opensansad/lok-sabha-qa huggingface dataset:
Lok Sabha Question No. 6067 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Introduction of New Train
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P

§

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6067 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRAIN

## 6067. DR. GANAPATHY RAJKUMAR P:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any proposal to introduce a new train from Rameswaram  to  Mangaluru  Junction  bi-weekly  via  Palakkad-PodanurPollachi overnight express which is a very long pending demand of the people of these areas and the same has been proposed in IRTTC (Inter Railway  Time  Table  Conference)  meeting  held  in  2018  by  Southern Railway;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  if  not,  the  reasons  thereof  including  the  timeline  by  when  the  said proposal likely to be implemented?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c) To facilitate the passengers of Rameswaram - Pollachi - Palakkad Mangaluru sector, a new weekly train service viz. 16621/16622 Rameswaram - Mangaluru Central Express has been introduced w.e.f. 14.03.2026.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6065 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Publication of TRP for TV News Channels
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: Shri Eatala Rajender

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6065 (TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026)

## PUBLICATION OF TRP FOR TV NEWS CHANNELS.

## 6065. SHRI EATALA RAJENDER :

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government halts publication of TRP for TV news channels;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the details of objections received and corrected till now?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (c): During Operation Sindoor, some TV news channels were observed to be broadcasting unwarranted sensational and speculative content. Such behavior by TV channels have been observed during periods of conflict or crisis. It also has potential to create panic among the public, especially those having friends and family in the affected areas.

Accordingly, as a precautionary measure, the Government has directed to withhold reporting of the Television Rating Points (TRPs) for TV news channels for a period of four  weeks.  These  directions  were  widely  accepted  by  all  stakeholders  and  no objections against it have been received so far.

- *****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6064 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Establishment of SSC Centres
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Mr Pathan Yusuf

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

## (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.6064

(ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026)

## ESTABLISHMENT OF SSC CENTRES

## 6064. MR PATHAN YUSUF:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government plans to establish dedicated examination centres for the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) GD Constable and SSC CGL examinations in Murshidabad district, particularly at Berhampore;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the proposed timeline for setting up such centres;
- (c) if  not,  the  reasons  for  not  having  examination  centres  in  Murshidabad district  despite repeated requests from local candidates and elected representatives;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  thousands  of  candidates  from  the  densely  populated adjoining districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, Purba Bardhaman and northern parts of Nadia are  forced  to  travel  long  distances  to  appear  in  SSC  GD  and  SSC  CGL  examinations  causing immense hardship, high travel costs and inconvenience; and
- (e)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  is  likely  to  consider  opening  of  SSC  GD  and  SSC  CGL examination centres at Berhampore given its central location and the large number of applicants from these districts every year?

## 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 (e): As per the exam notification published by SSC, the Constable (GD) Examination 2026 is scheduled to be conducted in 130 cities across the country including six cities in West Bengal. Similarly, for the  CGL Examination 2025, 135 cities across the country including six cities in West Bengal were designated as exam centres.

The following cities in West Bengal have been designated as centres for the aforementioned SSC examinations -

1. Asansol (Paschim Bardhaman district)
2. Burdwan (Purba Bardhaman district)
3. Durgapur (Paschim Bardhaman district)
4. Malda (Malda district)
5. Siliguri (Jalpaiguri & Darjeeling districts)
6. Suri (Birbhum district)
7. Kolkata / Howrah

The respective exam notifications may be seen at: https://ssc.gov.in/api/attachment/uploads/masterData/NoticeBoards/Notice\_of\_CTGD\_2026.pdf

; and

https://ssc.gov.in/api/attachment/uploads/masterData/NoticeBoards/Notice\_of\_adv\_cgl\_2025.pdf

SSC makes all efforts to accommodate candidates at their preferred or nearby available centres. SSC has recently introduced the 'self-slotting' facility allowing candidates to select their exam city, date & shift for greater convenience.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6060 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Venture Capital Fund for the Space Sector
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Shri Bastipati Nagaraju

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF SPACE LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6060

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 01, 2026

## VENTURE CAPITAL FUND FOR THE SPACE SECTOR

## 6060.  SHRI BASTIPATI NAGARAJU:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  number  of  startups  invested  in  through  the venture  capital  fund  for  the  space  sector  and  the  amount  of investments made, year-wise;
- (b) the  details  of  the  list  of  startups  supported,  their  area  of innovation  along  with  investment  received  by  each  startup under the fund especially of those based in Andhra Pradesh;
- (c) the  details  of  the  utilisation  of  the  investment,  year  and company-wise;
- (d) the details of the returns provided by supported startups to the Government, year and company-wise;
- (e) the details of estimated jobs created through the said fund and its investment, year and company-wise; and
- (f) the  details  of  the  technical  assistance  provided  to  startups through this fund?

## ANSWER

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

****

The venture capital fund for space startups has been set up by SIDBI Venture Capital Limited (SVCL) as the investment manager  in  the  name  of  Antariksh  Venture  Capital  Fund.  The Fund  received  SEBI's  registration  on  October  31,  2025  and declared  its  initial  closing  on  November  10,  2025  at  ₹1,005 crores. Subsequently,  post  SEBI  registration activities viz. appointment of the custodian, registration with depositories for issuance of AIF units, and constitution of the Screening Committee and Investment Committee (IC), were completed.

In parallel, evaluation of Spacetech startups has been continuing and four proposals are at  an  advanced  stage following  the  Pre-IC  approval.  Given  the  nascent  stage  of  the Spacetech  ecosystem,  particularly  in  cases  where  startups have had limited or no prior exposure to institutional investors, there is a need felt to provide handholding to such startups, in order  for  them  to  organize  their  data  better  and  share  the requisite information with SVCL for the sanction process. With the handholding, SVCL is hopeful to complete the detailed appraisal shortly and place it before the Investment Committee for  its  consideration.  It  is  expected  that  SVCL  will  be  in  a position  to  fund  the  approved  startups  in  the  first  quarter  of party

FY2027 after satisfactory completion of the third due-diligence and execution of definitive documentation.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6045 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Developing Space Science among Students
Ministry: SPACE
Asked by: Smt. Anita Nagarsingh Chouhan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF SPACE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6045

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 01, 2026

## DEVELOPING SPACE SCIENCE AMONG STUDENTS

## 6045.  SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  "Yuva  Vigyani  Karyakram"  (YUVIKA)  is  being conducted  with  the  aim  of  developing  interest in  space science among students;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof along with the selection process for students  from  across  the  country  under  the  said  programme and the number of students benefited from the said programme so far; and
- (c) whether  any  special  provisions  have  been  made  by  the Government  to  provide  more  opportunities  to  students  from rural  and  remote  areas  in  the  said  programme  and  if  so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

****

O.I.H.

- (a)  Yes, the "Yuva Vigyani Karyakram" (YUVIKA) is being conducted with  the  aim  of  developing  interest  in  space  science  among students.
- (b)   The  YUVIKA  Programme  is  conducted  for  Indian  students studying  in  9th  Standard  in  India.  It  is  aimed  at  developing interest  in  students  towards  space  science  and  encourage them  to  consider  it  as  career  option.  The  selection  process involves online screening of credentials and evaluation of online quiz competition. Final selection is done online after verification of credentials. The no. of students benefitted so far in YUVIKA Programme is 1320.
- (c)    Yes.  15%  reservation  is  provided  to  students  from  rural  and remote area.

****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6043 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Selection of Zoho as a Service Provider
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6043

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## SELECTION OF ZOHO AS A SERVICE PROVIDER

## 6043. SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

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

- (a)  the  details  of  the  tendering  process  through  which  Zoho has been selected as a service provider;
- (b) the details of rate per email account finalised as per this tendering process; and
- (c) the details of total number of email accounts migrated along with the total amount paid out to Zoho till date?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c): The Government recognises the critical importance of having a robust, sovereign and  secure  official  email  system  for  its  Ministries  and  Departments.  The  Government  has mandated that only email services provided by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) shall be used for official communication.

To ensure this, the government through NIC has selected a Master System Integrator (MSI) -M/s Zoho as a robust cloud-based email solution capable of supporting all Government users.

The selection was carried out through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM-CPPP) bidding process,  which included a Proof of Concept (PoC) with shortlisted bidders and designated groups of government users.

The project emphasises 'Make in India' compliance and ensures that the Government retains full ownership of all data and intellectual property generated under the contract.

The monthly pricing for email accounts ranges from ₹170 to ₹300 with 30 GB to 100GB mailbox size being offered.

The payments are made based on the actual number of email accounts migrated to the Zoho platform. The number of user accounts of Ministries and Departments migrated so far are around 16.68 Lakhs with the corresponding expenditure being ₹ 180.10 Crores.

- *******
Lok Sabha Question No. 6025 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Vande Bharat Sleeper Rakes in Telangana
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. D K Aruna

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6025 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## VANDE BHARAT SLEEPER RAKES IN TELANGANA

## 6025. SMT. D K ARUNA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

whether the Government proposes manufacturing and network expansion for  Vande  Bharat  sleeper  rakes  in  Telangana  and  if  so,  the  details  of manufacturing  and  Network  expansion  plan  and  if  not,  the  reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

Indian Railways has taken up the work of setting up a Railway Manufacturing  Unit  at  Kazipet,  Telangana  at  a  cost  of  Rs.  521.36  Crores where manufacture of modern Mainline Electric Multiple Units (MEMU) is planned. The work of Rail Manufacturing Unit at Kazipet is at an advanced stage with civil and electrical infrastructure nearing completion.

For long distance travel the Sleeper variant of Vande Bharat Express has been indigenously designed and developed. Two such trains have already been manufactured. After extensive trials, these trains have been introduced on Indian Railways (IR). The First Vande Bharat Sleeper service viz.  27575/27576  Howrah-  Kamakhya  Vande  Bharat  Sleeper  Express  has commenced regular operation w.e.f. 22.01.2026.

The  process  of  development  of  new  rolling  stocks  like  Vande  Sleeper necessitates  a  holistic  approach,  combining  technological  innovation, strategic  planning  and  manufacturing  to  ensure  a  safe,  reliable  and comfortable  travel.  This  involves  development  of  prototype,  extensive testing and trials followed by series production.

§

Besides, 162 Vande Bharat train services (Chair Car) presently are being operated  on  the  Indian  Railways  network.  The  state  of  Telangana  is presently  served  by  the  following  05  pairs  of  Vande  Bharat  Chair  Car services:

|   S No. | Train no. and name                                           |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | 20101/20102 Nagpur-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express         |
|       2 | 20701/20702 Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express       |
|       3 | 20703/20704 Kacheguda-Yeswantpur Vande Bharat Express        |
|       4 | 20707/20708 Secunderabad -Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express |
|       5 | 20833/20834 Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express  |

Further,  introduction  of  new  train  services  including  Vande  Bharat Sleeper Express is an on-going process, which depends on various factors including-

- ●Capacity of that section.
- ●Availability of path.
- ●Availability of required rolling stock.
- ●Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock.
- ●Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets.
- ●Occupancy and the traffic requirement of the section.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6018 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Subordinate Legislation Management System
Ministry: PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal, Shri Yogender Chandolia, Shri Rao Rajendra Singh, Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 6018

## ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## Subordinate Legislation Management System

## 6018.    Shri Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal:

- Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:
- Shri Yogender Chandolia:
- Shri Rao Rajendra Singh:
- Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah:
- Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao:

Smt. Smita Uday Wagh:

## Will the MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of implementation of the Subordinate Legislation Management System (SLMS) across Ministries/Departments of the Union Government;
- (b) the number of Ministries/Departments that have been onboarded onto the SLMS portal since its launch;
- (c)  the  number  of  subordinate  legislations  processed  through  the system so far;
- (d)  whether the system provides for digital tracking of the various stages of drafting, vetting, framing, laying and scrutiny of subordinate legislation before Parliament and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has conducted any training programmes or capacity building initiatives for official of Ministries to facilitate effective use of the portal and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f)  the details of the measures taken by the Government to ensure timely framing, laying and review of subordinate legislation through the use of the SLMS portal?

## 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) Subordinate Legislation Management System (SLMS) Portal is currently operational for monitoring the various stages of subordinate legislations  like  framing/drafting,  laying,  vetting  and  notification based  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Committee  of  Subordinate Legislation, Lok Sabha.
- (b) & (e) Credentials  have  been  shared  with  all  the  stakeholders comprising  of  Rajya  Sabha  Secretariat,  Lok  Sabha  Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat, Legislative Department and all other Ministries / Departments under Government of India. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has also organized a training cum workshop for all stakeholders.
- (c)  &  (f)  SLMS  portal  was  developed  with  an  aim  for  enabling  all stakeholders  to  monitor  the  progress  of  the  various  stages  of subordinate legislations for timely compliance. As on date, progress of 86 Subordinate Legislations are available on the Portal.
- (d) Yes

***
Lok Sabha Question No. 6015 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Weather Monitoring and Climate Research Station
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Dharambir Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6015

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 1 ST  APRIL, 2026

## WEATHER MONITORING AND CLIMATE RESEARCH STATION

## 6015.   SHRI DHARAMBIR SINGH:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  expand  its  network  of  weather  monitoring  and climate research stations in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether any new meteorological or climate research centres are proposed in Haryana, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether the drought-prone Bhiwani-Mahendragarh region has been considered for such facilities if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes. The Government has adopted advanced, state-of-the-art techniques, including highresolution weather and climate models, satellite-based observation systems, and Artificial Intelligence-enabled  forecasting  tools,  to  improve  the  accuracy  of  monitoring  and prediction of climate change and associated extreme weather events. Currently, MoES has a  robust  weather  observation  network  comprising  manual  observatories,  Automatic Weather  Stations  (AWSs),  Automatic  Rain  Gauges  (ARGs),  Agro-AWS,  upper-air observatories, Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs), and satellites to monitor climate change and extreme weather events across the country.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is in continuous endeavour of augmenting the observational network, including weather monitoring stations (AWS, ARGs, Agro-AWS, DWRs,  and  Satellites)  and  climate  research  and  development  infrastructure,  towards achieving better accuracy in weather forecasting, as well as to strengthen timely early warning systems. Mission Mausam has been launched by the Ministry with the objective of making Bharat a "weather-ready and climate-smart" nation.

- (b) At present, the State of Haryana has 8 departmental and non-departmental observatories for recording daily surface observation data, along with 7 Automatic Weather Stations. In addition, the State is also covered by three Doppler Weather Radars located at New Delhi, Patiala, and Jaipur.
- (c) The drought-prone Bhiwani-Mahendragarh region has been considered for such facilities. The India Meteorological Department has already installed one Agro-Automatic Weather Station at Mahendragarh in 2022.

*****
Lok Sabha Question No. 6010 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Telecommunications Sector
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Darshan Singh Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6010 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 ST  APRIL, 2026

## TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR

## †6010. SHRI DARSHAN SINGH CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that due to limited competition in the telecommunications sector in the country's consumers often do not receive services as expected on time and in particular, sometimes do not receive the promised services as their recharge near expiry leading to dissatisfaction to the customers;

(b) whether the strong presence of the BSNL network can provide an affordable and reliable alternative in the  telecommunications sector and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  launch  a  pilot  project  in  Hoshangabad  Lok  Sabha Constituency of Madhya Pradesh to significantly expand BSNL network services with 100 per cent coverage so as to benefit BSNL and provide better and more affordable telecommunications services to consumers?

## ANSWER

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

(a) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), under sub-clause (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 11 of the TRAI Act, 1997 is entrusted with the function of laying down the standards of quality of service by the service providers to protect the interest of the consumers of telecommunication services.

The following steps have been taken to monitor the quality of service of mobile services:

I. The performance of service providers is  regularly  monitored by TRAI against  the benchmark  for  various  quality  of  service  parameters  laid  down  by  TRAI,  through collection of periodic performance monitoring reports from service providers.

II.  The said reports are submitted to TRAI on quarterly basis for each Licensed Service Area (LSA). However, the reports for mobile services is submitted on a monthly basis.

III. Wherever  the  quality-of-service  benchmarks  are  not  met,  TRAI  calls  for  the explanation of the service provider concerned and after considering the response of the service providers, imposes financial disincentive as per the provision of regulations made by it.

IV. TRAI  also  carries  out  an  audit  of  the  said  reports  through  its  own  officers  or independent agencies.

V.  In addition, TRAI undertakes assessment of quality of service by conducting drive test on selected routes through its own officers or independent agencies.

VI. TRAI publishes the results of the audit and assessment of quality of service and drive tests on its website for information of stakeholders.

(b) The government has extended support to BSNL through revival packages approved in the years 2019, 2022 and 2023.

(c) There  is  no  pilot  project  of  BSNL  for  100%  coverage  in  Hoshangabad  Lok  Sabha constituency of Madhya Pradesh.

*****