Lok Sabha Question No. 380 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: Return of Awards
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: KAMAL NATH, SUSHMITA DEV, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, SATISH KUMAR GAUTAM, JYOTIRADITYA MADHAVRAO SCINDIA, PR. SENTHILNATHAN, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL, RAMACHANDRAN MULLAPPALLY, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, ANTO  ANTONY, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 380

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 1ST  DECEMBER, 2015/AGRAHAYANA 10, 1937 (SAKA)

## RETURN OF AWARDS

380.

SHRI KAMAL NATH:

KUMARI SUSHMITA DEV:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE:

SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRI SATISH KUMAR GAUTAM:

SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA:

SHRI PR. SENTHIL NATHAN:

SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL:

SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:

SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the attention of the Government has been drawn to growing atmosphere  of  intolerance  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the  reaction  of  the Government thereto;
- (b) the action taken by the Government to remove this intolerance;
- (c) the  number  of  artists,  writers,  scholars  and  intellectuals  who  have officially returned the award to the Government;
- (d) the response of the Government thereto; and
- (e) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote communal  harmony  in  the  country  and  improve  the  image  of  India internationally?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (KIREN RIJIJU)

(a)  and  (b):  Although  it  has  been  brought  out  in  various  fora,  the prevailing communal situation in the country does not indicate existence of alleged intolerance in the country.  The number of communal incidents in the country in recent years have been 668 in 2012, 823 in 2013, 644 in 2014 and 650 in 2015 (upto October).

The  Central  Government  has  circulated  revised      Guidelines  to promote Communal Harmony to the States and Union Territories in 2008 which  inter  alia,  lay  down  standard  operating  procedures  to  be  put  in place to deal with situation arising out of the communal violence. They also  delineate  preventive  and  administrative  measures  to  be  taken  to maintain  communal  harmony.    These  guidelines  are  reiterated  while sending advisories.

(c)  and  (d):  As  per  available  information,  a  total  of  39  Sahitya  Akademi awardees  who  received  awards  from  1976  onwards,  01  Lalit  Kala Akademi awardee and 03 Padma awardees have reportedly returned their awards  to  the  Government.      It  has  been  informed  that  the  Sahitya Akademi  convened  a  special  Executive  Board  meeting  in  which  a Resolution  has  been  passed,  requesting  the  writers  to  reconsider  their decision.

(e): 'Public Order' and 'Police' are State subjects as per the provisions of the Constitution of India.  The responsibility of dealing with communal violence  as  per  the  provisions  of  extant  laws  rests  primarily  with  the respective State Governments.

However,  to  maintain  communal  harmony  in  the  country,  the  Central Government assists the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations in a variety of ways like sharing of information, sending alert  messages  and  advisories,  sending  Central  Armed  Police  Forces including  the  composite  Rapid  Action  Force,  created  specially  to  deal with  communal  situations,  to  the  concerned  State  Governments  on specific requests and in the modernisation of the State Police Forces.

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