opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 4223 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: 4G and 5G Connectivity in Rural Remote and Border Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Kuldeep Indora

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4223 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## 4G AND 5G CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL REMOTE AND BORDER AREAS

## †4223. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the specific steps been taken by the Government to improve mobile and internet connectivity in rural and border areas;
- (b) whether the Government has conducted any study regarding the availability and quality of 4G and 5G connectivity in such rural and remote border areas;
- (c) if so, the details thereof in respect of the border areas of Rajasthan, including the GanganagarHanumangarh Lok Sabha constituency;
- (d) whether the Government is working on any action plan to improve 4G and 5G connectivity in the rural and border areas of the said Lok Sabha Constituency;
- (e) if so, the details thereof; and
- (f) the  number  of  Gram  Panchayats/villages  in  the  said  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  currently lacking 4G and 5G mobile network coverage and the various measures being taken to connect such Panchayats/villages with high-speed mobile internet connectivity?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The  Government  has  approved  various  projects  through  Digital  Bharat  Nidhi  (DBN),  to provide 4G mobile connectivity in uncovered villages across the country including rural and border areas. Further, Government has implemented the BharatNet project in phases to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs). Government has also approved the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) to provide ring-based connectivity to approximately 2.64 lakh GPs and connectivity to 3.80 lakh non-GP villages on demand basis.
- (b) & (c) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) monitors the performance of telecom service  providers  against  the  benchmark  for  various  quality  of  service  parameters  by  collecting performance monitoring reports from the service providers on regular basis, operator assisted drive tests and independent drive tests. The reports are published on TRAI website (https://trai.gov.in/).
- (d) to (f) 5G mobile services are rolled out  by the telecom service providers themselves  on techno-commercial consideration. In the Hanumangarh and Sri Ganganagar districts of Rajasthan, under the DBN funded mobile project, 171 out of 188 planned towers are brought on-air, providing 4G mobile coverage to 201 remote and border villages across both districts. 13 of the total 4,933 villages  (as  per  data  of  Registrar  General  of  India  of  November  2019)  of  Sri  Ganganagar  and Hanumangarh districts are uncovered with 4G/5G mobile connectivity.
Lok Sabha Question No. 4215 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: BHASHINI
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION. NO. 4215

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 18.03.2026

## BHASHINI

## 4215 . SHRI BAIJAYANT PANDA:

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

- (a)  the  number  of  Indian  languages  supported  under  BHASHINI  and  the  nature  of  services provided;
- (b) the initiatives undertaken to scale up BHASHINI through engagement with startups, academia and State Governments; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to strengthen language datasets and improve accuracy and inclusiveness?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (c): Government of India's digital policies follow Prime Minister's vision of democratising technology to empower citizens. Bhashini is Government's initiative aimed at building a national digital public infrastructure for Indian languages.

At present, the Bhashini platform supports text-to-text translation across 36 Indian languages and speech-to-speech translation across 23 Indian languages.

The  platform  provides  various  AI-enabled  language  technology  services,  including  Machine Translation (MT),  Automatic  Speech Recognition (ASR), Text-to-Speech (TTS), Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Government  has  adopted  a  collaborative  and  multi-stakeholder  approach  involving  startups, academic institutions, and State Governments. Startups and MSMEs are encouraged to develop innovative multilingual applications and sector-specific solutions using BH ASHINI's open APIs.

Academic and research institutions across the country are engaged for research, dataset preparation, linguistic validation, and development of AI models. Further, the Mission collaborates with Central Ministries, State Governments and State Language Missions to identify domain-specific datasets and enable integration of BHASHINI services into citizen-facing government platforms.

A national repository of language datasets and AI models has been created through the Unified Language  Contribution  API  (ULCA),  which  enables  standardised  submission,  validation  and cataloguing of datasets, models and tools.

Further,  crowdsourcing  initiatives  such  as  BhashaDaan  and  other  community  participation programmes are undertaken to collect speech and text data from diverse linguistic communities, including speakers of regional and lesser-resourced languages.

*******
Lok Sabha Question No. 4199 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Technology Adoption Fund
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Shri Kesineni Sivanath, Shri B K Parthasarathi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4199

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026

## TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION FUND

## 4199.  SHRI B K PARTHASARATHI: SHRI KESINENI SIVANATH:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details regarding the number  of  proposals  received  and accepted under the Technology Adoption Fund (TAF);
- (b) the number and list of start-ups supported under the TAF from the MSME sector including those from Andhra Pradesh along with the amount of funding provided, State-wise;
- (c) the  number  and  list  of  start-ups  supported  from  large  industries including  those  from  Andhra  Pradesh  along  with  the  amount  of funding provided, State-wise;
- (d) the  list  of  technologies  being  developed  along  with  number  of Intellectual properties by the supported start-ups; and
- (e) the details regarding the issues being faced in the commercialization of space technology in the country?

## ANSWER

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

****

- (a) As on 01 st  March, 2026, a total of 42 proposals from 39 industries received. An Expert Committee is evaluating the proposals.
- (b) Out  of  42  proposals  received  from  various  States,  one  company belonging  from  Andhra  Pradesh.    All  proposals  received  from various  States,  are  being  reviewed  and  currently  are  in  the evaluation/shortlisting phase.
- (c) All  the  proposals  received  are  either  from  start-ups  or  MSMEs. Details on start-ups supported by large industries is not available with IN-SPACe.
- (d) The list of technologies cannot be provided at this stage, as all 42 proposals received under TAF are currently under review and in the evaluation and shortlisting phase. However, the proposals broadly cover technologies such as propulsion systems and green propellants, Earth Observation foundational models, satellite components, among others.

The  creation  of  Intellectual  Property  by  NGE  is  expected  as  a projected  outcome  following  the  development  of  the  received proposals.

- (e) Following the space sector reforms announced by the Government of India, the participation of start-ups and private enterprises has begun to create a more vibrant ecosystem for the commercialization  of  space  products  and  services.  However,  the main issues being faced in commercialisation of space technologies  are  demand  generation,  capital  investment,  funding access, deep tech expertise gaps, availability of trained manpower,  maturity  of  the  available  technology,  availability  of testing  infrastructure,  long  development  cycles  and  balancing national security with commercial interests.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4197 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Vacancies in Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Smt. Bag Mitali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4197

## ANSWERED ON 18/03/2026

## VACANCIES IN MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## 4197. SMT. BAG MITALI:

- Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: the details of number of sanctioned posts in position and the number of vacancies, including reserved posts across categories at the Ministry of
- (a) Science and Technology;
- (b) the number of vacancies in the Ministry, Departments and organisations  under  it,  including  reserved  posts  since  2014,  year  and category-wise details; and
- (c) the  details  of  number  of  contractual  employees  hired  since  2014, year and category-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a) to (c): The  sanctioned  posts  in  position  and  the  number  of vacancies, including reserved posts across categories in the Ministry of Science and Technology comprising Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Department of Scientific and Industrial  Research  and  their  attached/  subordinate  offices,  statutory bodies, autonomous bodies etc. as on 01.03.2026 are 26,380 and 8,602, respectively.  The  reservation  policy  of  Government  of  India  is  strictly followed in all  the  Departments and organisations under the Ministry  of Science and Technology. Filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and the posts are being filled as and when vacancies arise, strictly as per Government of India guidelines. Contractual employees are outsourced as per  day  to  day  functional  requirements  and  as  per  Government  of  India policies, as amended from time to time. Therefore, their numbers varies across organisations and within a particular year.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4189 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: BharatNet Phase-III Project in Kangra and Chamba
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Dr. Rajeev Bharadwaj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4189 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## BHARATNET PHASE-III PROJECT IN KANGRA AND CHAMBA

## †4189. DR. RAJEEV BHARADWAJ:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the BharatNet Phase-III project is operational in Kangra and Chamba districts;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the number of Gram Panchayats likely to be covered by the high-speed broadband network in rural areas of Himachal Pradesh?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) Government has approved the Amended BharatNet Program (Phase-III) for providing high-speed  broadband  connectivity  to  all  3,615  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  in  Himachal  Pradesh, including those in Kangra and Chamba districts. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been designated as the Project Management Agency (PMA) for implementation of the program in the State.  BSNL  has  appointed  M/s  ITI  Limited  as  the  Project  Implementation  Agency  (PIA)  for execution  of  the  project  in  Himachal  Pradesh.  The  implementation  of  the  Amended  BharatNet Program has since been rolled out in the State.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4186 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: CPGRAM System
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Shri Narayan Tatu Rane

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PENSION AND PENSIONERS' WELFARE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4186

(ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026)

## CPENGRAM SYSTEM

## # 4186. SHRI NARAYAN TATU RANE:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of major trends emerged in relation to grievance redressal of pensioners including the time taken for disposal and the performance of Ministries Departments during the year 2025:
- (b)  the  effectiveness  of  improvements  made  in  Pension  Adalats,  the  Centralised  Pension Grievance Redress and Monitoring System and subject-specific interventions in resolving longpending and complex cases:
- (c) the measures taken to reduce pension-related litigation through coordination with Ministries, banks and legal authorities; and
- (d)  the  future  action  plan  to  further  strengthen  grievance  redressal,  public  outreach  and awareness for pensioners including under the Integrated Pension Scheme?

## 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 (d): During 2025, 1,07,731 pension grievances were received and 1,13,272, including those brought forward from 2024, were redressed on Centralized Pension Grievance Redress and  Monitoring  System  (CPENGRAMS)  portal.  Ministry  of  Defence,  Department  of Financial Services  (Banking Division) and Ministry of Railways are the  top performers, in terms of redressal of grievances in 2025. The average grievance redressal time has improved significantly  and  was  20  days  in  December,  2025.  This  has  been  achieved  through  the enhanced  coordination  with  stakeholders  including  banks  by  conducting  monthly  InterMinisterial Review Meetings, quarterly All India Pension Adalats, including thematic Adalats for  Super  senior  pensioners  (aged  80  years  and  above)  and  female  pensioners,  and  annual Special  Campaigns.  For  better  management  and  reduction  of  pension  litigation,  National Workshop  on Pension litigation and monthly review meetings with Ministries and Government Counsels are conducted. The Department is working on enhancing its outreach among  pensioners  through  Pre-retirement  Counselling  Workshops,  Pensioners'  Awareness Programmes  and  various  Social  Media  platforms.  At  present,  the  Department  is  not contemplating Integrated Pension Scheme.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4181 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Benefits of MMDR Act, 2025
Ministry: MINES
Asked by: Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MINES

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †4181

ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## BENEFITS OF MMDR ACT, 2025

†4181. SHRI JASWANTSINH SUMANBHAI BHABHOR:

Will the Minister of MINES be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Mines  and  Minerals  (Development  and  Regulation)  (MMDR) Amendment Act, 2025 has made the mineral auction process more transparent and investment-friendly,  thereby  benefiting  the  State  of  Gujarat  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b)  whether  mineral  exploration  in  tribal-dominated  areas  like  Dahod  has  been encouraged  through  the  National  Mineral  Exploration  Trust  (NMET)  and  if  so,  the details thereof; and
- (c) whether the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds are being effectively utilized for public welfare works and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): The Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 [MMDR Act, 1957] has  been  amended  through  the  MMDR  Amendment  Act,  2025  with  effect  from 01.09.2025. Through the said Amendment Act, the requirement of obtaining previous approval of the Central Government before initiating auction process for composite licence  in  respect  of  any  notified  mineral,  i.e.,  bauxite,  iron  ore,  limestone  and manganese has been removed to expedite auctions. Further, the Amendment Act has enabled inclusion of any new mineral in a mining lease, allowed one-time extension of the  area  under  a  mining  lease  or  composite  licence,  removed  the  limit  on  sale  of minerals from the captive mines and allowed sale of legacy dumps stacked in captive mines. These amendments benefit all States including Gujarat.
- (b):  The  National  Mineral  Exploration  and  Development  Trust  funds  exploration projects  within  the  country  including  in  the  tribal-dominated  areas.  The  Trust  has approved  two  projects  for  exploration  upto  G3  level  for  graphite  and  associated minerals and one project for exploration upto G4 level for Rare Earth Elements in Dahod, Gujarat.

(c):  PMKKKY Guidelines, 2024 mandates utilization of at least 70 percent of DMF funds in high priority sectors such as drinking water supply, health care, education, sanitation and housing. As per the said Guidelines, Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) audits the accounts of DMF as per schedule decided by C&AG to ensure effective utilization of DMF funds. Further, the DMFs have been directed (December, 2025) to get accounts audited every year by Chartered Accountants empanelled by C&AG.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4177 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Mobile Network and Internet Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Dharambir Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4177 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## MOBILE NETWORK AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY

## 4177.   SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the status of mobile network coverage in rural and border villages of Mahendragarh district;
- (b) whether any villages remain uncovered under 4G/5G expansion;
- (c) the progress under BharatNet in the said Constituency;
- (d) whether additional telecom towers are proposed in low-signal areas; and
- (e) the steps taken to address frequent call drops and poor data speed?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) All 356 villages in Mahendergarh district are covered with 4G mobile connectivity. As  on  28.02.2026,  497  Base  Transceiver  Stations  (BTSs)  are  providing  5G  connectivity  in  the district. Further, 768 Gram Panchayats (GPs) and 15 Block Headquarters (BHQ) in Mahendergarh Constituency have been made service-ready under the BharatNet project.

To improve the Quality of Service (QoS), revised QoS benchmark effective from 01.10.2024 have  been  introduced  by  Telecom  Regulatory  Authority  of  India  (TRAI)  which  among  others includes separate benchmarks for call drops for 2G/3G and for 4G/5G that are being monitored on monthly basis by the regulator.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4176 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Calling Name Presentation
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Atul Garg, Dr. D. Purandeswari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4176 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## CALLING NAME PRESENTATION

## 4176.   SHRI ATUL GARG: DR. D. PURANDESWARI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the rationale for mandating the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) feature as a "Default" setting for all subscribers;

(b) whether the Government has conducted a "Privacy Impact Assessment" regarding the safety risks faced by women and vulnerable groups whose full KYC names will now be visible to every stranger they call and if so, the details thereof;

- (c) the details of the specific mechanism available for citizens to "Opt-out" of CNAP if they perceive a threat to their safety and whether this opt-out facility is easily accessible via SMS or app;
- (d) the details of the technical upgrades required by handset manufacturers to support CNAP and whether feature phone users (2G) will be excluded from this anti-spam measure; and

(e) whether the Government is aware that scammers are already using "Spoofing Apps" to bypass CNAP by displaying fake KYC names and if so, the steps taken to counter this new modus operandi?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e) The trial and assessment of the implementation of CNAP service for 4G and above technologies is being conducted by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). This is being done based on the recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 'Introduction of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Service in Indian Telecommunication Network', wherein, after open consultation with stakeholders, TRAI has recommended that prior to the implementation of CNAP service  on  pan-India  basis  in  Indian  telecommunication  network,  a  trial  and  assessment  of implementation of CNAP service should be undertaken.

On the basis of outcome of such trial and assessment by TSPs, the Government would take final decision on implementation of CNAP service in mobile networks.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 4173 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Coal Distribution Policy
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: Shri Imran Masood

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4173 ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## COAL DISTRIBUTION POLICY

## †4173. SHRI IMRAN MASOOD:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  implemented  any  new  distribution  policy  during  the  year 2025-26 to ensure the supply of domestic coal to thermal power plants;

(b)  if  so,  the  manner  in  which  the  priority  for  coal  supply  to  the  power  plants  has  been determined under the said policy;

(c) whether special provisions have been made in this policy to strengthen the railway and other transport infrastructure;

(d) if so, the details of progress thereof; and

(e) whether the Government is implementing a digital monitoring system in the coal supply chain and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  &  (b) :  The  Government approved  the  Revised  Scheme  for  Harnessing  and  Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India [SHAKTI] Policy for coal allocation to Power Sector on 07.05.2025, which was issued by the Ministry of Coal on 20.05.2025. The Revised SHAKTI Policy,  2025  supersedes  the  provisions  of  the  SHAKTI  Policy,  2017  and  its  subsequent amendments in 2019 and 2023. The Revised SHAKTI Policy, 2025 ensures coal linkages in a transparent manner to all power producers irrespective of ownership i.e. Central Genco, State Genco and Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
- (c) & (d): The Revised SHAKTI Policy is for coal allocation to the power sector and has no explicit  special  provisions  have  been  made  under  the  Revised  SHAKTI  Policy,  2025  to strengthen the railway and other transport infrastructure. However, under the Revised SHAKTI Policy, 2025 Greenfield Thermal Power Projects established near pitheads are eligible for coal linkages, subject to exemption / relaxation granted by the Empowered Committee on a caseto-case basis. Establishment of pithead power plants, in effect, reduces the requirement of longdistance  transportation  of  coal  through  railways,  thereby  easing  pressure  on  the  railway network.
- (e): Ministry  of  Coal  has  launched  the  Koyla  Shakti  dashboard  on  29.10.2025  for  digital monitoring of the coal supply chain. The platform enables real-time monitoring of the coal production, dispatch and rake movement, thereby improving coordination among stakeholders and ensuring efficient coal supply management.