fund amounting to Rs. 12,21,883/- was sanctioned for renovation of Dharashiv Head Post Office in FY 2023-24. The work has been completed. Further, fund amounting to Rs. 1,01,598/was sanctioned for construction of Post Office building at Bhoom in FY 2025-26. Soil investigation work for Bhoom Post Office was completed on 02.11.2025.

- (d) Construction or renovation works of post offices are awarded through online tenders on the Central Public Procurement Portal (C.P.P. Portal) to the successful bidder as per Government of India policy guidelines.
- (e) There is no delay in construction of Bhoom Post Office building.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5471 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Deactivation of Incoming Mobile Services Immediately After Expiry of Recharge Validity
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Rajmohan Unnithan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5471 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## DEACTIVATION OF INCOMING MOBILE SERVICES IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXPIRY OF RECHARGE VALIDITY

## 5471.   SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that several telecom operators deactivate incoming calls and SMS immediately after the expiry of prepaid recharge validity, often from the very next day and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has taken note that millions of poor, rural and migrant users keep mobile connections mainly for receiving incoming calls, bank OTPs and Government scheme alerts linked with platforms such as Unique Identification Authority of India and  if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government proposes, in consultation with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, to mandate that incoming calls and essential SMS services remain active for at least six months even without recharge; and

(d) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  steps  proposed  to  safeguard  citizens'  access  to  essential communication services?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) The  Telecom  Regulatory  Authority  of  India  Act,  1997  empowers  the  Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to notify the rates of telecommunication services. As per the existing  tariff  framework,  tariff  for  mobile  and  data  services  is  under  forbearance,  except  for services such as national roaming, rural fixed line services, mobile number portability and leased circuits.  Subject  to  compliance  with  extant  regulatory  provisions,  service  providers  are  free  to design and offer tariffs based on their understanding of the market situation and other commercial considerations. Competition exists in the market and the policies of the government and regulatory framework notified by TRAI has resulted in India having one of the lowest tariffs for subscribers of mobile services

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5469 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Infrastructure and Project Monitoring Division
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Utkarsh Verma Madhur

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5469 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROJECT MONITORING DIVISION

5469. SHRI UTKARSH VERMA MADHUR:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Infrastructure and Project Monitoring Division (IPMD) has identified the Central Projects (like National Highways or Railway Overbridge) related to Kheri area which are lagging behind their set schedules;
- (b)  whether  there  has  been  any  increase  in  the  cost  of  the  said projects due to the delay; and
- (c)  the  details  of  instructions  issued  by  the  Government  to  the concerned  departments  to  complete  the  said  projects  within  the stipulated timeline?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION;  MINISTER  OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CULTURE  [RAO

INDERJIT SINGH]

- (a) and (b): The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is mandated to monitor the status of Ongoing Central Sector Infrastructure  Projects  costing  Rs.  150  crore  and  above  based  on data reported by Line Ministries/ Departments/ Implementing Agencies  and  the  same  is  being  undertaken  through  online  web monitoring system called PAIMANA (Project Assessment Infrastructure Monitoring and Analytics for Nation-Building).

Accordingly,  the  State-wise  details  of  all  ongoing  infrastructure projects are available in the Flash Report published by this Ministry on  the  website  https://ipm.mospi.gov.in/ReportPage.  However,  the data is monitored at the State level.

(c): All stakeholders (Infrastructure Line Ministries/ Departments) are regularly being apprised of their project execution and slippages on the basis of data analytics available on PAIMANA, for any required intervention in managing the project execution at their end. Further, regular  coordination  with  stakeholders  through  monthly  review meetings  and  other  communications  contribute  to  the  evidencebased  monitoring.  In  addition  to,  the  login  credentials  providing access to the customized dashboards are already shared with all Line Ministries/  Departments,  thereby  giving  them  direct  access  to  the portal for review of the project progress. Other major steps taken by the Government of India to mitigate the delays and expedite the infrastructure projects include the Periodic review of projects under PRAGATI meetings through video conferencing by Hon'ble Prime Minister, and rigorous project appraisal.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5460 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: IRCTC Convenience Fees on Online Railway Ticket
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5460

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## IRCTC CONVENIENCE FEES ON ONLINE RAILWAY TICKET

## 5460. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  passengers  booking  tickets online through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) are  being  charged  convenience  fees/service  charges  despite  the  fully automated process and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the reasons for levy and retention of such charges when tickets booked under normal/Tatkal quotas are auto-cancelled due to waitlist status;
- (c)  the  justification  for  retaining  these  charges  in  system-driven  autocancellations when the passenger is not at fault and the service is not rendered;
- (d)  the  total  amount  collected  as  convenience  fees,  clerical  charges  and service charges during the last financial year and the current financial year to till date along with separate details for normal/Tatkal bookings; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  waive/refund  such  charges  in cases of auto- cancellation 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  (e)  Indian  Railway  Catering  and  Tourism  Corporation  (IRCTC)  has provided  the  facility  to  book  reserved  tickets  online  saving  passengers from the trouble of going to reservation counters to book the tickets thus saving travel time and transportation costs.

§

IRCTC  incurs  substantial  expenditure  on  providing  online  ticketing facility and in order to defray the cost incurred in maintenance, upgradation  and  expansion  of  ticketing  infrastructure,  a  very  nominal convenience fee is levied by IRCTC.

The  online  ticket  booking  facility  provided  by  IRCTC  is  one  of  the most passenger friendly initiatives of Indian Railways and its acceptance can  be  gauged  from  the  fact  that  at  present  approximately  88%  of  the reserved tickets are booked online.

Clerkage is  levied  on  cancellation  of  all  waitlisted  tickets  including cancelled through IRCTC website as per the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015, notified through Gazette  notification  and  as  amended  from  time  to  time.  Review  and rationalization of policy is a continuous and ongoing process.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5452 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Uranium Reserves
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5452

ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026

## URANIUM RESERVES

## 5452.  SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI RSI NEERAJ DANGAKHILESH PR

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether  it  is  true  that  4,400  tons  of  uranium  reserves  have  been  augmented  from Tummalapalle in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it is also true that the average grade of Uranium is 0.4%; and
- (c) if so, the details of explored depth and the time by which the Government is likely to start extracting Uranium reserves from the above source?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes. Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has augmented 4,400 tonne (t) in-situ U-oxide resource  in  the  Tummalapalle  Group  of  uranium  deposits,  YSR  Kadapa  district,  Andhra Pradesh, during 2024-25 and 2025-26 (as on date).
- (b) No.
- (c) Extraction  of  uranium  reserves  shall  start  after  grant  of  mining  lease  by  the  State Government in accordance with the provisions of Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2016.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5447 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: UMANG Platform
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5447

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## UMANG PLATFORM

## 5447.  SHRI BAIJAYANT PANDA:

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

- (a) the number of Ministries, Departments and States integrated with the UMANG platform;
- (b) the number of services available and transactions recorded since launch, year-wise; and
- (c)  whether any assessment has been undertaken on reduction in physical service interfaces and improvement in citizen access and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): In line with the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision to democratise technology and empower citizens, Government of India launched the Digital India programme in July, 2015.

Under  the  Digital  India  programme,  the  Government  has  developed  UMANG  (Unified  Mobile Application  for  New-age  Governance)  platform  that  provides  single-window  access  to  multiple government services from the Centre, States, and local bodies.

UMANG  has  onboarded  2,446  services  (Central:  872,  State:  1,574)  from  240  Government departments  including  80  Central  Government  Departments  and  160  Departments  of  30  States/ Union Territories till Feb'2026.

The year-wise number of the services available on UMANG platform and transactions recorded on it since inception is given in the following table.

## (the given figures are cumulative)

| Year                   |   2017 |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |    2021 |    2022 |    2023 |    2024 |    2025 |   2026 (till Feb'26) |
|------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------------------|
| No. of Services        |  166   | 326    | 488    | 974    | 1375    | 1672    | 1836    | 2101    | 2390    |               2446   |
| Transactio ns (in Cr.) |    3.9 |  29.58 |  75.34 | 126.57 |  215.22 |  332.65 |  402.43 |  516.06 |  709.11 |                737.2 |

In the year 2025, an evaluation/ assessment of the e-Governance Scheme (including UMANG project) was conducted by Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi.

It has been observed that UMANG has enabled easy and seamless access to citizen centric services through the single mobile platform with multilingual support and extended reach even to remote populations. The evaluation report by IIPA also brings out that UMANG has played a key role in reducing the need for physical interfaces by enabling citizens to access a wide range of government services digitally.

The report also highlighted that usage of digital services through UMANG, reflects improved citizen  adoption  and  access  to  public  services,  and  growing  reliance  on  digital  channels  over physical interfaces.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 5441 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Scholarships for Minority Students
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Km. Sudha R

## 5441. KM. SUDHA R:

- Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the details of budgetary allocation of the Government for the Ministry of Minority Affairs during the last five years; (b) the details and the current status of the scholarship schemes available/discontinued for minority students; (c)  the  reasons  for  not  extending  these  scholarship  and  support  programmes  and  whether  the Government has assessed their impact on minority students' access to education and if so, the details thereof; and (d)  the  details  of  ongoing  efforts  to  resume  scholarships  for  minority  communities  including  any
- proposals submitted for approval and timelines for their potential reinstatement?

## ANSWER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5441

ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026

## SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MINORITY STUDENTS

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a):  The details of budgetary allocation for Ministry of Minority Affairs during last five years is as annexed. Matric,  (ii)  Post-Matric  and  (iii)  Merit-cum-Means  based  Scholarship  Schemes.  However,  the

- (b) and (c):  Ministry of Minority Affairs implemented three Scholarship Schemes namely (i) Preschemes have not been approved for implementation beyond 2021-22.
- (d): As of now, there is no such proposal under consideration.

*****

(Annexure  as  mentioned  in  reply  to  part  (a)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  unstarred  question  No.5441 answered on 25.03.2026 on the subject of 'Scholarships for Minority Students' asked by Km. Sudha R).

Budgetary Allocation for Ministry of Minority Affairs during last five years.

(Amount in ₹ crore)

| 2020-21   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   | 2021-22   | 2022-23   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   | 2024-25   |
|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| B.E       | R.E       | B.E       | R.E       | B.E       | R.E       | B.E       | R.E       | B.E       | R.E       |
| 5029.00   | 4005.00   | 4810.77   | 4346.45   | 5020.50   | 2612.66   | 3097.60   | 2608.93   | 3183.24   | 1868.18   |
Lok Sabha Question No. 5437 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Service Charges
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Bharat Singh Kushwah

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5437 (OIH)

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## SERVICE CHARGES

## 5437.  SHRI BHARAT SINGH KUSHWAH:

(OIH)

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of the practice of certain hotels and restaurants levying service charges mandatorily on customers' bill;
- (b) the number of complaints received in this regard during the last three years and the current year, yearwise;
- (c) the action taken against such complaints so far along with the number of punitive/regulatory actions taken in this regard;
- (d) whether effective monitoring mechanism, strict compliance of guidelines and strengthening of online grievance  redressal  system  is  being  done  to  protect  the  interests  of  consumers  while  making  the service charges optional; and
- (e) the  concrete  steps  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  stop  the  hotels  and  restaurants  from compulsorily charging service charges in future?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## (SHRI B.L.VERMA)

(a) to (e) :  The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued guidelines (Guidelines to prevent unfair trade practices and protection of consumer interest with regard to levy of service charge in hotels and restaurants)  on  4 th July,  2022,  to  prevent  restrictive  trade  practice/unfair  trade  practice  and  protection  of consumer interest with regard to levy service charge in hotels and restaurants.

The guidelines issued by CCPA, interalia, stipulate the following:

- (i) No hotel or restaurant shall add service charge automatically or by default in the bill.
- (ii) Service charge shall not be collected from consumers by any other name.
- (iii) No hotel or restaurant shall force a consumer to pay service charge and shall clearly inform the consumer that service charge is voluntary, optional and at consumer's discretion.
- (iv) No restriction on entry or provision of services based on collection of service charge shall be imposed on consumers.
- (v) Service charge shall not be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying GST on the total amount.

CCPA has initiated action against 32 restaurants across the country for levying service charges and engaging in unfair trade practices.  Penalty of Rs. 80,000/- has been imposed against Café Blue Bottle, Patna and China Gate Restaurants Private Limited (Bora Bora), Mumbai.
Lok Sabha Question No. 5434 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Public Information Campaigns by PIB in West Bengal
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Kartick Chandra Paul

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5434 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25-03-2026

## PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS BY PIB IN WEST BENGAL

## 5434.  SHRI KARTICK CHANDRA PAUL:

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

- (a) the number and details of public information campaigns and initiatives conducted by the Press  Information  Bureau  (PIB)  in  West  Bengal  especially  targeting  key  Government programmes and schemes during the last three years;
- (b) whether PIB Kolkata has any plans to conduct 'Vartalap' programmes in Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur  district  and  other  districts  of  North  Bengal  to  enhance  public  awareness  and engagement with Government initiatives;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  of  such  planned  Vartalap  programmes  including  timelines  and  target districts; and
- (d) the steps taken by PIB to reach the remote and underdeveloped regions of North Bengal to ensure equitable dissemination of information ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (d):

Vartalaps  are  media  conclaves  undertaken  by  Press  Information  Bureau  (PIB) with  journalists from small towns and rural areas. It's objective is to create awareness about various schemes/ programs at the grass-root level through rural media. The PIB ensures that all regions, including remote and underserved areas, receive due attention during the Vartalap programs. To achieve this, PIB Regional Offices rotate the locations of conducting the Vartalaps to ensure comprehensive coverage across all districts.

During the last  three  years,  PIB,  Kolkata  has  conducted  04  Vartalaps  in  North  Bengal  on  the following places:

|   S. No. | Financial Year   |   Number of Vartalaps | Places                  |
|----------|------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|        1 | 2023-24          |                     1 | Balurghat               |
|        2 | 2024-25          |                     1 | Cooch Behar             |
|        3 | 2025-26          |                     2 | Alipurduar and Siliguri |

For  remaining  period  of  current  year,  PIB  does  not  have  specific  plans  to  conduct  any  such Vartalap. Outreach efforts in remote and underdeveloped regions of North Bengal are also being undertaken through various initiatives, which plays a key role in ensuring equitable dissemination of information.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5429 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Discontinuation of Railway Pink Book
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Adhikari Deepak Dev

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5429 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## DISCONTINUATION OF RAILWAY PINK BOOK

5429. SHRI ADHIKARI DEEPAK DEV:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the reason of discontinuation of release of 'Pink Book' in Railway during the last two years; and
- (b) whether there is any plan to release said book in upcoming years and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) & (b): A  Consolidated  Budget  Statement  is  prepared  for  each  Zonal Railway and Production Unit incorporating details of Earnings, Working Expenses, Capital expenditure, list of works etc. Consolidated Budget Statement  for  2025-26  is  available  in  public  domain  and  can  be accessed  on  Indian  Railway's  official  website.  Further,  preparation  of
- Consolidated Budget Statement for 2026-27 has been taken up.

*****