opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 685 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Third Party Auditor
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: R. VANAROJA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 685 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## THIRD PARTY AUDITOR

## 685. SHRIMATI VANAROJA R.:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Railways is considering to appoint a third party auditor to  look  into  the  maintenance  of  catering  standards  and  quality  in trains;
- (b)   if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  quality  and  standards  of  catering  in  trains  have reached to a very low level recently; and
- (d)  if so, the steps taken by the Railways other than appointing a third party auditor to improve the catering services in trains?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a)  and  (b):      Railways  have  decided  to  conduct  Third  Party  Audit  of catering  services  at  periodic  intervals  by  independent  and  reputed auditing agencies accredited by  NABCB (National Accreditation Board for  Certification  Bodies).    As  per  the  guidelines  issued  in  this  regard, 16  Railway  Zones  have  been  divided  into  four  groups  with  Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern Railways as the nodal Zonal Railway for each group.  The nodal zonal railways have been entrusted to empanel these  accredited  auditing  agencies  for  the  third  party  audit  for  their respective group of railways.

(c) and (d): Improvement of catering services is an on-going process.  In its  endeavour to provide quality and hygienic food to the passengers, Railways have developed and operationalized an institutionalized mechanism for monitoring of quality and hygiene of catering services through regular inspections at various levels. The passenger satisfaction levels are also regularly monitored through direct feedback and other means to address catering complaints.  The steps taken to improve the quality of food in Railways inter-alia include: (i) Introduction  of  station  based  e-catering  at  all  A1  and  A  category stations for widening the range of options available to passengers for ordering food of their choice. (ii) Introduction of precooked food ('ready to eat' meals) (iii) Operation of centralized Catering Service Monitoring Cell  (CSMC)  (toll  free  number  1800-111-321)  for  prompt  redressal  of passenger grievances relating to the catering activities and real time assistance to travelling  public.  (iv)  Imposition  of  penalties  in  case  of deficiencies  detected  in  services.  (v)  Operation  of  all  India  Helpline (No.138) for rail-users to lodge complaints/suggestions regarding food and catering services (vi) A Twitter handle with the address @IRCATERING  has  also been made  operational to cater to the complaints/suggestions with regard to catering services.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 682 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Rapid Rail
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SRINIVAS KESINENI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 682 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## RAPID RAIL

## 682.  SHRI KESINENI NANI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  start  'Rapid  Rail' connectivity between Hyderabad and New Capital of Andhra Pradesh as mandated  by  the  Section  13  of  Andhra  Pradesh  State  Reorganisation Act; and
- (b) the details of the projects being undertaken to expand the reach of Railways to the unconnected and backward regions of Andhra Pradesh?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a)  The  new  capital  of  Andhra  Pradesh  is  in  proximity  to  the  cities  of Vijayawada and Guntur which are well connected by Railway network. At present, 35 pairs of Mail/Express trains run between Hyderabad/Secunderabad and Vijayawada; and 14 pairs, between Hyderabad/Secunderabad and Guntur.
- (b)  A  309  km  long  Nadikude  -  Srikalahasti  new  line  project  has  been undertaken  jointly  by  Ministry  of  Railways  and  Government  of  Andhra Pradesh  at  an  approx.  cost  of ₹ 2440  crore  on  cost  sharing  basis,  to provide  connectivity  to  hinterland  of  districts  of  Guntur,  Nellore  and Prakasam,  besides  providing  alternative  to  the  coastal  link  between Vijayawada and Chennai.

In addition, the 3rd line project has been undertaken between Vijayawada and Kazipet to improve connectivity to the regions between these two cities.

In  all,  32  major  projects  consisting  of  17  new  lines  and  15  doubling, falling fully/partly in the State of Andhra Pradesh, have been taken up. A Railway project invariably acts as a catalyst of growth in unconnected and backward regions.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 681 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Rail Ticket Frauds
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: K. ASHOK KUMAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.681 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## RAIL TICKET FRAUDS

## 681. SHRI K. ASHOK KUMAR :

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether to make the railway ticketing system more transparent,  the  Centre  for  Railway  Information  Systems  has initiated printing of encrypted QR code on unreserved tickets and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether it has been found that a large number of passengers were travelling on the carbon copy of tickets and if so, the details thereof;
- (a) whether  with  the  encrypted  QR  code  on  the  tickets,  the ticket checking staff can scan the bar code and can validate the information  provided  on  the  ticket  to  prevent  any  fraudulent activity; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a)  Yes,  Madam.  Pilot  project  for  printing  of  encrypted  QR  code has been launched on 01-03-2016 at nominated counters at New Delhi, Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations.

(b)  No,  Madam.    However,  one  case  of  passenger  travelling  on duplicate tickets issued by using carbon has been detected during checks.  Further, carbon copy of Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) is also given to the passengers  by  on  board  ticket checking  staff whenever required, which also becomes authority to travel. (c) Yes, Madam.  The ticket checking staff can scan the encrypted QR  code  and  validate  the  information  provided  on  the  ticket  to prevent any fraudulent activity. (d) The encrypted QR code can be scanned by using smartphones and also with other Handheld devices.  The scanned encrypted QR code can be decrypted and the information printed on the ticket can be validated.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 680 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Closing of Energy Security Division
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: PREM DAS RAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.680

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## CLOSING OF ENERGY SECURITY DIVISION

## 680.  SHRI PREM DAS RAI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is fact that the Energy Security Division of the Ministry of External Affairs has been shut down,
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  energy  sector  is  recognized  as  an  important  and growing concern for the nation and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  mechanism  by which  the  Ministry  of  External Affairs  proposes to handle the work previously overseen by the ES division?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS [GEN. (DR) V. K. SINGH (RETD)]

- (a) & (b) No, the Energy Security (ES) Division of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not been shut down. The ES Division has only been merged with Investment & Technology Promotion (ITP) Division of MEA and the Division is renamed as ITP & ES Division. The merger has been undertaken based on functional requirements.
- (c) & (d) Yes, the energy sector is recognized as an important and growing  concern  for  the  nation.  The  re-designated  ITP  &  ES  Division now  serves  as  the  nodal  point  in  MEA  for  energy  security-related matters.  The  Division  maintains  close  coordination  with  relevant  line Ministries related to energy including NITI Aayog, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Coal, Power & New and Renewable Energy etc., and supports their international engagement through appropriate diplomatic interventions. The  Division supports efforts of Indian entities in acquiring energy assets overseas and in building strategic partnerships with foreign companies. The Division deals with internal energy related organizations and forums and acts as an interface with leading energy security think-tanks and experts on energy-related issues.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 679 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Rolling out of Telecom Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: VINOD KUMAR BOIANAPALLI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.679 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  APRIL, 2016

## ROLLING OUT OF TELECOM SERVICES

## 679. SHRI B. VINOD KUMAR:

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

- (a) whether the Telecom Service Providers (TSP) have to obtain permission from various Government agencies to roll out their service;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  there  is  a  proposal  for  uniform  rules  and  single  window  clearance system in telecom to remove bottlenecks and delay; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard so far?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) & (b) In  order  to  roll  out  the  telecommunications  services  in  different  licensed Service  Areas,  the  concerned  service  providers  are  required    to  obtain  permissions  from various Government agencies at Union as well as State level. This may include permissions for  Right  of  Way  and  installation  of  towers  by  local  administrative  bodies,  permission  for operating  wireless  equipments  by  the  Department  of  Telecommunications,  permission  for imports by the Indian Customs, Department of Revenue.

- (c) & (d) Yes, there is a proposal to simplify the process of granting Right of Way permissions  and  provide  these  through  a  single  window  clearance  system  in  a transparent  and  time  bound  manner.  The  Department  of  Telecommunications  has drafted and circulated  'Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules, 2016' and has sought views  from to stakeholders including State Governments, concerned Departments of the Union and administrative bodies such as National Highway Authority of India and Railway Board by 25 th April, 2016 to take a considered view in this regard.

**************
Lok Sabha Question No. 675 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: National Urban Sanitation Policy
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK, VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK, OM BIRLA, BHARAT SINGH, SAKSHI SWAMI MAHARAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 675

TO BE ANSWERED ON APRIL 27, 2016

NATIONAL URBAN SANITATION POLICY

No. 675

DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL "NISHANK":

SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK:

SHRI OM BIRLA:

SHRI BHARAT SINGH:

DR. SWAMI SAKSHIJI MAHARAJ:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to achieve the goals set under
- National Urban Sanitation Policy (NUSP) for waste management;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  addressed  the  concerns  of  lack  of
- funds as well as shortage of technical staff for efficient implementation of waste management and if so, the details thereof;and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  Memoranda  of  Understanding  (MoU)  signed between BSNL and Urban Development Ministry over tracking of solid waste management and the action plan for its implementation?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## (SHRI M.VENKAIAH NAIDU)

- (a): To achieve the goals set under National Urban Sanitation Policy, the Ministry has launched Swachh Bharat Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to provide assistance for  construction  of  individual/community/public  toilets,  assitance  for solid waste management and assitance for setting up of sewerage and
- septic system.
- (b): Under  Swachh  Bharat  Mission,  Government  of  India  provides Rs.4000/-  as  incentive  to  an  individual  for  construction  of  household

toilet and 40% as a grant for construction of community toilet by Urban Local  Body  and  20%  of  project  cost  for  solid  waste  management. Under  AMRUT  scheme,  Government  of  India  provides  35%  of  project cost for setting up of sewerage and septic system in Million Plus cities and  50%  of  project  cost  for  other  cities.  For  both  the  Missions, Government of India is providing assitance to set up project implementaton unit to take care of shortage of technical staff.

(c): The Ministry of Urban Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BSNL on 21 st  March, 2016 for helping cities to implement a vehicle tracking and monitoring system for monitoring solid waste management.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 674 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Gauge Conversion Project
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SANTOSH AHLAWAT, SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 674

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## GAUGE CONVERSION PROJECT

## 674.   SHRIMATI SANTOSH AHLAWAT: SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARSWATI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railway has taken any steps for timely completion of Churu-Jaipur via Sikar gauge conversion project;
- (b) if so, the details therof and the fund earmarked for the same; and
- (c) the time by which the said project of gauge conversion is likely to be completed?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a)  to  (c):  Jaipur-Ringus-Churu  &  Sikar-Loharu  gauge  conversion project  (320kms)  has  been  taken  up  with  latest  anticipated  cost ` 915  crore.  Sikar-Loharu  (122kms)  section  has  been  completed  & commissioned  in  the  year  2015-16.  On  Jaipur-Sikar-Churu  section (198 kms), earthwork, bridgework, ballest supply and track linking works  have been taken up. 41 kms  track linking has been completed on Sikar-Churu.

An expenditure of ` 454 cr. has been incurred on the project till 31.03.2016. An outlay of ` 100 cr. has been earmarked for the project during 2016-17.

Completion of the project depends on many factors including availability  of  funds,  site  conditions  etc.  By  providing  adequate funds for this project in 2016-17, the project has been fast tracked for its early completion

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 671 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Misleading Job Ads on Websites
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: KOTHA PRABHAKAR REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS &INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  671

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 27.04.2016

## MISLEADING JOB ADS ON WEBSITES

## 671     SHRI PRABHAKAR  REDDY  KOTHA:

Will the Minister of Communications & Information Technology be pleased to state: -

- (a) whether the Government  is aware that misleading employment  notifications are frequently  coming  up  in  some  websites  about  vacancies  in  Government  departments  and organisations, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  any  technique  to  track  and  verify  the  veracity  of  the advertisements and the website from where these misleading advertisements are put in the net, and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps and measures being taken by the Government to book the website administrators and save the public from such maligning website administrators?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a), (b) and (c):  As per the information reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a total no. of 12 and 2 cyber security incidents involving misleading job ads for  fake  recruitment pretending to be from legitimate organizations in Government and Public sector were reported during the year  2015 and 2016 (till March) respectively. Such incidents are reported  by  affected  organizations,  users  and  Law  Enforcement  agencies.  In  order  to  resolve such incidents, CERT-In examines the details and coordinates response actions with concerned hosting and service providers for disabling the fake information and obtaining relevant details for facilitating  further  investigation  by  the  Law  Enforcement  agencies.  Further,  the  affected organisations are advised to create awareness among users regarding such fraudulent activities.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 670 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Buddhist Entrepreneurs
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: UDIT RAJ

670. DR. UDIT RAJ :

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) Whether the Government has  conducted any study to ascertain the State-wise number of Buddhist entrepreneurs in the country ; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) if not, whether the Government proposes to conduct any such study considering their minority status; and

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

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI)

(a) & (b) No, Madam.

- (c) & (d) No, Madam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.670 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## BUDDHIST ENTREPRENEURS

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 669 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Increase in MPLAD Fund
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: RAMDAS CHANDRABHANJI TADAS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 669

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 27 TH  APRIL, 2016

## INCREASE IN MPLAD FUND

669.   SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

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

- (a) whether the Government has received any representation to  increase  annual  allocation  of  Members  of  Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund; and
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  action  taken  by  the Government thereon?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  FOR  MINISTRY  OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION  AND  MINISTER OF  STATE  FOR  MINISTRY  OF  EXTERNAL  AFFAIRS  [GENERAL  (Dr.)

V.K. SINGH (Retd.)]

- (a):   Yes, Madam.
- (b): The Lok Sabha Committee on MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) in its sitting held on 02.07.2013 had recommended to increase the annual allocation per Member of Parliament from rupees 5 crore to rupees 10 crore.

Hon'ble Deputy Speaker Lok Sabha (16 th  Lok Sabha)  and Chairman, Lok Sabha Committee on MPLADS vide letter dated 25.02.2015 had requested  for  increase  of  annual  allocation  of  MPLADS  funds  per Member of Parliament to Rs. 25 crore.

The matter was referred to Ministry of Finance.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 666 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Task Force for Post Office Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: DUSHYANT CHAUTALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.666 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  APRIL, 2016

## TASK FORCE FOR POST OFFICE NETWORK

## 666.   SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA:

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

- (a) whether the Government has finalised consultations on the report submitted by the task force regarding leveraging the Post Office network and whether recommendations  include  internet  based  access  to  postal  life  insurance  and  rural postal life insurance;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has also fixed any time frame for the implementation of those recommendations; and
- (d) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  present status regarding implementations of these recommendations?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) & (b) Consultation  with  various  stakeholders  including  service  unions  etc.  is underway.  The task force on leveraging the Post Office network in its report (para 11.6.1. of Chapter 11) has recommended to 'make insurance selling and servicing IT driven to optimize the input-output ratio and enhance customer satisfaction and also enrich the work life of human resources'.  Internet access to Postal Life Insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance has been provided under Core Insurance Solution (CIS) that has commenced from February, 2014, which is in line with this recommendation.

(c) & (d) The task force has made a total of 181 recommendations, out of which 149 recommendations have already been implemented or are under implementation. Subsequent to the implementation of the IT Modernization Project, that is changing the operational procedures in the Department and based on the inputs received from various stakeholders including service unions etc., the remaining recommendations of the task force shall be considered.  Use of technology has been given a thrust in the last  two  years.    As  on  date  Core  Insurance  Solution  (CIS)  has  been  rolled  out  in 25406 Post Offices.  Besides this, Core Banking Solution (CBS) has been rolled out in 21267 Post Offices and 908 ATMs have been installed.

**********************
Lok Sabha Question No. 664 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-04-27
Subject: Multi-Functional Complexes
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: RITA TARAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 664 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.04.2016

## MULTI FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXES

## 664.  SHRIMATI RITA TARAI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) Whether  the  Railways  have  announced  to  establish  8  MultiFunctional Complexes (MFCs) in the State of Odisha;
- (b)
- (c)
- if so, the details thereof;
- the progress made so far in this regard; and
- (d)     the details of timeline for commissioning of these MFCs?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a) to (d) :   Nine  stations  have  been  identified  for  provision  of  Multi Functional  Complexes  (MFCs)  in  the  State  of  Odisha.    These  are Balasore,  Banspani,  Berhampur,  Bhubaneswar,  Cuttack,  Jharsuguda, Rayagada,  Sambalpur  and  Talcher.    Out  of  these,  MFC  building  has been completed at Banspani.  Valuation of MFC site at Sambalpur has been done. Further, finalisation of alternate sites has been undertaken at Balasore, Berhampur, Jharsuguda and Rayagada.

Process of development of MFCs involves clearances from local bodies,  construction  of  building  and  their  leasing/licensing  largely through  private  sector  participation  which  is  done  after  conducting

feasibility studies, bidding process, etc. It is, therefore, not possible to give any fixed time frame for development of MFCs and making them

operational.

*****