opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4010 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Survey of New Rail Lines
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4010 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## SURVEY OF NEW RAIL LINES

## 4010.  SHRI DEEPENDER SINGH HOODA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of all new Railway lines which have been announced in the rail  budget or for which survey has been conducted in the last three years  and  the  current  year  but  approval  from  railway  board  is  still pending, State-wise;
- (b) the details of the traffic survey reports of all such projects;
- (c) the  allocations  made  for  all  such  projects  in  the  Railway  Budget  for 2015-16;
- (d) whether there is any plan to re-conduct the traffic survey and take up the proposal for implementation; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (e):   A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

******

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 4010  BY  SHRI  DEEPENDER  SINGH  HOODA  TO  BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 23.12.2015 REGARDING SURVEY OF NEW RAIL LINES.

(a) to (e):  During the last three years & current year, 189 Engineering cum Traffic  Surveys  for  New  Line,  Gauge  Conversion  &  Doubling  have  been completed.  Out of these, 5 projects have been sanctioned.  Details of the project along with the present status & provision made in the Budget 201516 are as under:-

| S. No.   | Plan Head   | Name of project                | Cost          | Outlay 2015-16   | Status                                               |
|----------|-------------|--------------------------------|---------------|------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
|          |             |                                | (in ` crore ) | (in ` crore )    |                                                      |
| 1        | New Line    | Thanjavur- Pattukkottai        | 290           | 130              | Work has been taken up.                              |
| 2        | New Line    | Gadag-Wadi                     | 1922          | 120              | Work has been taken up.                              |
| 3        | Doubling    | Muzaffarpur- Hajipur           | 213           | 40               | Work has been taken up.                              |
| 4        | Doubling    | Rourkela- Jharsuguda 3 rd line | 3942          | 17.45            | Included in Rail Budget 2015-16 subject to requisite |
| 5        | Doubling    | Kharagpur- Adityapur 3 rd line | 1116          | 25.52            | approval.                                            |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4009 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Mekong-Ganga Cooperation
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: C.R. CHAUDHARY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4009 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## MEKONG-GANGA COOPERATION

4009. SHRI C.R. CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  current  status  of  the  Mekong-Ganga  Co-operation  (MGC)  along with the activities undertaken to strengthen ties between people of the two great river basins;
- (b) whether  seats  and  scholarship  to  facilitate  eligible  students  from Cambodia to pursue higher studies are reserved in Nalanda University; and
- (c) if so, the details in this regard?

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

- (a) The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), established in the year 2000, focusses  on  expanding  cooperation  between  India  and  countries  of  the Mekong region, viz. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand.  The key areas of cooperation under MGC are tourism, culture, education, and transport  &  communications,  which  aim  to  strengthen  the  ties  between the  peoples  of  the  two  regions.    Efforts  are  also  underway  to  widen collaboration  between  MGC  countries  in  SMEs,  conservation  of  rice germplasm, health and pandemic management, establishment of a Common  Archival  Resource  Centre  at  Nalanda  University  and  through Quick Impact Projects.  The most visible manifestation of MGC is the MGC Museum of Traditional Asian Textiles at Siem Reap, Cambodia, established with Indian assistance in April 2014.
- (b) & (c) The Ministry of External Affairs has, through the ASEAN-India Cooperation  Fund,  granted  six  scholarships  to  students  from  Cambodia, Laos,  Myanmar  and  Vietnam  to  pursue  a  Masters  degree  at  Nalanda University.  Selected students are eligible for waiver of full fees, including tuition  fees,  boarding,  lodging  and  travel  fare,  for  the  period  of  study.  A total of 4 students (2 from Laos, 2 from Myanmar and none from Cambodia) are currently studying at Nalanda University under this scholarship.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4008 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Railway Infrastructure
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: KALIKESH NARAYAN SINGH DEO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4008 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE

4008.    SHRI KALIKESH N. SINGH DEO

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government proposes to undertake a joint venture for the establishment  of  the Railways  infrastructure for  the  KhurdaBalangir railway line and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  in  this  regard  and  revenue sharing agreement of the same;
- (c) whether Khurda-Balangir railway project is being undertaken on the basis of the Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  approved  the  formation  of  Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the execution of railway projects in the State and if so, the details thereof and timeline for formulation and implementation of the SPV;
- (e) whether the Government plans to include railway works undertaken for the Khurda-Balangir railway line within the ambit of MNERGA, if so, the details thereof, and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a)  to (f): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (f)  OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4008 BY SHRI KALIKESH N. SINGH DEO TO BE   ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 23.12.2015 REGARDING RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE.

(a)&(b): No, Madam.  However, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Ministry of Railways (MoR)  & Govt. of Odisha on 20.07.2015 for sharing of 50%  construction cost of Project and providing land free of cost by the State for Dasapalla-Bolangir section (177  Km)  of  Khurda  Road-Bolangir  New  Line  project.    There  is  no agreement for sharing of revenue with the State Govt. as per MoU.

(c):  As per the MoU, Khurda Road-Bolangir line has been targetted to be  completed  in  6  years,  i.e.  by  the  year  2020-21.    Major  milestones have also been spelt in the MoU.

(d):    An  MoU  has  been  signed  between  MoR  &  Govt.  of  Odisha  on 04.11.2015  for  creation  of  Joint  Venture  Companies(JVCs)/Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to give fillip to rail infrastructure development in the State of Odisha.  As formation of JVC is in initial stage and the onus of formation lies with State Govt. of Odisha, no timeline can be fixed.

(e)&(f):    No,  Madam.    There  is  no  plan  to  include  the  work  of  Khurda Road-Bolangir new line within the ambit of MNREGA at present.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4007 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Optical Fibre Cable by Telecom PSU’s
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4007 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 rd  DECEMBER, 2015

## OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE BY TELECOM PSU's

## 4007. SHRI ARVIND SAWANT:

- Will  the  Minister  of  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has laid optical fibre network for their telecom services; and if so, the details of such cable laid by each of the PSUs along with the details of
- (b) such cables procured, PSU-wise?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) Yes Madam.
- (b) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) procured 7.48 lakh route Kilometers and Mahanagar  Telephone  Nigam  Limited  (MTNL)  procured  16,923  route  kilometers  of Optical Fibre Cable which was laid by these PSUs in the country.
- **********
Lok Sabha Question No. 4006 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Central Posting of IAS Officers
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: ELUMALAI VELLAIGOUNDER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4006

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015)

## CENTRAL POSTING OF IAS OFFICERS

## 4006. SHRI V. ELUMALAI:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that a large number of IAS officers have left their Central posting prematurely for their posting in respective States since May 2014;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the reaction of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. (DR.JITENDRA SINGH)

(a) to (c):  The movement of officers between the States and the Centre is an ongoing process. As  on  17.12.2015,  about  59  IAS  officers  appointed  under  Central  Staffing  Scheme  have prematurely repatriated to their respective cadres since May, 2014.  During the same period around 181  IAS  officers  have  come  under  Central  Staffing  Scheme  from  the  States.    The repatriations have mainly been for availing the benefits of promotion; on the requests of State Governments; and some on personal grounds. Furthermore, in addition to the appointment as Secretary  to  the  Chief  Minister/  Governor  of  a  State,  DoP&T  vide  O.M.  No.  27/15/2015EO(SM-I) dated 03.07.2015 has allowed officers to repatriate as Chief Secretaries in the states without imposing extended cooling off.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4005 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: India-GCC FTA
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: BHARATENDRA SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4005 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## INDIA-GCC FTA

## 4005. KUNWAR BHARATENDRA:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the progress made on the proposed finalization of the IndiaGulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA);
- (b)
- the salient features of the said FTA; and
- (c) the details of benefits to India and Indian labour, in particular, after the implementation of the FTA?

## ANSWER

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

(a) The GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf comprising of Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain & Qatar) is India's largest trading partner group with a trade of US$ 171 billion in the year 2013-14. About 50% of India's oil and gas needs are sourced from the GCC countries, which also host 7 million Indian nationals. The GCC's contribution to our energy security is a vital ingredient to sustain our planned GDP growth.

As  per the  decision  taken  by  the  Trade  and  Economic  Relations Committee (TERC) in its meeting held in 2005, India and GCC are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement. To date, two rounds of negotiations have been held in Riyadh,  Saudi  Arabia  on  21-22  March  2006  and  on  9-10  September  2008 respectively. The third round of negotiations was to be held in 2009 in India. However,  the  meeting  has  not  taken  place  since  the  GCC  has  deferred  its negotiations  with  all  countries  and  economic  groups.  Hon'ble  Minister  for External Affairs Smt. Sushma Swaraj at the 9th India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Political Dialogue held on the sidelines of the 70th UNGA in New York in September 2015 again called for the early finalisation of the India-GCC FTA and operationalization  of  the  India-GCC  Framework  Agreement.  Efforts  are  being made  at  various  bilateral/multilateral  forums  for  early  resumption  of  the negotiations. Finalization of India-GCC FTA is expected to boost business and economic cooperation between the two sides.

(b) & (c) Since the negotiation on the India-GCC FTA is yet to be completed, it is not possible to give the requisite information.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4003 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Allahabad-Kanpur-Lucknow Intercity Express Train
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: VINOD KUMAR SONKAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4003 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## ALLAHABAD-KANPUR-LUCKNOW INTERCITY EXPRESS TRAIN

†4003. SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  start  Allahabad-KanpurLucknow Intercity Express Train; (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the time by which the said train is likely to be started for convenience of the passengers; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a)  to  (d)  No,  Madam.  At  present,  introduction  of  Intercity  Express  on Allahabad-Kanpur-Lucknow  sector  is  not  feasible  due  to  operational  and resource constraints.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4001 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Nai Manzil
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: NEELAM SONKER

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4001 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## NAI MANZIL

## 4001.SHRIMATI NEELAM SONKER:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether theGovernment has adequate funds available for 'Nai Manzil' Scheme;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor and the steps being taken by the Government in this regard;
- (d) whether the Government is working on a scheme to get financial assistance from the  World  Bank  in  order  to  remove  the  likely  financial  obstacles  towards achieving the targets of the said scheme; and
- (e) if so, the amount projected/likely to be projected for the financial assistance?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)to (e) Yes, Madam. The Central Government has agreed to provide financial support of Rs. 650 crore under Nai Manzil scheme for the period of five years. This includes a loan amount of US$ 50 million from the World Bank which has also been approved.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3999 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Housing for All 2022
Ministry: HOUSING AND URBAN  POVERTY ALLEVIATION
Asked by: RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3999 TO BE ANSWERED ON DECEMBER 23, 2015

## HOUSING FOR ALL 2022

No. 3999.      SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL :

## Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU)  has  been signed between Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and National Remote  Sensing Center (NRSC), Hyderabad with regards to housing for all by 2022, scheme;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with its aims and objectives;
- (c) whether any technological sub-missions have been adopted so far  for  modern  innovative  and  green  technologies  and  for
- faster construction of houses; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor ?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING & URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION

(SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

******

(a)&(b):  Yes,  Madam.  The  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Poverty

Alleviation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad on 04 th September,  2015  with  regards  to  Pradhan  Mantri  Awas  Yojana (Urban) mission.

The main objectives of the MoU include development of the Bhuvan - Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation portal for providing Bhuvan geospatial data and applications services. It also envisages development  of  a  mobile  application  for  photographs  based  geotagging houses for tracking the progress of construction / enhancement  of  houses  constructed  under  the  Beneficiary  led scheme  of  the    PMAY  (Urban)  Mission  and  its  integration  with Management  Information  System  (MIS)  of  PMAY  (U)  mission  with Bhuvan  -  MoHUPA  Geo-portal.  Capacity  building  of  Ministry  of Housing  and  Urban  Poverty  Alleviation  and  participating  States  / UTs officials on mobile application is also part of the objectives.

(c)&(d): In the PMAY (Urban) mission,  Government of India has set up a Technology Sub-Mission to facilitate State / City Governments to adopt  modern, innovative and green technologies  for adoption of layout designs and building plans suitable for various geo-climatic zones and to deploy disaster resistant and environment friendly technologies.

********
Lok Sabha Question No. 3998 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Bhind and Mahoba Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: BHAGIRATH PRASAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3998 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015

## BHIND AND MAHOBA LINE

†3998.         DR. BHAGIRATH PRASAD:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is only one single railway line from Bhind to Mahoba and Jhansi to Kanpur;
- (b) if  so  the  details  thereof  and  the  details  of  railway  lines  for  which survey was carried out between Bhind and Mahoba;
- (c) whether there  is  proposal  for  approving  the  construction  of  railway line between Bhind and Mahoba in the upcoming Rail Budget; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a) to  (d):      Bhind  is  connected  to  Mahoba  via  Gwalior-JhansiHarpalpur by a broad gauge line.  A survey was conducted for a direct rail connectivity between Bhind and Mahoba (217 km) in 2012.  As per the Survey Report, the cost was assessed as 1748.50 Crores (2012 price level) with a negative Rate of Return (ROR) of 12.93%.  Due to large throwforward of ongoing projects, unremunerative nature of this project and overall limited availability of resources with Railways, the project could not be taken up.

Jhansi  is  connected  to  Kanpur  by  a  single  broad  gauge  line.    A project  for  doubling  this  section  (206  km)  has  been  taken  up  at  a sanctioned cost of 1140 Crores.  An amount of 51  Crores has been spent upto 31.03.15 and 400 Crores have been allocated for the current financial year.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 3997 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: Launch of GSLV
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: K. MARAGATHAM, S. RAJENDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3997

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015

## LAUNCH OF GSLV

3997. SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM: SHRI S. RAJENDRAN:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  (ISRO)  has launched satellites weighing up to 2.5 tonnes into geosynchronous orbit, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the ISRO scientists are confident that the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) could be tweaked further to enhance the performance of the GSLV rocket, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  CUS    has  failed  in  2010  and  has  scored  its  first success with the launch of GSLV D5 last year; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PG & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) Indian  Space  Research  Organisation  (ISRO)  has  launched satellites  into  Geosynchronous  Transfer  Orbit  (GTO)  using its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).  In its present configuration, GSLV can launch satellites weighing up to 2.2 tonnes into GTO. Details of the satellites successfully launched by GSLV are given below.

|   Sl. No | Satellite (GSLV Mission)   |   Payload Mass (in tonnes) | Date of launch   |
|----------|----------------------------|----------------------------|------------------|
|        1 | GSAT-1 (GSLV-D1)           |                      1.53  | 18.04.2001       |
|        2 | GSAT-2 (GSLV-D2)           |                      1.825 | 08.05.2003       |
|        2 | EDUSAT (GSLV-F01)          |                      1.95  | 20.09.2004       |
|        3 | INSAT-4CR (GSLV-F04)       |                      2.14  | 02.09.2007       |
|        5 | GSAT-14 (GSLV-D5)          |                      1.982 | 05.01.2014       |
|        6 | GSAT-6 (GSLV-D6)           |                      2.117 | 27.08.2015       |

(b) Yes Madam. To enhance the performance of GSLV rocket, ISRO is planning for optimising the mass of the Cryogenic Upper Stage and thrust upratement of Cryogenic engine.

(c) Yes, Madam.

(d) On  January  5,  2014,  GSLV-D5  with  indigenous  Cryogenic engine and stage successfully launched the GSAT-14 communication  satellite from  Satish  Dhawan      Space Centre, Sriharikota.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 3996 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-23
Subject: MACP on Promotional Grade
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: KAMLESH  PASWAN

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3996

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.12.2015)

## MACP ON PROMOTIONAL GRADE

## 3996. SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  number  of  Courts  including  the  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  has  held  that Modified Assured Career Progression to the Central Government employees has to be given in the promotional grade; and
- (b) if  so,  the  reasons  for  not  implementing  it  for  Group  'D'  and  'C'  employees  of  the Central Government?

## ANSWER

Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. (DR.JITENDRA SINGH)

(a)  &  (b):    The  employees  including  Group  'C'  (which  includes  erstwhile  Group  'D')  are granted  three  financial  upgradations  under  Modified  Assured  Career  Progression  (MACP) Scheme in the next immediate Grade Pay hierarchy as per CCS(Revised Pay) Rules, 2008 on completion of 10, 20 and 30 years of regular service.

There  have  been  instances  where  Tribunals  and  High  Courts  have  directed  to  grant benefits  under  Modified  Assured  Career  Progression  (MACP)  Scheme  in  the  promotional hierarchy.  However, in such cases, the order of Court is specific to the applicant only.

*****