opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 5798 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: National Mission for Developing 50 Globally Competitive Tourism Destinations
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5798 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## NATIONAL MISSION FOR DEVELOPING 50 GLOBALLY COMPETITIVE TOURISM DESTINATIONS

5798. SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that Finance Minister has announced National Mission for  Developing  50  Globally  Competitive  Tourism  Destinations  in  the Budget for 2025-26;
- (b) if so, the reasons for not launching the scheme in spite of allocation of Rs. 25,000 crores made for this purpose;
- (c)  whether Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) Note has been prepared and approved; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (d): Para 75 of the Budget Speech for the year 2025-26 reads as under:

'Top 50 tourist destination sites in the country will be developed in partnership  with  states  through  a  challenge  mode.  Land  for  building  key infrastructure will have to be provided by states. Hotels in those destinations will be included in the infrastructure HML'.

An  EFC  Note  has  been  prepared  and  circulated  for  Inter-Ministerial comments. At present, no Fund allocation is approved for the same.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5794 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Funds for World Beaters Talent Spotting Scheme
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Ms. S Jothimani

## Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports

## Government of India Department of Sports

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5794 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

Funds for World Beaters Talent Spotting Scheme

5794.         MS. S JOTHIMANI:

Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of initiatives planned by the Government to complement Tamil Nadu's 'World Beaters Talent Spotting Scheme', which aims to identify and nurture young sporting talent through structured assessments and training programmes;
- (b) the details of any central funding or technical support extended to Tamil Nadu for the implementation and expansion of the said Scheme to ensure the effective identification of high potential athletes; and
- (c) whether the Government has plans to replicate or integrate elements of  the  said  Tamil Nadu's  Scheme  into  national-level  sports  talent development programmes and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## (DR MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) to (b): 'Sports' being a State subject, the responsibility for development of sports, sanction and release of grants, identification of beneficiary  institutions,  prescribing  criteria  for  financial  assistance, and promotion of sports training from the primary education level, rests primarily with the respective State/Union Territory Governments. The

Union Government only supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports implements the following schemes for the promotion of sports in the country, which also cater to development of sports infrastructure, procurement of sports equipment, training  and  other  sports-related  facilities,  including  for  schools  and colleges in rural areas:

- i. Khelo India - National Programme for Development of Sports;
- ii. Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs);
- iii. Cash  Incentives  to  Medal  Winners  in  International  Sports Events and their coaches;
- iv. National Sports Awards;
- v. Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons;
- vi. Pandit  Deendayal  Upadhyay  National  Welfare  Program  for Sportspersons;
- vii. National Sports Development Fund;
- viii. Running Sports Training centres through Sports Authority of India (SAI); and
- ix. National Centre for Sports Science and Research (NCSSR).

Details of the above schemes are available in the public domain on the websites of this Ministry and the Sports Authority of India.

- (c) At present, no such plans/initiatives are under consideration.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5792 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Establishment of Institutional and Monitoring Framework under PM-USHA
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Yaduveer Wadiyar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5792 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Establishment of Institutional and Monitoring Framework under PM-USHA

5792. Shri Yaduveer Wadiyar:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has established any institutional and monitoring framework at the Central and State levels for appraisal, evaluation and performance-based release of funds  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Uchchatar  Shiksha Abhiyan  (PM-USHA)  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) whether any specific interventions have been approved by the Government for the focus districts, underserved regions and new Model Degree Colleges; and
- (c) if  so, the details thereof, including the expected impact on access, equity and quality indicators in higher education in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a): The government has launched the third phase of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in June 2023 in the form of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), with an outlay of Rs. 12926.10 crore, including the committed liabilities of the earlier phase of RUSA, to cater to the needs of educationally unserved/ underserved areas.

The  Government  is  monitoring  for  effective  implementation  of  these  education  projects through  regular  online/physical  review  meetings  with  stakeholders.  Implementation  and monitoring of projects under the Scheme is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments.  Furthermore,  under  the  scheme,  funds  are  released  through  the  SNASPARSH model for all States /UTs. Under the SNA-SPARSH model, funds are released 'just in  time',  and  vendors  and  beneficiaries  receive  direct  payments  through  daily  sanction releases based on the submission of bills on the PFMS portal.

(b)  &  (c):  Under  the  scheme,  priority  is  given  to  Focus  Districts. The  focus  districts  are identified  by  the  concerned  States/  UTs  based  on  various  criteria  including  low  Gross Enrolment Ratio, Gender Parity, population proportion and enrolment proportion for females, transgenders,  Scheduled  Castes,  Scheduled  Tribes,  and  Other  Backward  Classes, Aspirational/ Border Area/ Left Wing Extremism prone district, etc.

The  scheme  envisages  improvement  in  access,  equity  and  excellence  in  State  Higher Education  system  through  support  under  various  components  viz.,  Multi-Disciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERU), Grants to Strengthen Universities (GSU), Grants to Strengthen Colleges (GSC), New Model Degree Colleges (NMDC) and Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (GIEI). Under the scheme, establishment of 137 New Model Degree Colleges (NMDCs) have been approved for support under the component of 'New Model Degree Colleges' at a total amount of Rs. 12 - 15 crore each.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5790 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Labour Law Reforms
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Shahu Shahaji Chhatrapati

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

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5790 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## LABOUR LAW REFORMS

## 5790. SHRI SHAHU SHAHAJI CHHATRAPATI:

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

- (a) whether Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Associations from Maharashtra, including Kolhapur district, were consulted by the Government during the labour law reforms and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) whether their suggestions were examined by the Government and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b): The Central Government has implemented the four Labour Codes, viz; the Code on Wages, 2019, the Code on Social Security, 2020,  the  Industrial  Relations  Code,  2020  and  the  Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 w.e.f. 21.11.2025 across the country.

While formulating the Labour Codes, widespread consultations  were  made  with  various  stakeholders  across  the States/UTs including Maharashtra. Further, nine tripartite consultation meetings were held with the representatives of Central Trade Unions and Employers Associations on 10.03.2015, 13.04.2015, 06.05.2015, 14.07.2015, 06.10.2015, 04.10.2017, 22.11.2018, 27.11.2018  and  05.11.2019  to  finalise  the  Codes.  Additionally,  03 tripartite  meetings;  inviting  representatives  of  all  Central  Trade Unions and Employe rs' Associations, were also held on 24.12.2020, 12.01.2021 and 20.01.2021 to discuss the draft Rules framed under the 4 Labour Codes.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5787 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Share of Digital and Cash Payments in Transactions
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri M K Raghavan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE

## DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5787

ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 30 MARCH, 2026/ CHAITRA 09, 1948 (SAKA)

## Share of Digital and Cash Payments in Transactions

## 5787. SHRI M K RAGHAVAN:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has data on the respective shares of digital payments and cash (currency) payments in the overall volume and value of transactions taking place in  the country; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## Answer

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

- (a)  &  (b)  The  Reserve  Bank  of  India  (RBI)  has  informed  that  information  on  cash  payment transactions is not maintained by them. However, details of digital payment transactions from FY 2023-24 till date are as below:

| Financial Year   | Volume (in Crore)   | Value (in Lakh Crore)   |
|------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|
| FY 2023-24       | 16,443.02           | 2,428.24                |
| FY 2024-25       | 22,198.15           | 2,863.00                |
| FY 2025-26*      | 25,551.11           | 2,911.81                |

*Till Feb 2026

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5780 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Taxation of Disability Pension under Finance Act, 2026
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: Shri Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5780

TO BE ANSWERED ON MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2026/CHAITRA 09, 1948 (SAKA)

## TAXATION OF DISABILITY PENSION UNDER FINANCE ACT, 2026

## 5780. SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) the rationale behind the amendment in the Finance Act. 2026 (Page 88, Para 108) restricting tax exemption on disability pension only to personnel invalided out of service;
- (b) whether any empirical data or impact assessment was undertaken to justify differential treatment between invalided-out and superannuated disabled veterans and if so, the details thereof:
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  examined  the  constitutional  implications  of  differential  treatment between similarly placed disabled veterans based on mode of exit from service;
- (d) if so, whether the Ministry of Defence was consulted and its views obtained prior to introducing the amendment and if so, the details thereof;
- (e)  the  number  of  veterans  likely  to  be  affected  and  the  estimated  additional  revenue  expected therefrom; and
- (f) whether the Government proposes to provide transitional protection, clarify eligibility criteria and establish a grievance redressal mechanism for affected veterans and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (f):- With the enactment of the Income-tax 2025 which will be effective from the 1 st of April, 2026,  the  Income-tax  Act,  1961  will  be  repealed  from  the  said  date  and  consequently  the  earlier enactments pertaining to Income-tax Act, 1922 and related savings provisions in the Income-tax Act, 1961 will cease to operate. Therefore, in the absence of an express provision in the Income-tax 2025, the exemption provided for disability pension would have lapsed. This provision was included in the Finance Bill 2026, to ensure the continuation of the same exemption that existed earlier, including its scope and condition.

Since the matter is sub-judice, it has created certain implementation issues. Therefore, to address the practical issues of the present prevailing situation, the amended provisions shall apply on or after such date as may be notified by the Central Government in this behalf.

Pending such notification, the entire disability pension, that is, disability element and service element of a disabled officer of the Indian armed forces shall be exempt from Income- tax.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5774 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Implementation of Labour Laws in Cement Plants
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5774 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## IMPLEMENTATION OF LABOUR LAWS IN CEMENT PLANTS

†5774. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that labour laws are not being duly complied with in various cement plants in Maihar in Satna Lok Sabha Constituency  of  Madhya  Pradesh  including  Ultra  Tech  Cement Sarlanagar, Reliance Birla Corporation, Birla Perfect Cement Maihar, Ultratech  Cement  Baghwar,  Maihar  and  MP  Birla  Group  RCCPL Private Limited, Bharouli, Maihar and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  contract  workers  employed  in  the  said plants  are  being  deprived  of  basic  labour  rights  such  as  minimum wages, Employees' State Insurance (ESI), Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), workplace safety, weekly holidays and fixed working hours and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether labour inspections have been conducted in the said cement
- plants during the last three years; and
- (d)  if  so,  the  details  of  the  inspections  carried  out,  the  irregularities found, notices issued and penal actions taken thereon, Company/plant-wise in the said State?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d): The  Government  is  committed  to  ensuring  compliance with labour laws across all establishments, including cement plants located in Madhya  Pradesh,  through  a  robust inspection and enforcement mechanism.

## ::2::

For the implementation of labour laws in cement plants, regular  inspections  are  conducted  to  assess  compliance  with provisions relating to payment of wages, social security coverage, including Employees' State Insurance (ESI) and Employees' Provident Fund  (EPF),  occupational  safety,  health  and  working  conditions, working hours, and weekly holidays, including those  applicable to contract labour. Any irregularities detected during such inspections are addressed promptly, and appropriate action, including prosecution,  is  initiated  in  accordance  with  the  applicable  labour laws.

Labour inspections in the said cement plants have been conducted  regularly  by  the  Central  Industrial  Relations  Machinery (CIRM). During the last three years, 55 inspections have been carried out by the CIRM, and appropriate actions have been taken wherever necessary in accordance with the provisions of the relevant labour laws.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5772 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid Repository
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma, Smt. Shambhavi, Dr. D. Purandeswari, Dr. Lata Wankhede, Shri Arun Bharti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5772

## ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## NATIONAL DESTINATION DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE GRID REPOSITORY

5772. DR. D. PURANDESWARI:

SHRI ARUN BHARTI:

SMT. SHAMBHAVI:

SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

DR. LATA WANKHEDE:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of comprehensive scope and technological architecture of National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid Repository;
- (b) the details of total number of culturally, spiritually and historically significant locations digitally documented and geo-tagged particularly from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh;
- (c) the  details  of  multi-level  access  protocols  established  for  States, local bodies and tourism enterprises for evidence-based planning;
- (d) the details of AI-powered analytics capabilities for providing realtime destination management  insights and carrying capacity projections; and
- (e) whether  interoperability  standards  have  been  developed  for  Grid integration  with  global  tourism  platforms  and  if  so,  the  details  of sharing protocols and privacy safeguards thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM        (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): The  National  Destination  Digital  Knowledge  Grid  Repository  is  a part of Budget Announcement 2026-27 and is led by Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture has informed that consultations and assessments for  National  Destination  Digital  Knowledge  Grid  Repository  are  being undertaken to determine its scope, technological architecture, and key features.

(b) to (e): Does not arise.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 5766 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Vacancies in Ministry
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5766 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## Vacancies in Ministry

5766. SHRI JAGADISH CHANDRA BARMA BASUNIA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of sanctioned posts, in position and the number of vacancies, including reserved posts across reserved categories at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change;
- (b) the details of vacancies in the Ministry and Department, including the reserved posts since 2014, year and category-wise; and
- (c) the details of contractual employees hired since 2014, year and category-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

(a)  to  (c):  Occurrence  and  filling  up  of  vacancies  is  a  continuous  process.  Since  October  2022, Appointment  Orders  have  been  issued  against  2726  direct  recruitment  vacancies  and  Promotion Orders  have  been  issued  against  602  promotion  vacancies  under  the  Mission  Recruitment. Reservation is provided to the members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections at the rate of 15%, 7.5%, 27% and 10% respectively, in the matter of appointment by direct recruitment on all India basis by open competition. In the matter of  appointment  by  promotion,  reservation  is  provided  to  the  members  of  Scheduled  Castes  and Scheduled Tribes at the rate of 15% and 7.5% respectively. Horizontal reservation is also provided to the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and Ex-Servicemen as per prescribed percentage. In order to meet the administrative exigencies of work and functional requirements, the Ministry occasionally engages personnel through contracts, as per various provisions of the Government. The details of service provision including the number of personnel, term of service, payment obligations and other important terms and conditions are specified in the Contract.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5764 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Demand for Enhancement of EPF Interest Rate
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth

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

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5764 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026

## DEMAND FOR ENHANCEMENT OF EPF INTEREST RATE

5764. SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  received  formal  representations from labour unions seeking enhancement of Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) interest rate up to ten per cent and if so, the number of representations and response thereof;
- (b) whether the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has conducted financial and actuarial analysis to assess feasibility of increasing EPF interest rate to ten per cent and if so, the findings thereof;
- (c)  whether  enhancement of the EPF interest rate to ten per cent would affect long-term sustainability of the provident fund corpus and if so, the projected financial impact over next decade;
- (d) whether the Government has compared current EPF returns with inflation  rates,  bank  deposit  interest  rates  and  interest  rate  of other small savings schemes and if so, the comparative analysis thereof; and
- (e) whether consultations have been held with employer associations and employee representatives regarding proposed increase in EPF interest rate and if so, the details thereof including outcomes and consensus reached therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a): No representations have been received from labour unions by EPFO specifically seeking enhancement of the EPF interest rate up to ten per cent.

Contd..2/-

::2::

(b) to (e): The EPF interest rate declared by EPFO is based on the actual  income  earned  by  the  Provident  Fund  corpus  from  its investments. As per Paragraph 60(4) of the EPF Scheme, 1952, the Central Government is required to ensure that there is no overdrawal on the Interest Account.

Since the EPF interest rate is based on the actual income earned by the Provident Fund corpus, it is not comparable with any other variable.

Further, the rate of interest on EPF is recommended by the Central  Board  of  Trustees  (CBT),  EPF,  which  is  a  tripartite  body comprising  representatives  of  the  Government,  Employers,  and Employees.

*****