opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 5355 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Spread of Internet in SC/ST Grama Sabhas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri P V Midhun Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5355 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## SPREAD OF INTERNET IN SC/ST GRAMA SABHAS

## 5355.   SHRI P V MIDHUN REDDY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  resultant  internet  penetration  in  Gram  Sabhas  with  SC/ST  majority population as a result of the Government's BharatNet project during the last five years;
- (b) whether the Government has taken steps to increase internet literacy along with access to quality internet; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) BharatNet project is implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages beyond GPs on demand basis across the country, including Gram Sabhas with SC/ST majority population. As of February, 2026, a total of 14,54,197 Fiber to the  Home (FTTH) connections  have been  provided  in  the  country,  including  Gram  Sabhas  with SC/ST majority population under the BharatNet project.

(b) & (c) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) in 2017 to ensure digital literacy. Under the scheme, a total of 6.39 crore individuals were trained across the country against the  target  to  train  6  crore  individuals.  Out  of  these,  approximately  1.17  crore  trained  candidates belong  to  the  Scheduled  Castes  (SC),  and  approximately  56.23  lakh  candidates  belong  to  the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The scheme ended on 31 st  March 2024.

National  Institute  of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (NIELIT),  an  autonomous scientific society under the MeitY is also providing training on digital literacy and has trained more than 43 Lakh candidates across the country.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5341 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Shortfall in Coal Production Targets
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5341

## ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## SHORTFALL IN COAL PRODUCTION TARGETS

## 5341. SHRI UMMEDA RAM BENIWAL:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether coal production targets have consistently fallen short of projections;
- (b) if so, the details and the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether this shortfall has contributed to frequent power shortages across the country; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL AND MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY)

- (a) & (b): The domestic coal production in the country was 1047.52 Million Tonne (MT) in the FY 2024-25 against a coal production target of 1080 MT. Major constraints faced by the coal companies for achievement of coal production targets are as under:
- i. Issues relating to land acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R & R).
- ii. Delay in Forestry and Environmental Clearances.
- iii. Evacuation & logistics constraints.
- iv. Law & Order issues.
- v. Shortage of stowing material and adverse geo-mining conditions in some underground mines.
- (c)  &  (d): The  energy  supplied has been  commensurate to the energy requirement of the country and there has been no power shortages.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5336 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Pending Cases under Central Administrative Tribunal
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Ms. Mahua Moitra

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5336

(ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026)

## PENDING CASES UNDER CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL

5336. MS. MAHUA MOITRA:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of cases pending under the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), bench-wise;
- (b)  the  details  of  the  number  of  cases  pending  for  more  than  five  years,  ten  years  and  fifteen years, category-wise and bench-wise; and
- (c) the details of the average time taken to dispose of such cases, bench-wise?

## 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): Central Administrative Tribunal adjudicates grievances and disputes arising out of the conditions of service of an  employee appointed  to  the  public  services  and  posts  in  connection with  the  affairs  of  the  Union  and  the  States.  The  grievances  include  cases  relating  to  pay, promotion, career progression, pension and other similar matters. Since its inception in the year 1985, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has received 9,88,738 cases for adjudication, out  of  which 9,19,157  cases  have  been  disposed  upto  31.01.2026,  leaving  69,581  cases  under adjudication  presently. The  number of cases instituted,  disposed and pending, year-wise, since the  inception  of  the  Tribunal  are  available  in  the  Annual  Report  of  DoP&T,  which  can  be accessed through the link url:https://dopt.gov.in/sites/default/files/AR2024-25English.pdf.

During the last 3 years i.e., from the year 2023 to 2025, the details of the cases instituted in all the benches of the Tribunal and disposals made year-wise are given below: -

Table: Details of cases instituted and disposed in CAT

| Year   | Cases instituted   | Cases disposed   |   Disposal rate (%) |
|--------|--------------------|------------------|---------------------|
| 2023   | 25,742             | 31,672           |                 123 |
| 2024   | 32,998             | 35,460           |                 108 |
| 2025   | 31,899             | 34,318           |                 108 |
| Total  | 90,639             | 1,01,450         |                 112 |

The  above  records  of  disposal  indicate  a  consistently  high  rate  of  disposal  in  all  the benches of the Tribunal. To ensure expeditious disposal of all cases, the Tribunal has rolled out the cloud based Advance Case Information System (ACIS) comprising several new initiatives, such as  Mobile App,  SMS facility, online  payment, hybrid video conference-based hearing, ecourts setup, scanning & digitization of all records and e-filing of cases.
Lok Sabha Question No. 5330 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Complaints Lodged in Lokpal
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Smt. Mala Roy

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5330

(ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026)

## COMPLAINTS LODGED IN LOKPAL

5330. SMT. MALA ROY:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of complaints lodged in Lokpal during the last five years, year-wise; and
- (b) the details of the number of complaints disposed of out of them?

## 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) and (b): The details of the number of complaints registered before Lokpal and disposed of by the Lokpal are stated below:-

| Financial Year             |   Complaints Registered |   Complaints Disposed of |
|----------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|
| 2025-26 (As on 28.02.2026) |                     389 |                      336 |
| 2024-25                    |                     292 |                      260 |
| 2023-24                    |                     166 |                      161 |
| 2022-23                    |                     320 |                      316 |
| 2021-22                    |                     149 |                      147 |

The  year-wise  details  of  complaints  registered  and  disposed  of  are  available  in  the public domain through dedicated website of the Lokpal.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5326 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: NYPS 2.0 Portal
Ministry: PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Smt. Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam, Shri Arun Govil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 5326

ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026

NYPS 2.0 Portal

5326. Smt. Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam: Shri Arun Govil:

Will the Minister of PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  current  status  of  implementation  of  the  upgraded  National  Youth Parliament  Scheme  (NYPS)  2.0  portal  and  the  total  number  of  institutional registrations and individual participations recorded thereunder;
- (b)  the  status  of  the  expansion of the Youth Parliament Programme across various States and Union Territories:
- (c) whether the Ministry has assessed any increased in democratic participation resulting from this initiative; and
- (d) whether there is any proposal to further expand it on a larger scale and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a)  &  (b):  To  expand  the  Youth  Parliament  Programme  and  to  ensure  wider participation of students/citizens, the Ministry has unveiled an upgraded version of the National Youth Parliament Scheme (NYPS) web portal, known as NYPS 2.0, on 11 th  September 2024. Unlike the previous version, which was limited to recognized educational institutions only, NYPS 2.0 is open to all the educational institutions, groups, and citizens across the country through Institution Participation, Group Participation, and Individual Participation, respectively. It is open for participation regardless of gender, caste, creed, religion, race, region, place of residence in the country etc. Further, to expand the outreach of the NYPS more, the Ministry has written to all State Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Legislatures of States/UTs, various educational boards (CBSE, CISCE), and also а publicity video tutorial is broadcast from time to time on Sansad TV. Since the launch of NYPS 2.0, a total of 4,594 institutions have registered under the Institution Participation, and 44,403  individuals  have  participated  under  the  Individual  Participation  in  the country.

(c) & (d): No such proposal is under consideration of this Ministry.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5322 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Rail Land Development Authority Projects
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kunduru Raghuveer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5322 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## RAIL LAND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY PROJECTS

## 5322. SHRI KUNDURU RAGHUVEER:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of projects undertaken by the Rail Land Development Authority  (RLDA)  since  its  inception  for  commercial  development  and monetisation  of  railway  land  across  the  country  along  with  their locations;
- (b)  the  number  of  such  projects  completed/made  operational  till  date including currently under execution or yet to be taken up;
- (c) whether the Government has assessed delays in implementation of RLDA projects  and  the  extent  of  railway  land  that  remains  unused  or underutilised due to such delays and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of the total revenue generated from RLDA projects during the last five years and the estimated revenue potential that could be realised through timely development of railway land assets?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (d): The vacant railway land, which is not required by Railways for its immediate operational needs, is entrusted to RLDA by Ministry of Railways. This  land  is  utilized  for  commercial  development,  wherever  feasible,  to mobilize additional financial resources for the purpose of non-fare revenues.

So far about 1,308 hectares of Railway Land has been entrusted to Rail Land Development  Authority  (RLDA)  for  commercial  development  and  colony redevelopment etc. Out of 1,308 Ha land, about 220 Ha has been leased for

§

commercial development at the total amount of ₹ 20,655 crores. So far (till Feb 2026) RLDA has earned revenue of approx. ₹ 7,053 crores. Further, successful & timely leasing of railway land depend on many factors such as availability of land documents, clearances from other department etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5318 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Post Office Regulations
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri  Selvaganapathi T.M.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5318 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## POST OFFICE REGULATIONS

## 5318.   SHRI  SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the Director General of Postal Services has taken any decision to solve the confusion over delivery of items addressed to dead persons and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether it  is  also  a  fact  that  the  confusion  persists  because  of  an  interplay  between  two provisions of the Post Office Regulations and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is also a fact that in a recent judgement, the Hon'ble Madras High Court has asked the Director General of Postal Services to comply with its order and take further action as may be necessary to solve the confusion and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the Director General of Postal Services is considering to either amend the year 2024 Regulations or fill in the gap by clarifying the position properly on the above issue?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) to (d) Necessary action to amend the provisions of the Post office Regulations is being taken by the Department of Posts in this regard.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5317 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Railway Sidings and Weighbridges in Chhattisgarh
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Jyotsna Charandas Mahant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5317

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## RAILWAY SIDINGS AND WEIGHBRIDGES IN CHHATTISGARH

## 5317. SMT. JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number  of private, public (departmentally  owned)  and PSU/Joint  Venture  sidings  currently  operational  in  Chhattisgarh  along with their respective alpha codes and serving stations;
- (b)  the  names  of  the  specific  industries,  departments  and  companies functionally connected to each of these sidings for commercial operations;
- (c)  the  details  of  weighbridges  installed  at  these  sidings  specifically  the number of In-motion versus Static weighbridges;
- (d)  whether  these  are  maintained  through  Annual  Maintenance  Contracts (AMCs) approved by the Railways and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Railways has a mechanism to monitor the calibration and accuracy of these weighbridges and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) whether any instances of tampering, weight irregularities, or malpractices have been reported at these sidings during the last three years  and  if  so,  the  details  and  the  punitive  action  taken  by  the Government in each case, siding-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (f) : As on date, a total of 154 number of sidings / goods sheds are operational  in  Chhattisgarh  State.  The  sidings  /  goods  shed  handling outward consignment are either equipped with In-motion Weighbridge / Silo with  pre-weighbin  (as  required)  or  associated  weighbridges  have  been nominated for such sidings/terminals.

§

The  weighbridges  installed  at  Privately  /  PSU  /  JV  owned  sidings,  are maintained  by  the  siding  owners  and  the  departmental  weighbridges installed at Goods sheds / identified locations are maintained by Railway through Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs).

Indian  Railways  has  an  established  mechanism  for  testing  of  Railway EIMWBs. As per the policy, testing of EIMWBs with test wagons is carried out  at  an  interval  of  six  months.  First  testing  is  carried  out  during  the calibration by the Weights & Measures Department of the concerned State Government  and  further  testing  is  carried  out  jointly  by  the  team  of divisional  officers.  Whenever  any  major  breakdown  is  attended  involving part(s) of EIMWB sealed by Weights & Measures Department, the EIMWB is re-stamped  from  the  Weights  &  Measures  Department  of  the  concerned State Government.

Recently,  one  case  of  malpractices  has  been  noticed  at  Railway  owned Electronic In-motion Weighbridge at Baradwar, Bilaspur Division, which is under investigation.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5315 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Conversion of Silchar Local Passenger Trains into DEMU Services
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Parimal Suklabaidya

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5315

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## CONVERSION OF SILCHAR LOCAL PASSENGER TRAINS INTO DEMU SERVICES

## 5315. SHRI PARIMAL SUKLABAIDYA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  convert  local  passenger  trains operating  from  Silchar  in  Cachar  district  into  Diesel  Electric  Multiple Unit (DEMU) services to reduce terminal delays;
- (b) if so, the details of trains identified for conversion; and
- (c) the expected operational benefits for the Barak Valley region?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to  (c)  Silchar  station  is  presently  being  served  by  32  train  services, including 14 Passenger train services, as listed below:-

|   SN | Train No. & Name                                             |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | 12507/08 Trivandrum-Central-Silchar Express                  |
|    2 | 12513/14 Secunderabad-Silchar Express                        |
|    3 | 12515/16 Coimbatore-Silchar Express                          |
|    4 | 13175/76 Sealdah - Silchar Kanchenjunga Express              |
|    5 | 14037/38 Silchar-New Delhi Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express |
|    6 | 15611/12 Rangiya-Silchar Express                             |
|    7 | 15615/16 Guwahati-Silchar Express                            |
|    8 | 15641/42 Silchar-New Tinsukia Barak Brahmaputra Express      |
|    9 | 15663/64 Agartala-Silchar Express                            |

|   10 | 55661/62 Maishashan-Silchar Passenger     |
|------|-------------------------------------------|
|   11 | 55665/66 Silchar-Vangaichungpao Passenger |
|   12 | 55667/68 Silchar-Bhairabi Passenger       |
|   13 | 55677/78 Silchar-Dharmanagar Passenger    |
|   14 | 55685/86 Maishashan-Silchar Passenger     |
|   15 | 55687/88 Dullabcherra-Silchar Passenger   |
|   16 | 55669/70 Silchar-Sirang Passengers        |

The  passenger  services  are  being  operated  with  7  Coaches  and  are adequately catering to the needs of the passengers. Besides, conversion of conventional trains into MEMU/DEMU services is an on-going process on Indian Railways subject to operational feasibility, resource availability, competing demands etc.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 5313 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Uranium Supply Contract
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Krishna Prasad Tenneti, Shri Dulu Mahato, Dr. K Sudhakar, Shri P P Chaudhary, Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Janardan Mishra, Shri Shankar Lalwani, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO -5313

ANSWERED ON 25/03/2026

## URANIUM SUPPLY CONTRACT

## 5313.       DR. K SUDHAKAR

SHRI DULU MAHATO

SHRI P P CHAUDHARY

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA

SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL

SHRI KRISHNA PRASAD TENNETI

SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA

SHRI SHANKAR LALWANI

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has finalized the CAD 2.6 billion uranium supply contract with Cameco for 10,000 tonnes of Uranium Ore Concentrates and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the manner in which this agreement is likely to ensure a stable fuel supply for India's 24 operating reactors and the indigenous 700 MW PHWRs under construction;
- (c) the details of positive implications this deal is likely to have for the 'Viksit Bharat' 100 GW nuclear power target and whether similar negotiations are underway with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has observed a reduction in the cost of power for imported fuel based  reactors  after  the  Basic  Customs  Duty  exemption  on  non-irradiated  nuclear  fuel announced in the 2026 Budget and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the manner in which the Department of Atomic Energy is working with the Ministry of External Affairs to secure overseas uranium mining rights and reduce exposure to global price volatility?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES  AND PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes. Government has finalized a contract with M/s. Cameco, Canada for supply of 8300 MTUof Uranium Ore Concentratefor a period of 9 years starting from 2027.
- (b) The  agreement  is  likely  to  contribute  in  building  natural  Uranium  stockpile  and  to ensure stable fuel supply for IAEA safeguarded operating PHWRs and the indigenous 700 MW PHWRs under construction which could be placed under IAEA safeguards.
- (c) This deal would help in building natural Uranium stockpile and hence towards nuclear power target for the 'Viksit Bharat'. Discussions are underway with state agencies of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for procurement of uranium in the form of Uranium Ore Concentrate.
- (d) Since the announcement in the Budget 2026-27, no imports of non-irradiated nuclear fuel have been made for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), to assess any reduction in cost of power as a result of the budget announcement.
- (e) Department  of  Atomic  Energy  is  working  closely  with  the  Ministry  of  External Affairs to identify possible opportunities around the world to create a resilient supply chain for the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat.

*****