opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1513 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Leasing of International Bandwidth
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shrirang Appa Barne, DHARMENDRA YADAV, ASADUDDIN OWAISI, SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL, ANANDRAO  ADSUL

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1513**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 29** **TH** **JULY, 2015**

**Leasing of International Bandwidth**

**1513.	SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:**

**SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV:**

**SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:**

**SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:**

**SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL:**

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

(a) 	whether North-Eastern States of  India are likely to get high speed uninterrupted Internet connectivity through an international gateway from Bangladesh;

(b) 	if so, whether an agreement between BSNL and Bangladesh Submarine Cable company was signed during Indo-Bangladesh summit for leasing of international bandwidth;

(c) 	if so, the details and the terms and conditions thereof;

(d) 	the time by which the project is likely to be commissioned and the total cost likely to be incurred on this project; and

(e)	 the extent to which the facility is likely to help people of north-east?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

(a) to (e)     An agreement  has been signed by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)  with Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd. (BSCCL) on 06 th June 2015. As per the agreement, BSCCL will provide international internet  bandwidth to BSNL  at  International Border  Agartala. BSCCL will make arrangements of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) in Bangladesh from Cox’s Bazar to International Border  Agartala and BSNL will arrange the OFC in India upto International Border  Agartala. The initial bandwidth capacity will be 10 gigabits per second. BSNL will install an international internet gateway at Agartala. BSNL has informed that the project is likely to be completed by 31 st Jan 2016. The estimated capital cost of the project is Rs. 19.14 Crore. After completion of this project, alternate connectivity for Internet will be available for North East Region  which would enhance the capacity  as well as reliability of  internet services of BSNL in the North East.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1512 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: e-Visa
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: DEVUSINH JESINGBHAI CHAUHAN

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1512

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015

E-VISA

1512.		SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)	whether the Government has launched e-Visa facility in the country; and

(b)	if so, the details thereof?

#### ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

[GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

(a)	Yes, the Government of India launched the e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) facility in the country on 27.11.2014.

(b)	During its first phase of implementation, the e-TV facility was extended to 43 countries, and later on, the scheme was extended to more countries. Till date, the scheme has been extended to 74 countries, the details of which are given below:

Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island, Chile, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, and Vietnam.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1511 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Laying of Submarine Cable
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: HARI BABU KAMBHAMPATI

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1511**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 29** **TH** **JULY, 2015**

**Laying of Submarine Cable**

**1511.	 DR. KAMBHAMPATI HARIBABU:**

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

(a) 	whether the proposal for laying submarine cable connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands has been finalised;

(b)	 if so, the details and the present status of the work undertaken thereof; and

(c) 	if not, the time by which the  final decision likely to be taken on these matter?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

(a)to(c)	Government has decided to lay submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar islands.  Detailed project report (DPR) based on desktop survey (DTS) has been prepared by M/s Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL). The project is expected to be approved by the competent authority by December 2015.

While accepting the need to provide robust and reliable telecom connectivity to Lakshadweep islands, Telecom Commission in its meeting held on 07.11.2014 has accorded an ‘in principle’ approval to undertake a cost benefit analysis and feasibility study for laying submarine OFC in Lakshadweep along with validation of the estimated cost before proceeding ahead.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1508 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Wages to Workers under MDMS
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: CHHEDI PASWAN

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1508**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015**

**Wages to Workers under MDMS**

**†1508. SHRI CHHEDI PASWAN:**

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) 	whether the cooks who are preparing food in schools under Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) are not permanent Government employees and they are paid meager wages;

(b)	 if so, the details thereof;

(c) 	whether the Government has any proposal to appoint permanent cooking staff with enhanced wages to them; and

(d)	 if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a) & (b):  	The cooks-cum-helpers are paid an honorarium of Rs. 1000/- per month for 10 months in a year as they are engaged by the respective States / UTs on a part time basis. The honorarium is shared between the Centre and States in the ratio of 75:25 except for States of North Eastern Region for which the ratio is 90:10. The criteria for the number of cooks-cum-helpers  to be engaged in a school has also been prescribed by the Central Government: one for a school having upto 25 students, two for schools having 26 to 100 students, and one additional cook-cum-helper for every additional 100 students.

(c):  	No, Madam.

(d):	Does not arise.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1507 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: National e-Library
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: ARJUN RAM  MEGHWAL, B.V. NAYAK

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1507

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015

**National e-Library**

†1507.    SHRI ARJUN MEGHWAL:

SHRI B. V. NAIK:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) 	whether the Government has made any efforts to increase the access to 	educational material and means of education through national e-library;

(b)	if so, the details thereof and the extent to which success has been achieved in 	this regard;

(c)	whether the students of different standards are likely to get benefit 	significantly through e- library; and

(d)	if so, the manner in which the students are likely to be benefited?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

1. to (d)  The Ministry of Human Resource Development, through the project, ‘National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology’ (NMEICT) have made efforts to provide increased access to electronic educational material (e-Contents) to learners. A project to set up National Digital Library has been sanctioned to Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. The project envisages integrating existing digital contents across educational institutions and to provide single window access with e-learning facility to different groups of users. The project is in developmental stage.

National Digital Library has been conceptualized to provide all kind of e-learning materials including all types of audio-video material, e-books etc. to learners through this platform. They would be benefited by watching videos and recorded lectures, reading e-books and downloading thousands of e-contents in a large number of disciplines.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1505 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Zone in Delhi
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAMESH BIDHURI

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1505**

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 JULY, 2015

**ZONE IN DELHI**

No. 1505	SHRI RAMESH BIDHURI:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has formulated any scheme to exclude the private fertile land from zone-O in Delhi; and

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

( **SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO** )

(a) 	 No,  Madam.

(b)	Such need has not arisen.

………….
Lok Sabha Question No. 1504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Access to Maulana Azad Library
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. BHOLA SINGH

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

**LOK SABHA**

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1504

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015

**Access to Maulana Azad Library**

1504. DR. BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has ordered that women undergraduate students will not be given access to the Maulana Azad Library in the campus and if so, the reasons therefor;

(b) whether the Government has sought any explanation from the AMU on the issue; and

(c) if so, the reaction of the AMU in this regard?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a), (b) & (c) : As per the information provided by the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the present Vice-Chancellor has not given any orders on the Maulana Azad Library issue. On the basis of media reports regarding discriminatory action of the University of denying access to girl students of Women College to the Maulana Azad Library, this Ministry had sought some clarifications from the AMU in this regard.

AMU has clarified that there is no restriction on entry of girls, studying at AMU main campus to the Maulana Azad Library. Only girls of Women’s College, which is located three kilometres away, were earlier not given membership of this Library for various reasons. However, in compliance of the Allahabad High Court order dated 25.11.2014 in PIL No. 61150 of 2014,  AMU has granted access to girls of Women’s College to the Maulana Azad Library from 08.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. every Sunday from 07 th December, 2014.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1501 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Funding from France
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: JOSE K. MANI

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1501

TO BE ANSWERED ON JULY 29, 2015

FUNDING FROM FRANCE

No.1501			SHRI JOSE K. MANI:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government of France has agreed to double the credit line to India for sustainable Urban Development Projects;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is proposed to finance three Metro Rail Projects under the above funding; and

(d) if so, the details of these projects with location?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a):   Yes, Madam.

(b): The Government of France has increased development assistance from Euro 1 billion to Euro 2 billion to finance urban development projects in India.

(c)& (d):   French Government has made commitments for two Metro Rail Projects namely Bangalore Metro Phase-II (Euro 200 million) and Kochi Metro Rail (Euro 180 million). Details are given in Annexure.

***

Annexure

Details of the project which have AFD Loan

| **Project**                                           | **Stretch**                                                                                                                                                                                                        |   **Length (KM)** |   **Approved Cost (Rs. In cr)** |
|-------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|---------------------------------|
| Bangalore Metro Project-Phase-I (Under Consideration) | 1. East-West Corridor (Bayappanahalli to Mysore Road) 2. North-South Corridor (Yeshwanthpur to R.V. Road Jayanagar) 3. Extension-Yeshwanthapur to Hesaraghatta 4. Extension-RV Road Terminal to Puttenahally Cross |              42.3 |                        11609.00 |
| Kochi Metro Rail Project-Kerala (Under Construction)  | Alwaye-Petta                                                                                                                                                                                                       |            25.612 |                         5181.79 |
Lok Sabha Question No. 1500 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Enhancing Number of Schools
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: PREM DAS RAI

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1500**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 29** **TH** **JULY, 2015**

**Enhancing Number of Schools**

1500. SHRI PREM DAS RAI:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्री be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government aims to establish a school within 5 km radius across the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has carried out any study/GIS based survey to identify locations without schools;

(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether the Government proposes to undertake such a study and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of steps taken by the Government to reach the aforementioned target in a time-bound manner?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a): The Central Right to Education (RTE) Rules provide that a primary school shall be established within one kilometre and an upper primary school shall be established within three kilometre of the neighbourhood. Schools are provided to the State/UT under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme according to their neighbourhood norms defined in their respective RTE rules. Preference for opening of schools is given to tribal areas and areas with high concentration of SC, ST and minority population.

Similarly, under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), provision has  been made to provide a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation, which should be 5 kilometer for secondary schools and 7 -10 kilometers for higher secondary schools.

(b) to (d): A total of 32 States/UTs have collected locational parameters like longitude and latitude of their existing schools. 28 states have collected this information through an exclusive exercise of GIS mapping and 3 UTs have done it while updating their Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data. These 32 States/UTs have collected Geo coordinates of 11.01 lakh schools. Information on locations without schools, as per the norms, is analysed annually with the State/UT governments during the Project Approval Board meetings under SSA. 97% of the habitations are covered by primary schools and 76% are covered by upper primary schools
Lok Sabha Question No. 1498 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Act East Policy
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: JITENDRA CHAUDHURY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1498

TO BE ANSWERED ON

Wednesday, 29 July, 2015

QUESTION

Act East Policy

1498 SHRI JITENDRA CHAUDHURY

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state:

1. The main objective and goal of the much publicized ‘Act East Policy’ of the Government;
2. Whether there shall be any reference of ‘Vision 2020 Document’ prepared by the earlier Government in setting up the goals of ‘Act East Policy’; and if so, the details thereof; and
3. The measures taken by the Government to achieved the targets of the above policy?

**ANSWER**

**The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of**

**North Eastern Region**

**(Dr. Jitendra Singh)**

1. & (b) :

The “NER Vision 2020” document of the North Eastern Council(NEC) has emphasised the role of “Look East Policy” for promoting economic and cultural ties, development of strategic relationship with South Asian neighbours and China and thereby ending the economic isolation of the North Eastern Region. The Look East Policy, which has been evolving since early 1990s, involves intensive and continuous engagement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.The upgrade from “Look East” to “Act East” not only highlights the importance of NER through a more proactive and pragmatic approach, but also addresses key strategic, economic and cultural opportunities as highlighted in the Vision 2020 of NEC.

(c ):

For achieving the objectives of “Act East Policy”, on the domestic front the Government has taken measures for time bound completion of critical infrastructure projects in the NER relating to road, rail, inland water transport,

-2-

power, airports and telecom connectivity. Actions have been taken for faster connectivity with other parts of the country. At bilateral and regional levels NER has been integrated into various plans, including those action points identified inthe Vision document viz. Indo-Myanmar-Thailand connectivity through road, access to Sittwe port(Myanmar) through Kaladan multi-modal project, access to Chittagong port (Bangladesh), Agartala–Akhoura (Bangladesh) rail connectivity, enhancing cooperation in the areas of trade & investment,development of land customs stations and border haats, IT infrastructure linkage with neighbours, Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus service etc,  Due to constant engagement with the neighbouring countries some of the long pending bilateral issues have also been addressed.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 1496 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Prototype Fast Breeder Reactors
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: MIDHUN REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1496

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015

## PROTOTYPE FAST BREEDER REACTORS

1496.   SHRI P.V.MIDHUN REDDY

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  600  MWe  Prototype  Fast  Breeder  Reactor  at  Kalpakkam  is getting ready to be commissioned; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor(PFBR) at Kalpakkam is of 500 MWe capacity and the same is at an advanced stage of commissioning.
- (b) All  preparatory  tasks  for  liquid  sodium  filling  have  been  taken  up,  including getting regulatory clearances from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). A systematic procedure has been established for the subsequent steps of fuel loading and reaching criticality, after receiving regulatory clearances for each step for accomplishing the first criticality of PFBR smoothly.
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Lok Sabha Question No. 1495 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-29
Subject: Grants under IDMI
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SURESH KODIKUNNIL

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1495**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2015**

**Grants under IDMI**

1495.	SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

1. whether the Government is aware that the grants under the Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions (IDMI) scheme are delayed even after the submission of utilization certificates by State Governments;
2. if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
3. whether several State Governments including Kerala has submitted proposals for the   release of grants under IDMI scheme; and
4. if so, the present status of these proposals, State-wise?

**ANSWER**

**MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT**

**(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)**

(a) & (b) As per procedural requirement of the scheme, the second installment has to be claimed within one year of release of the first installment. 25% of the total grant has to be contributed by the minority institution. The beneficiary institutions are also required to furnish audited details of expenditure, in the prescribed proforma duly attested by a chartered accountant. The funds for the 2 nd installment are released only after the fulfillment of the requisite requirements.

(c) & (d) The Government has received fresh proposals under IDMI from the State Governments of Kerala and Gujarat during the year 2015-16. The same will be placed before the Central Grant in Aid Committee (CGIAC) for consideration alongwith the other proposals.

*****