opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 3266 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Shortage of Staff in DGCA
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri K E Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3266

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  12th March 2026 )

## SHORTAGE OF STAFF IN DGCA

3266.    SHRI K E PRAKASH Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the explicit warning issued by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture regarding chronic vacancies reportedly exceeding fifty per cent in key regulatory  and  operational  posts  in  the  Directorate  General  of  Civil  Aviation (DGCA) and the Committee's observation that such shortages could compromise safety oversight and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  remedial  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  fill  these  long-pending vacancies and to strengthen DGCA's manpower at senior technical and safetycritical  levels  in  light  of  the  Committee's  concerns  about  the  weakened regulatory capacity of DGCA;
- (c)  the  timeline  within  which  all  critical  posts  in  DGCA,  flagged  by  the Committee as essential for effective safety regulation, would be filled; and
- (d) whether a fast-track recruitment mechanism has been adopted for the said purpose and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) to (d): The total number of sanctioned posts of Group 'A' Technical Officers in  Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is 1063. Out of 1063 posts, 426 posts have been created during the period 2022 to 2024 keeping in view of future expansion of civil aviation as part of restructuring of DGCA.

In  last  few  months,  following  steps  have  been  taken  to  strengthen  technical manpower in DGCA:

- (i)   22 Group 'A' Technical Officers and 14 FOIs (total 36 officers) have joined DGCA since June, 2025.

(ii)  Offers of appointment have been issued to 106 candidates. (iii)  Offers to other selected 58 candidates are under scrutiny and likely to be issued. (iv) Replacement of 42 candidates (Airworthiness Officers) from reserve panel has been requested from UPSC. (v)    DR  Proposal  for  82  posts  of  different  technical  cadres  for  vacancy  year 2026 is at various stages of process. (vi)  50 Group 'A' Technical officers have been promoted.

(vii)  DPC proposal for 18 posts at various stages (DPC held for 08 and for 10 posts at various stages).

Recruitment  in  DGCA  is  a  continuous  process.  To  meet  requirements  in  the interregnum, vacancies are managed by recruiting persons through short terms contractual  hiring.  Further,  the  shortfall  in  manpower  has  not  impacted  the safety functions of DGCA.

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Lok Sabha Question No. 3265 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: CSR Funds spent by PSUs
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Govind Makthappa Karjol

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3265

TO BE ANSWERED ON -12/03/2026

## CSR Funds spent by PSUs

## 3265. Shri Govind Makthappa Karjol:

## पेट Ō ोिलयम और Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state: -

- (a) the details of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds sanctioned and spent in Chitradurga District, Karnataka by Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry during the last five years, year-wise; and;
- (b) the name of the implementing agencies, amount of funds sanctioned and utilized, nature of projects and the status of implementation, PSU-wise and project-wise?

## ANSWER

## पेट Ō ोिलयम और Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũालय मŐ राǛ मंũी (ŵी सुरे श गोपी)

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

- (a) to  (b)  Oil  &  Gas  Public  Sector  companies  undertake  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR) activities  under  the  heads  identified  under  Schedule  VII  of  Companies  Act,  2013  with  special focus on Health (Nutrition, Sanitation and Drinking Water), Education, Skill Development, Rural Development, Women Empowerment, Environment Oriented Initiatives and care for the Elderly & Differently-abled  Persons.  CSR  is  a  Board-driven  process  and  the  Board  of  the  company  is empowered to plan, approve, execute, and monitor the CSR activities of the company based on the recommendations  of  its  CSR  Committee.  The  CSR  activities  are  undertaken  by  Companies themselves or through any of the implementing agencies selected based on the criteria defined in CSR Rules of Section 135 of the Company Act.The details of CSR funding spent by public sector petroleum  companies  during  last  five  years  in  all  districts  of  Karnataka  including  Chitradurga districtProject-wise,  State-wise,  District-wise  are  available  on  the  respective  websites  of  major public sector petroleum companies i.e. www.ongcindia.com, www.iocl.com, www.bharatpetroleum.com, www.hindustanpetroleum.com , www.gailonline.com ; www.oil-india.com .

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3263 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Impact of Ethanol Blending Programme
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Shri Dileshwar Kamait

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.3263

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th  March, 2026

## IMPACT OF ETHANOL BLENDING PROGRAMME

## 3263. SHRI DILESHWAR KAMAIT:

## पेᮝोिलयम और ᮧाकृ ितक गैस मंᮢी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the country has achieved the target of twenty per cent ethanol blending in July, 2025, five years ahead of the originally scheduled timeline, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  number  of  retail  outlets  dispensing  E20  fuel  and  the  geographical  spread  of    E20 availability across the country, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the  details  of  cumulative  foreign  exchange  savings  and  environmental  benefits  achieved through the Ethanol Blending  Programme; and
- (d) the  roadmap  prepared  by  the  Government  for  further  enhancing  ethanol  production  capacity and increasing blending levels beyond E20 levels?

## ANSWER

पेᮝोिलयम और ᮧाकृितक गैस मंᮢालय मᱶ रा᭔य मंᮢी ( ᮰ी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

(a)  to (d):  Government has  promoted blending of ethanol in petrol under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme. The National Policy on Biofuels - 2018, as amended in 2022, inter-alia, advanced the target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol from 2030 to Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26 (1st November, 2025 to 31st October, 2026). This target of 20% has been achieved in December, 2025 due to the concerted efforts of Government that have led to  increased ethanol blending with petrol from 38 crore litres  in  ESY 2013-14 to over 1000 crore litres in ESY 2024-25. Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies  (OMCs)  achieved  the  target  of  10%  ethanol  blending  in  petrol  in  June  2022,  i.e.  five months  ahead  of  the  target  during  ESY  2021-22.  Ethanol  blending  levels  thereafter  increased  to 12.06% in ESY 2022-23, 14.60% in ESY 2023-24, and 19.24% in ESY 2024-25. During the ESY 2025-26, as on 28.02.2026, more than 353 crore litres of ethanol have been blended,  achieving  an average ethanol blending of 20% in petrol.

EBP Programme has resulted in expeditious payment to farmers to a tune of over Rs. 1,50,925 crore from Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2014-15 up to February 2026, besides savings of more than Rs. 1,70,560 crore of foreign exchange, net CO2 reduction of approximately 869 lakh metric tonne and substitution of more than 289 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil.

All retail outlets  of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) across the mainland of the country, having petrol selling facilities, dispense E20 petrol.

At present, the  ethanol blending with petrol is at 20%.
Lok Sabha Question No. 3260 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Strengthening of Air Connectivity
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3260

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  12th March 2026 )

## STRENGTHENING OF AIR CONNECTIVITY

3260.    SHRI JASWANTSINH SUMANBHAI BHABHOR Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has conducted any survey for potential airstrips/helipads to strengthen air connectivity near Dahod Lok Sabha Constituency under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether any plan has been prepared for introduction of new flights keeping in view tourism and industrial development in the region and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any coordination has been established with the State Government of Gujarat in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether any feasibility study has been conducted for the same and if so, the findings thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

- (a)  to  (d):  Under  the  RCS-UDAN  Scheme,  revival  /  up-gradation  of  existing unserved and underserved airports is undertaken upon its identification through valid bid and award to the Selected Airline Operator (SAO).

On the request of the State Government of Gujarat, a multi-disciplinary team of AAI visited the proposed site location for conducting the Pre-Feasibility study which found that the proposed site was technically feasible for the development of an airport at Dahod district. The Pre-Feasibility Report was sent to the State Government on 22.07.2024. State Govt. has relocated site on account of it being in  a  Tribal  area  and  requested  for  a  revised  plan.  The  relocated  site  was  also found  technically  feasible.  Accordingly,  the  revised  report  was  forwarded  in February, 2025.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3259 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Claims under Forest Rights Act
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Adhikari Deepak Dev

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3259

To Be Answered On- 12.03.2026

## Claims under Forest Rights Act

3259. Shri Adhikari Deepak Dev:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of Forest Rights Act titles granted in last five years, year-wise;
- (b) the details of the area of forest land that was distributed in the last three years; and
- (c) whether the Government has standardised norms for data collection in the country, if so, the details thereof, State-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGA DAS UIKEY)

(a):  As  per  the  provisions  of  'The  Scheduled  Tribes  and  Other  Traditional  Forest  Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006' (in short, FRA) and Rules made thereunder, the State Governments/UT Administration are responsible for implementation of various provisions of the Act and these provisions are being implemented in 20 States and 1 UT. Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA)  monitors  the  Monthly  Progress  Reports  (MPRs)  submitted  by  States/UT.  As  per information provided by States/UT, during the last five years, i.e. from 01.01.2021 to 01.01.2026, a total of 5,45,802 titles has been distributed under FRA. The year-wise details of titles distributed during the last five years under FRA is as given below:

| Reporting Period No. of Titles Distributed under FRA   |   Reporting Period No. of Titles Distributed under FRA |
|--------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| 01.01.2021 to 01.01.2022                               |                                                  79466 |
| 01.01.2022 to 01.01.2023                               |                                                 183804 |
| 01.01.2023 to 01.01.2024                               |                                                  88126 |
| 01.01.2024 to 01.01.2025                               |                                                 146153 |
| 01.01.2025 to 01.01.2026                               |                                                  48253 |
| Total                                                  |                                                 545802 |

- (b): As per information provided by States/UT, during the last three years, i.e. from 01.01.2023 to 01.01.2026, a total of 69,19,108.23 acres of forest land was distributed under FRA.
- (c):    MoTA compiles the Monthly Progress Reports (MPRs) submitted by the States/UTs. The month-wise MPRs are available on the website of MoTA at https://tribal.nic.in/FRA.aspx.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3252 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Proposed Oil Agreement with Burkina Faso
Ministry: PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3252 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 th  March 2026

## Proposed Oil Agreement with Burkina Faso

## 3252. DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

## पेट Ō ोिलयम और Ůाक ृ ितक गैस मंũी

Will the Minister of PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  India  has  signed  or  proposed  to  sign  an  agreement  with  Burkina  Faso  for  the import or development of oil resources valued at approximately USD fifteen billion;
- (b) if so, the details of the agreement, including its nature, duration, financial commitments and the Indian public or private sector entities involved;
- (c) whether any inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or commercial contract has been executed in this regard and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  government  has  assessed  the  economic  viability,  geopolitical  implications and energy security benefits of such a deal, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  diversify  India's  crude  oil  sourcing  and secure long-term energy supplies?

## ANSWER

## पेᮝोिलयम और ᮧाकृ ितक गैस मंᮢालय मᱶ रा᭔य मंᮢी ( ᮰ी सुरेश गोपी )

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS (SHRI SURESH GOPI)

- (a) to (d) No.

(e) To ensure security of crude supplies and to mitigate the risk of dependence on crude oil from single region, Oil and Gas Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) which are Board run entities, source crude  oil  from  diverse  sources  depending  on  their  technical  and  commercial  considerations. Currently,  these  PSEs  import  crude  oil  from  41  countries  including  new  suppliers  like  USA, Nigeria, Angola, Canada, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico in addition to traditional suppliers in the Middle East such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3243 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Diversion of River Water
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3243

## ANSWERED ON 12.03.2026

## DIVERSION OF RIVER WATER

## †3243. SHRI BHAUSAHEB RAJARAM WAKCHAURE:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Godavari basin in Shirdi Lok Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra includes the major rivers such as Godavari, Mula, Pravara, Mhalungi and Adhala which originate from the Sahyadri mountain ranges and if so, the details thereof; and

(b) whether the Government has taken/proposes to take any steps to prepare a comprehensive action plan to divert the water flowing westwards on the banks of the Sahyadri mountain range in the Godavari basin of this region to the east at the central level and to implement it expeditiously and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Yes,  the  Godavari  basin  in  the  Shirdi  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  of  Maharashtra  encompasses  several important rivers that originate in the Sahyadri (Western Ghats) mountain ranges. These include the Godavari, Mula, Pravara, Mhalungi, and Adhala rivers. These rivers form part of the upper catchment of the Godavari system and contribute significantly to the hydrology of the basin in this region.

(b) The  Government  of  India  has  formulated  the  National  Perspective  Plan  (NPP)  under  which  30 Interlinking  of  Rivers  (ILR)  projects  have  been  identified  to  address  water  scarcity  and  augment  irrigation facilities  across  the  country.  The  National  Water  Development  Agency  (NWDA)  has  been  entrusted  with implementing the ILR projects under the NPP. NWDA has examined various inter-basin transfer possibilities in the Western Ghats region as part of national water balance studies.

Further, the Government of Maharashtra has submitted 20 intra-State river link proposals to NWDA for technical  studies.  NWDA  has  prepared  Pre-Feasibility  Reports  (PFRs)  for  all  these  link  proposals  and submitted  them  to  the  State  Government.  Among  these,  the  North  Konkan-Godavari  Valley  Project,  the Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari (Waghad)  Link, and the  Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari  Link  pertain  to the Shirdi Lok Sabha Constituency.

Subsequently, at the request of the Government of Maharashtra, NWDA has prepared Detailed Project Reports  (DPRs)  for  the  Damanganga  (Ekdare)-Godavari  (Waghad)  Link  and  the  Damanganga-VaitarnaGodavari Link on  consultancy basis. Both DPRs have been completed and submitted to the Government of Maharashtra in March 2025. As per the PFR of the North Konkan-Godavari Valley Project, the proposal was assessed as infeasible.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3239 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Air Safety Audits
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3239

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  12th March 2026 )

## AIR SAFETY AUDITS

## 3239.    SHRI RAJEEV RAI Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Government has conducted any investigation regarding the Air India  Boeing  crash  at  Ahmedabad  on  12th  June,  2025  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has taken any steps to undertake safety audits and augment safety measures of aircraft to prevent such accidents in future;

(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(d) the other steps taken by the Government for strict supervision to ensure that safety measures are followed by private airlines?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a): The Investigation of accident of Air India flight AI-171 at Ahmedabad by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is under progress. The investigation  is  being  carried  out  as  per  the  International  Civil  Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incident) Rules.

A preliminary  investigation  report  has  been  published  by  AAIB  and  same  is available  on  their  website.  The  investigation  is  still  under  progress  and  all probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated.

(b) to (d): Following steps are taken by DGCA to enhance the aviation safety ensuring safe operations on a regular basis:

(i) DGCA  has  a  systematic  safety oversight  mechanism  for  monitoring compliance of Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements encompassing all aircraft and airport operators.

(ii) The safety oversight process includes regulatory audits, night surveillances, ramp  inspections,  spot  check  and  special  audits.  DGCA  publishes  Annual Surveillance Plan (ASP) on its website.

(iii)  Findings  of  audits,  surveillances  &  spot  checks  are  followed  up  with concerned  operator  for  compliance.  The  observations  are  closed  after  due verification.  Further,  the  compliance  of  action  taken  by  operator  is  verified during next audit/surveillance.

(iv)  In  case  of  any  violations/  non-compliance  to  regulations  detected  during audit/surveillance, enforcement action including financial penalty is imposed by DGCA.

(v)  DGCA  General  Safety  Circular  01/2025  dated  19th  June  2025  has  been implemented  for  comprehensive  special  audit  to  assess  aviation  ecosystem  & strengthen aviation safety architecture.

(vi) Additionally, DGCA has issued General Safety Circular 02/2025 dated 11th December,  2025  on  advance  preparedness  &  timely  compliance  of  specific operating regulations.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3234 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Civil Aviation Requirement Provisions
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M., Shri Jai Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3234

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  12th March 2026 )

## CIVIL AVIATION REQUIREMENT PROVISIONS

3234.    SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M. SHRI JAI PRAKASH Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  cases  of  unruly  or  disruptive  behaviour  of  air passengers are increasing rapidly during the last few months;
- (b) whether it is a fact that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has proposed amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) provisions governing the handling of unruly or disruptive passengers and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  it  is  also  true  that  under  the  proposed  revision,  airlines  would  be authorised to impose a flying ban not exceeding thirty days on passengers found guilty  of  disruptive  behaviour  during  a  flight  without  prior  referral  to  an independent committee and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the DGCA has invited comments from stakeholders on the above proposed amendments and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

- (a): There is no such trend noticed.
- (b)  to  (d):  The  CAR  regulation on handling of unruly passengers is presently under public consultation. The provisions of the CAR will be finalized after due consideration of the comments received.

******