opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 1830 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Additional Funds for Construction of Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: KOTHA PRABHAKAR REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1830

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY LINE

1830.  SHRI PRABHAKAR REDDY KOTHA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has decided to construct the Railway line  between  Kothapalli-Manoharabad-Akkannapet-Medak  and  if  so, the details thereof;
- (b) the funds earmarked for construction of this Railway line and released so far;
- (c) whether the funds sanctioned so far are not sufficient to carry out the laying work of the Railway line;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has received any requests for allocation  of  additional  funds  to  this  project  and  if  so,  the  details thereof; and
- (f)     the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (f): Construction of both Kothapalli-Manoharabad & Akkannapet-Medak new lines have been taken up.

-2-

- (i) Kothapalli-Manoharabad:    Acquision  of  496  acres  of  land  has been taken up and the State Government has handed over a land  for 22 km length.  The latest cost of this project is Rs.1051 crores and an expenditure  of  Rs.1.76  crores  has  already  been  incurred  on  this project  upto  March  2016  with  an  outlay  of  Rs.30  crores  in  Budget 2016-17.
- (ii)  Akkannapet-Medak:  After  completion  of  Final  Location  Survey; detailed  estimate  of  Rs.118  crores  has  been  sanctioned.    Stage-I Forest Clearance has been received from Ministry of Environment & Forest and out of 294 acre private/revenue land, 277 acre land has been handed over.  Tendering for work execution has been taken up.

Both these works primarily suffered on account of land acquisition and forestry clearances.

Requests  for  additional  fund  allotments  are  received  from  State Governments,  elected  representatives,  public  organizations  etc.  at various levels including Railway Board, zonal railways and divisions. A  centralized  compendium  is  not  maintained  for  such  requests. Enhanced outlays of Rs.30 Crores and Rs.10 Crores respectively have been provided for the two projects in 2016-17, and further allocation will depend on the stage of progress.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1828 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Visa to Hindus in Pakistan
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. BHOLA SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1828 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## VISA TO HINDUS IN PAKISTAN

1828. DR. BHOLA SINGH:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the population of Hindus/Sikhs in Pakistan at present;
- (b) whether Hindus in Pakistan are not given visa to perform their customs in India and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to impress upon Pakistani authorities to allow Hindus to visit Haridwar?

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

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

- (a) Due to absence of census in Pakistan since 1998, no official figures in respect of population of Pakistan are available. However, according  to  the  information  hosted  on  the  website  of  Pakistan Bureau  of  Statistics,  Hindus  comprise  1.6%  of  the  population,  i.e, approximately  30  lakhs.  No  official  figures  for  Sikh  population  in Pakistan are available.
- (b) & (c) Pakistani Hindus desiring to come to India on pilgrimage apply for the necessary Indian visa at the High Commission of India in Islamabad. These applications are processed as per the existing rules and guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, wherein the Government of Pakistan has no locus standi.
- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1827 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Assessment of Performance of Consultants
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: ARJUNLAL MEENA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS

## (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1827

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016)

## ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE OF CONSULTANTS

## 1827. SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to undertake an assessment of the performance of consultants appointed in various offices/departments/institutions;
- (b) if so, the details and the objectives thereof;
- (c) whether  these  consultants  are  being  appointed  on  contract  basis  ignoring  rules  and norms and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  norms/parameters  for  conducting  the assessment and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the action proposed to be taken against those found unsuitable?

## 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): As  per  Rule  No.  177  of  the  General Financial  Rules(GFR),  2005,  all Ministries/Departments should be monitoring the performance of the Consultant(s) so that the output of the consultancy  is  in  line  with  the  Ministry/Department's  objectives.  In  addition, Department of Economic Affairs, has issued guidelines vide their O.M. No. 1/42/2015-PMU dated 29 th December, 2015 according to which a Screening Committee comprising of Cabinet Secretary,  Secretary-Department  of  Economic  Affairs  and  Secretary  of  the  concerned Ministry/Department  has  been  constituted  to  examine  proposals  received  from  various Ministries/Departments desirous of engaging new consultants from bilateral partners/multilateral agencies or those who intend to extend the term of existing consultants.

(c  )  to  (e)  :  This  information  is  not  maintained  centrally.  At  present  the  engagement  of consultants  in  Ministries/Departments  is  regulated  in  terms  of  what  has  been  laid  down  in Rules 163 to 177 of the GFR-2005 and they are binding on all Ministries/Departments.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1826 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Functioning of Indian Embassies in Gulf Countries
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1826 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## FUNCTIONING OF INDIAN EMBASSIES IN GULF COUNTRIES

1826. SHRI P.K. BIJU:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Indian  embassies  in  the  middle  east  particularly  Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman have been able to render the requisite assistance/services to Indians living there;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the corrective steps taken, if any, in this regard?

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

(a) & (b) Yes, Indian Embassies in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman are rendering the requisite assistance/services to Indians living there.

Our Embassies remain in regular touch with the authorities concerned in these countries to protect the interests of Indian expatriates as also to ensure their welfare. They take all possible steps to provide any assistance/services requested by Indians living in these countries. These steps include, inter alia, putting  in  place  requisite  institutional  mechanisms,  organizing  community outreach programmes and assistance under Indian Community Welfare Fund.

Our  Embassies  maintain  regular  and  active  interaction  with  the  Indian community and render a wide range of consular services, including granting/renewal of passports, emergency certificates, registrations of marriage, birth and death and attestation of documents etc..

Our Missions have community welfare officers and dedicated help lines to render necessary assistance. In addition, a web portal namely MADAD (online Consular Grievances Monitoring System) has been launched in February 2015 to assist Indians abroad requiring any assistance.

- (c) Does not arise.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1825 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Generation of Solar Energy
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1825

TO BE ANSWERED ON MAY 04, 2016

GENERATION OF SOLAR ENERGY

NO.1825                SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be please to state:

- (a) The  quantum  of  solar  energy  generated  from  metro  rail projects in the country, project-wise; and
- (b) The  expected  quantum  proposed  to  be  generated  in  the coming years?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## (SHRI M. VENKAIAH NAIDU)

- (a) & (b): Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (DMRC) and Lucknow  Metro  Rail  Corporation  (LMRC)  have  informed  that  1.9 million  units  and  3,271  units  have  been  generated  by  the  solar plants  since  inception  respectively.  DMRC  and  LMRC  have  further informed that approximately 6.6 million units and 14,600 units per year are expected to be generated from these solar plants respectively subject to the weather conditions.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1824 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Skill Development Scheme in Universities
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: MANSHANKAR NINAMA, NANABHAU FALGUNRAO PATOLE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1824 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## SKILL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME IN UNIVERSITIES

† 1824  SHRI MANSHANKAR NINAMA:

SHRI NANA PATOLE:

## Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is incorporating skill development schemes in various universities in coordination with State Governments;
- (b) if so, the names of the said schemes along with the likely time by which these are likely to be introduced, State/ University-wise;
- (c) whether  any  assessment  has  been  made  regarding  the  benefits  likely  to  be accrued therefrom;
- (d) if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government is considering to introduce classes to provide training of skill development along with graduation degree for the students studying in various universities including University of Delhi; and
- (f) if  so,  the  details  thereof, location-wise  and the time by which it is likely to be done?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY)

- (a) & (b) The University Grants Commission has given skill orientation to higher education in the recent past. It has come with three major initiatives by way of starting schemes  under  NSQF  leading  to  award  of  certificate,  Diplomas,  Advanced  level Diplomas and Bachelor's as well as Master's Degree  programme  in various institutions. The three schemes imparting skill based programmes in collaboration with industry are as below:
- (c) & (d) Under  a  MoU  of  Ministry  of  HRD  with  Wadhwani  Foundation  for evaluation  of  Community  Colleges,  15  selected  institutions  under  the  scheme  of Community Colleges from different parts of the country were assessed.
- (e) & (f) The  skill  based  papers  are  being  implemented  under  CBCS  as  Ability Enhancement  Courses  (AEC),  Ability  Enhancement  Compulsory  Courses  (AECC), Skill Enhancement Course (SEC). The details are available on UGC website.

|   S.No. | Name of Scheme         | Year of Implementation   |
|---------|------------------------|--------------------------|
|       1 | Community Colleges     | 2013-14                  |
|       2 | B.Voc Degree Programme | 2014-15                  |
|       3 | DDU KAUSHAL Kendra     | 2015-16                  |

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1822 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Students Illegally Staying in US
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: K. MARAGATHAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1822 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## STUDENTS ILLEGALLY STAYING IN US

1822. SHRIMATI K. MARAGATHAM:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  more  than  300  Indian  students  are  facing  action  by  the  US Government for allegedly staying in the US illegally;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken up this issue with the US Government; and
- (d) if so, the response received from the US Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  to (d) According to the US Government, the US authorities have arrested 22 brokers, recruiters, and employers, some of whom are their own nationals, from across the United States, who allegedly conspired with foreign nationals to fraudulently obtain student and foreign worker visas for the latter through a 'pay  to  stay'  New  Jersey  college  viz.  University  of  Northern  New  Jersey (UNNJ). This 'college' was created and operated as part of the US Homeland Security Investigation's (HSI) enforcement action in this matter.

As per the US Government, during the investigation, HSI special agents identified 1,076 foreign nationals who previously entered the US on F-1 nonimmigrant student visas to attend other accredited schools and were found to have knowingly participated in visa  fraud  by  enrolling  at  UNNJ  for  the  sole purpose  of  illegally  obtaining  and/or  maintaining  their  F-1  non-immigrant status. 306 of these students are Indian nationals. It is understood that the US authorities  have  terminated  the  enrolment  of  all  these  students.  The  US authorities  have  further  informed  that  any  student  thus  terminated,  who chooses not to file for reinstatement or has his/her reinstatement application denied, must depart the country immediately.

The  Government is in touch with the US Government and has emphasized  to  the  US  Government  that  due  process  must  be  followed  and there should be no harassment and injustice.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1821 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Misleading Employment Notifications
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SUKENDER REDDY GUTHA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1821

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## MISLEADING EMPLOYMENT NOTIFICATIONS

## 1821. SHRI GUTHA SUKENDER REDDY:

## Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the Government has identified some misleading employment notifications  which  are  frequently  coming  up  in  some websites  about  vacancies  in  the  Railways  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b)  whether the Government has any technique to track and verify the veracity of the advertisements and the websites' administrators and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps being taken to book the website, administrators and save the public from such misleading information?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) :  Reports  of  some  fake  websites  had  come  to  notice.  However, reports  of  misleading  employment  notifications  have  not  been noticed.
- (b) : The creation of fake websites was reported to Computer Emergency  Response  Team-India  (CERT-In  -  a  national nodal agency).
- (c) :  Regular  proactive  measures  are  undertaken  by  the  recruiting agencies i.e. 21 Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) and 16 Railway Recruitment  Cells  (RRCs)  frequently,  by  way  of  widely  publicized campaigns  through  print  media  as  well  as  electronic  media  i.e. Employment News, National Dailies, Local Newspapers and through the official websites  of the RRB(s)  &  RRC(s)  cautioning the prospective candidates to beware of unscrupulous elements, fake advertisements/ websites, touts and job racketeers trying to deceive by false promises of securing job in Railways either through influence or by use of unfair and unethical means.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1820 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Services through Mobile
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: CH. MALLA REDDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1820 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  MAY, 2016

## SERVICES THROUGH MOBILE

## 1820. SHRI CH. MALLA REDDY:

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

- (a) whether banks, retailers, airlines and other entities are allowed to offer their services through mobile;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the monitoring mechanism in this regard; and
- (d) the likely benefit of such services to the mobile customers?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes, Madam

(b) to d) The government has notified ' Framework for Mobile Governance '  in Jan 2012 to utilize the massive reach of mobile phones and harness the potential of mobile  applications  to  enable  easy  and  round-the-clock  access  to  public  services, especially in the rural areas. The framework aims to create unique infrastructure as well  as  application  development  ecosystem  for  m-Governance  in  the  country.  The following main measures have been laid down as part of the framework:

- i. Web sites of all Government Departments and Agencies shall be made mobile compliant, using the 'One Web' approach.
- ii. Open standards  shall  be  adopted  for  mobile  applications  for  ensuring the interoperability of applications across various operating systems and devices as per the Government Policy on Open  Standards for eGovernance.
- iii. Uniform/ single pre-designated numbers (long and short codes) shall be used for mobile-based services to ensure convenience.
- iv. All  Government  Departments  and  Agencies  shall  develop  and  deploy mobile applications for providing all their public services through mobile devices  to  the  extent  feasible  on  the  mobile  platform.  They  shall  also specify the service levels for such services.

With  a  view  to  facilitate  Mobile  Banking  for  financial  inclusion,  TRAI  has, through Mobile Banking (Quality of service) Regulation 2012 (as amended), mandated the telecom access providers to facilitate not only the banks but also the authorized  agents  of  the  banks  to  use  SMS,  USSD  and  IVR  to  provide  banking services to the banks' customers. Besides, TRAI has, through the Telecommunication Tariff (56 th amendment)  Order,  2013,  prescribed  a  ceiling  tariff  of  Rs.  1.50  per USSD session for the USSD based Mobile Banking Service. Mobile applications have been  used  by  all  the  States/UTs  and  various  Central  Government  departments  for delivering their services to citizens.

****************
Lok Sabha Question No. 1818 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Rural to Urban Migration
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: MEENAKASHI LEKHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1818

TO BE ANSWERED ON MAY 4, 2016

RURAL TO URBAN MIGRATION

No. 1818              SHRIMATI MEENAKASHI LEKHI: SHRI PREM DAS RAI:

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of migrants from rural areas to small towns and metro cities during the last ten years as per Census 2011 data, State and Union Territory-wise;
- (b) whether migrants are more in comparison to Census 2001 data; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT (SHRI M. VENKAIAH NAIDU)

- (a): The Census 2011 data on migration has not been released yet.
- (b) & (c): Do not arise.

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 1817 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Port Congestion Surcharge
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: SUDHEER GUPTA, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1817 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## PORT CONGESTION SURCHARGE

## 1817.  SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Railways has decided to withdraw the levy of Port Congestion Surcharge;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and reasons therefor;
- (c) the quantum of losses to the Railways as a result of the said decision; and
- (d) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) &  (b):  Yes,  Madam.  Port  Congestion  Surcharge  has  been withdrawn with effect from 13.04.2016 for the period up to 31.03.2017 keeping in view the decline in EXIM traffic at ports.
- (c)  &  (d):  There  is  no  likelihood  of  any  loss  to  Railways.  Close monitoring of the traffic is being done on a continuous basis.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 1815 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Storm Water Drainage Project
Ministry: URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: BALABHADRA MAJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1815 TO BE ANSWERED ON MAY 04, 2016 STORM WATER DRAINAGE PROJECT SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI:

No. 1815

Will the Minister of URBAN DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Storm  Water  Drainage  Project  of  the  city  of  Puri has been withdrawn by the Government;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (c) whether the Government proposes to revive the project and if so, the details thereof:

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT (SHRI M. VENKAIAH NAIDU)

( a & b): Yes, Madam.  The Storm Water Drainage Project of the city of Puri  has  been  withdrawn  by  the  Government.  The  project  was sanctioned in the year 2009 and the approved cost of the project was Rs. 71.82 crore, Additional Central Assistance (ACA) committed from Government of India was Rs. 45.00 crore and ACA released was Rs. 11.25 crore. The slow moving projects were reviewed and considered for  withdrawal  in  the  Central  Sanctioning  and  Monitoring  Committee (CSMC) meeting held on 04.09.2013. The storm water drainage for Puri, Orissa is one among the list of such projects as its progress was slow.

- (c): No,  Madam.    The  JnNURM  has  already  come  to  an  end  on 31.03.2014 and there is no mandate to revive any such project under JnNURM.

******
Lok Sabha Question No. 1814 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: China Building Port in Maldives
Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: VEENA DEVI

## † 1814.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1814 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.05.2016

## CHINA BUILDING PORT IN MALDIVES

SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the reports that China is likely to build a port in Maldives;
- (b) if so, the facts and details thereof;
- (c) whether this move of China is likely to pose a threat to India by expanding its presence in the Indian Ocean; and
- (d) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

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

(a) to (d) Government  is  aware  of  reports  that  Government  of Maldives has been discussing port infrastructure development with international partners, including China. Government keeps a constant  watch  on  all  developments  having  a  bearing  on  India's security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it.

*****