Rajya Sabha List of Questions for WRITTEN ANSWERS to be asked at a sitting of the Rajya Sabha to be held on Friday, August 13, 2021/ 22 Sravana, 1943 (Saka)

(Ministries : Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Chemicals and Fertilizers; Commerce and Industry; Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Food Processing Industries; Panchayati Raj; Railways; Rural Development; Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) Total number of questions -- 160

Steps taken to encourage crop diversification 2881 Shri B. Lingaiah Yadav: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken steps in a bid to encourage crop diversification; and (b) if so, the details thereof and the results yielded, State-wise, in the last five years?

Role of FPOs in increasing the farmers' income 2882 Shri P. Wilson: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the number of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) the Central Government has proposed to constitute currently and the number of FPOs already constituted in the country, State/UTs-wise; (b) whether it is a fact that FPOs also play an important role in doubling of the farmers' income in the country, especially in Tamil Nadu; (c) if so, the work being done by the FPOs in this regard in the country, especially in Tamil Nadu; and (d) the details of other schemes implemented by the Central Government with respect to FPOs in order to double the farmers' income in the country?

Shortfall in MSP 2883 Shri Neeraj Dangi: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the details of target fixed for Minimum Support Price (MSP) allocation for the last five years, State-wise; (b) the details of actual MSP given against the target, State-wise; and (c) the steps taken to address the shortfall in MSP?

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Increase in income of farmers 2884 Shri Neeraj Dangi: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the details of efforts made/steps taken by Government to increase the income of farmers during the last four years; (b) whether the farmers cultivating traditional crops like paddy, wheat, Jowar, etc. have adopted the cash crop system through Government schemes to increase the income; (c) if so, the details thereof; and (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

Increase in insurance coverage 2885 Shri Neeraj Dangi: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken any steps to increase the amount of insurance cover under Fasal Bima Yojana so as to enable the farmers to overcome loss of crops due to flood and drought; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has assisted them in time of financial crisis keeping in view the pitiable condition of the farmers and payment of low insurance amount across the country; (d) if so, the details thereof; (e) if not, the reasons therefor; and (f) the steps being taken by Government to assist them in times of low agricultural production due to floods and droughts?

Shortage of cold storages in Rajasthan 2886 # Shri Ramkumar Verma: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the number of cold storages and their average holding capacity in the State of Rajasthan, especially in Dausa district and other districts as on date; (b) whether farmers in Rajasthan suffer huge losses in vegetables, especially onion, tomato, etc. due to lack of adequate cold storage plants; and (c) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by Government to protect the farmers?

Implementation of PM-KISAN scheme in Rajasthan 2887 # Shri Ramkumar Verma: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the number of identified beneficiaries who have been provided assistance under Pradhan Mantri Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) in Rajasthan, year-wise and district- wise, the amount provided to each beneficiary along with number of instalments in which it was provided; (b) whether all instalments have been paid under the said scheme in Rajasthan, if not, details of instalments which would be paid to eligible beneficiaries along with time schedule thereof; and (c) whether Government proposes to take any concrete step to include more eligible farmers by running campaign in a phased manner in Rajasthan under the said scheme, if so, details thereof? 708

Concession to women farmers under E-Krishi Yantra Anudaan Yojana 2888 # Shri Rewati Raman Singh: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that E-Krishi Yantra Anudaan Yojana is being implemented throughout the country for the farmers; (b) whether it is also a fact that provision of financial assistance is being made according to the agricultural equipments in this scheme; (c) whether Government has any plan to give more concessions to the women farmers under this Yojana; and (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Grievance redressal mechanism on PM-KISAN 2889 # Shri Rewati Raman Singh: Shri K.J. Alphons: Shri Sanjay Singh: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has constituted a mechanism with the State Governments to weed out illegal beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN) as almost 7298 ineligible farmers have been provided financial assistance under the scheme, the details thereof; (b) whether a grievance redressal mechanism has been created to accept and solve the delay in receiving payment and issues related to land documents as farmers were not provided money in time during Corona period, if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether Government plans to include vulnerable landless and farmers of the marginalised community as beneficiaries under PM-KISAN scheme?

Declaration of MSP for crops 2890 Dr. V. Sivadasan: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has declared Minimum Support Price (MSP) for any crops, if so, the details thereof; (b) if not, the reasons therefor; (c) whether any States have declared MSP for crops; (d) if so, the details regarding MSP declared for each crop by different States; and (e) whether the Central Government intends to declare MSP for more crops, if so, the details thereof?

Wages of agricultural workers 2891 Shri Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether there is a minimum floor wage for agricultural workers in the country; (b) if so, the minimum wage of agricultural workers in different States of the country; (c) the difference of average wage rate between male and female agricultural workers in the country; and (d) the average number of working days available for an agricultural worker in the country? 709

MSP for potato and onion 2892 Shri Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the amount of average procurement, average farm rate, and average wholesale and retail market price of potato and onion this year in various States; and (b) the MSP fixed by Government on potato and onion for the present year?

MSP and procurement under Kharif and Rabi season 2893 Shri Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the total production under both Kharif and Rabi seasons and the quantity of procurement made, State-wise and crop-wise; (b) the MSP rate prevailing in the States and the amount released, State-wise and crop- wise; (c) whether the formula used to fix MSP is based on the recommendation of Swaminathan Commission, if not, the alternative formula used to fix the rates this year; and (d) the data on MSP rate prevailing in various States and the difference with the MSP announced by the Central Government?

India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture and Agristack (IDEA) 2894 Smt. Vandana Chavan: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government plans to include landless farmers, tenant farmers, agricultural labourers, fisherfolk and forest-produce dependent people in Agristack; (b) whether Government plans to allow partial/full ownership of Agristack by private entities or will this digital ecosystem be 100% Government-owned; (c) whether it is mandatory for farmers to be part of Agristack, if so, how informed consent for the same will be obtained; (d) the criterion for selection and details of tendering process of organisations Government has signed MoUs with for pilot implementation of Agristack; and (e) details of submissions to IDEA consultation paper in public domain and if not, reasons therefor?

Funding pattern under PMFBY 2895 Dr. Amar Patnaik: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether steps are taken/being taken to revise the funding pattern under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to 60:40 between the Centre and State, similar to Central Sector Schemes, if so, the details thereof; (b) the steps taken/being taken by Government to incentivise States for capturing of Crop Cutting Experience (CCE) data through mobile applications; and (c) the steps taken/being taken by Government to include inundation peril for paddy in localised calamities? 710

Data regarding female farmers 2896 Dr. Amar Patnaik: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the number of female farmers involved in agricultural and cultivation labour, State-wise; (b) the number of female farmers that own land, State-wise; (c) the agricultural land owned by female farmers, national and State-wise; (d) the number of female farmers that have access to the Kisan Credit Card since its launch; and (e) the number of females that have availed and received credits under the Kisan Credit Card scheme since its launch?

Central share in premium subsidy under PMFBY 2897 Shri Prasanna Acharya: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government will consider increasing the Central share in the premium subsidy under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (b) whether it is a fact that the contingent expenses under the scheme is totally borne by the State Governments; and (c) if so, whether Government would consider sharing the contingent expenses with State Governments?

Relevance of Beed formula for Fasal Bima Yojana 2898 Shri Anil Desai: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the main feature of Fasal Bima Yojana and the number of farmers enrolled so far under it since its inception; (b) the Beed formula and how it is relevant to this Yojana; and (c) the number of insurance companies which are part of this Yojana and the amount of financial participation of various stakeholders?

Research and Development on organic farming 2899 Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which the Ministry is addressing the issue of using isolated/obsolete technologies and techniques in organic farming in the country; (b) the efforts being made for capacity building of producers on organic farming techniques; (c) whether it is a fact that there is mismatch between demand and supply and, if so, the plan of the Ministry to address the same; and (d) the details of funding pattern for Research and Development on organic farming and money spent in this regard during the last five years, year-wise, and results yielded?

Implementation of crop insurance schemes 2900 # Shri Sushil Kumar Modi: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the name of the States of the country which are out of crop insurance scheme; 711

(b) the number of farmers registered during the last three years, including the current year, State-wise; (c) the amount of total premium deposited, the number of farmers paid and the amount paid to the farmers during the last three years, the details thereof; and (d) the details of Beed formula and the name of the States which have given their consent for it?

Definition of farmer 2901 Shri Sanjay Singh: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether there is no proper definition of a farmer in the country and a farmer is categorised based on land holdings only; (b) if so, the reasons therefor and the reasons for not incorporating the definition of a farmer on the basis of Swaminathan Report which gives clear definition of farmer; (c) whether it is a fact that according to the announcement by the Prime Minister in 2019 about 14.5 crore farmer families received ₹ 6000 a year under PM-KISAN scheme and whether the allocated budget for the same has been adequate; and (d if so, details thereof and reasons therefor?

Implementation of schemes to boost agricultural production 2902 Dr. Fauzia Khan: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the details of schemes being implemented to boost agricultural production in the country; (b) whether these schemes have been reviewed; (c) if so, the outcome thereof; (d) the value of imports and exports of agricultural products during the last five years, product-wise; (e) whether Government has made efforts to impose a ban on the import of agricultural products; and (f) if so, the extent of the success achieved therefor?

Timely payment of insurance claims 2903 # Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware of the fact that farmers in the country, especially in Rajasthan, are not getting full benefits of the Fasal Bima in time and many insurance companies have pulled out of this scheme; (b) if so, the reasons therefor; (c) the new steps being taken to ensure adequate and timely benefits of the said insurance scheme to farmers and to remove such upcoming hurdles; and (d) if so, the reasons therefor?

Spreading awareness on organic food 2904 Shri K.C. Ramamurthy: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that food consumption behavior and dietary habits among younger 712 generation is changing and they want to eat right food and stay healthy; (b) whether this means that younger generation, if educated/made aware about organic food, will be inclined to have only organic food and thereby achieve the twin objectives of increasing the farmers' income and keeping younger generation healthy and fit; and (c) if so, the efforts being made by Government in this direction?

Drought monitoring system 2905 Dr. Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the various initiatives taken by the Ministry to monitor drought conditions in the last five years; (b) the major outcomes of these drought monitoring exercises; and (c) whether the Ministry has sought the usage of Geographic Information System for monitoring droughts, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Compensation to farmers for losses due to closure of State borders 2906 Shri K.T.S. Tulsi: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has paid or plans to pay any compensation to the farmers for losses on account of state borders closed by Government, barring them from selling their produces; and (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Agricultural credit for PM-KISAN beneficiaries 2907 Shri G.V.L. Narasimha Rao: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the number of beneficiaries receiving benefits under PM-KISAN in different districts of Andhra Pradesh; (b) the number of PM-KISAN beneficiaries in Guntur and Prakasam districts by revenue mandal; (c) the number of PM-KISAN beneficiaries who have been issued Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) in Guntur and Prakasam districts by revenue mandal; (d) total credit received by PM-KISAN beneficiaries through KCCs; (e) whether 100 per cent coverage for KCCs has not been achieved, the reasons thereof; and (f) the number of PM-KISAN beneficiaries in Guntur and Prakasam districts receiving any agricultural credit from banks, cooperatives or RRBs in the last three years?

Development of new farming practice 2908 Shri Vijay Pal Singh Tomar: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether a new farming practice has been developed in the country to increase the productivity of land, water and other farm inputs in cultivation of crops; and (b) whether the existing problems like water scarcity, high energy usage and environmental degradation would adequately be taken care of and thus crop yield is substantially increased? 713

Share of farm sector in GDP 2909 Smt. Ambika Soni: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) the current share of farm sector in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country; (b) whether Government has formulated any plan to increase the share of farm sector in GDP and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the steps taken by Government to increase the productivity and production of Kharif as well as Rabi crops through proper use of fertilizers and also to improve soil health through more usages of micro-nutrients?

Progression chart on farmers's income, cost of farming and subsidies 2910 Dr. Vikas Mahatme: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry has a progression chart of farmers' income of the last five years; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Ministry has a progression chart of cost of farming of the last five years; (d) if so, the details thereof; (e) whether the Ministry has a progression chart of subsidies given by Government, in rupees, in the last five years; and (f) if so, the details thereof?

Linking crop insurance schemes with disaster mitigation activities 2911 Shri Subhash Chandra Singh: Will the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is planning to integrate or link crop insurance schemes with disaster mitigation activities as recommended by a Committee constituted by the Ministry in May, 2014; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Plastic parks 2912 Shri A. Vijayakumar: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) the number of existing and proposed plastic parks in the country; (b) the objectives and need of plastic parks in the age of "No Plastic" in the country; (c) whether there are programmes/schemes to dispose of hazardous plastic in the country; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

Medicines with very high prices 2913 Dr. V. Sivadasan: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware of the fact that there are some diseases which require medicines that cost very huge amount of money like the Zolgensma medicine for Spinal Muscular Atrophy; (b) whether there are any other such highly expensive medicines, the details along with the 714 disease for which it is used; (c) the factors responsible for such high price range, the details of the price split up; (d) whether Government intends to provide these medicines at affordable prices for the ordinary people; (e) if so, the steps taken therefor; and (f) if not, the reasons thereof?

Method of drug price determination 2914 Shri Anil Desai: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) the procedure or policy to determine price of any drug or medicine; (b) how the minimum and maximum price is determined; and (c) whether Government is aware that often MRP mentioned on the drug packing is exorbitant and common consumer is simply cheated by it, if so, the action Government has taken against the pharmaceutical companies in this regard during the last five years?

Impact of Coronavirus on pharma industry 2915 # Shri Vinay Dinu Tendulkar: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether any assessment of the effect of Coronavirus on the pharmaceutical industry in the country has been done in view of the fact that maximum drugs in the country have to be imported from foreign countries; (b) the countries from which import of raw materials for drug manufacturing is permitted by Government; and (c) whether Government has formulated any scheme for availability of the raw materials for drug manufacturing at domestic level, if so, the details thereof?

Staff vacancies and academic performance in NIPER 2916 Shri G.C. Chandrashekhar: Smt. Phulo Devi Netam: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether Ministry has taken steps to appoint regular academic and administrative staff as pointed out in CAG Report 3 of 2020 at NIPERs located in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, Rae Bareli and Hajipur; (b) if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor; (c) the details of vacancies as well as current number of permanent, contractual, temporary and any other category of staff employed in all NIPERs; (d) whether Ministry has taken steps to mitigate negative impact of such vacancies on student’s academic performance; and (e) if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor?

Schemes to promote domestic pharmaceuticals 2917 Shri Harnath Singh Yadav: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) the details of the schemes implemented to promote domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing; (b) whether indigenous pharmaceutical companies have reduced the country's dependence 715 on foreign pharmaceutical products by manufacturing the same; and (c) if so, the details thereof?

Regulating prices of medicines in India 2918 Dr. Sasmit Patra: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) the mechanism for regulation of prices of medicines in India; and (b) how has this policy/mechanism been successful in regulating the prices of medicines?

Demand and supply of fertilizers in the country 2919 Dr. Banda Prakash: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether there is a huge gap between demand and actual supply of fertilizers in the country; (b) the quantum of demand and supply of fertilizers during the year 2020- 21 along with the estimated quantum of demand and supply for the current year, State-wise; (c) whether the quantum of fertilizers supplied to the States is not adequate to meet the requirements and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the remedial steps taken by Government in this regard?

Types of fertilizers being sold 2920 # Shri Shaktisinh Gohil: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) the number and types of fertilizers being sold in the country; and (b) the price of each type of fertilizer during each of the last five years?

Including cancer drugs under DPCO 2921 Smt. Jharna Das Baidya: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether Government proposes to include many cancer drugs under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) as a part of the Essential Medicines; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) the steps taken by Government to ensure the affordability of cancer drugs in the country?

Shortage of anti viral drugs 2922 Shri M.V. Shreyams Kumar: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken cognisance of shortage of anti-viral drugs during the second wave of COVID-19 in the country; (b) if so, the details thereof and action taken to address the shortage; and (c) the number of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab manufacturing units set up between March 2020 and May 2021; and (d) the total production of Remdesivir and Tocilizumab at present? 716

Infrastructure and governance of NIPER 2923 Smt. Phulo Devi Netam: Will the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry has taken steps to further the allotment of contracts for the building of permanent campuses of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Hyderabad, Hajipur, Kolkata and Raebareli following the observations of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) in Report 3 of 2020; (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) the details of when the Board of Governors (BoG) for all the NIPERs were appointed and the reasons for the delay in such appointment?

FAO's report on milk producer 2924 Shri K.C. Venugopal: Shri Sanjay Seth: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether India is largest milk producer in the world as per report of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, if so, the reasons for failing to boost export of milk products from the country; (b) challenges faced by Government while exporting milk products from the country; (c) whether India’s exports of milk and milk products have declined drastically during the last three years and their imports have registered an increase during the said period; and (d) if so, details thereof along with the impact of fall in exports of these products on domestic prices of milk and milk products?

Slow implementation of Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor 2925 Shri Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware of the fact that the work pertaining to Visakhapatnam- Chennai Industrial Corridor is moving at a snail’s pace which directly affects the job opportunities of the youth in the State of Andhra Pradesh; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has formulated any special programme in order to escalate the work pertaining to Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Inter-connectivity of places of export 2926 Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether the Central Government is taking steps to upgrade the inter-connectivity with ports, roads, rail and air at every place from where exports are taking place; and (b) if so, the details thereof? 717

Mandatory procurement of goods and services from Government e-Marketplace 2927 Shri Sanjay Seth: Shri K.C. Venugopal: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has made Government e-Marketplace (GeM) mandatory to procure goods and services from the portal for all Ministries/Departments, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether Government is successful in bringing down the transaction time and cost for procurement of goods and services, if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the portal has had any impact on the annual procurement costs of Government and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the other steps taken by Government to encourage and enhance its reach of the units in the MSME sector?

Proposals on FDI 2928 Shri Parimal Nathwani: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has recently approved a large number of proposals on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); (b) if so, the details thereof, project-wise, along with the employment opportunities likely to be generated therefrom; and (c) the steps taken or proposed to be taken by Government to maximise benefits of FDI?

Efforts to make toy industry organized 2929 Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) the efforts being made to bring unorganized toy industry in the country into organized and competing with Vietnam and China, who are leaders in the global toy sector; (b) the steps taken/proposed to be taken to make India a toy hub of the world; (c) whether it is a fact that import of cheap and low quality toys is rampant in the country; (d) if so, whether there are any plans to strengthen BIS and make it mandatory for all toy manufacturers within the country and imported toys to adhere to BIS standard; and (e) if so, the details thereof?

Non-compliance by e-Commerce companies 2930 # Shri Mahesh Poddar: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the market share of e-Commerce firms in the country has increased during the last five years and the domestic retailers have been impacted negatively by this; (b) whether it is a fact that some e-Commerce companies are trying for corporate restructuring again and again, ignoring the Indian laws; and (c) the steps Government would take to stop the continuous non-compliance of Indian laws by some e-Commerce companies and to provide a level playing field in Indian retail market? 718

Establishment of new industries in production sector 2931 # Ms. Saroj Pandey: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether new medium and large industries have been established in the production sector during the last three years; (b) if so, the number of such industries established in the country and the places where the same have been set up; and (c) the number of new people who have got employment from the establishment of the same?

Economic impact of SAFTA 2932 Shri Partap Singh Bajwa: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry has studied the economic impact of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Ministry has studied specific sectoral impact of SAFTA and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether SAFTA has impacted the bicycle industry of India and if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether the Ministry has seen the economic growth of SAFTA member nations and studied its impact vis-a-vis the Indian economy and if so, the details thereof?

Funds for investment in startups 2933 # Ms. Indu Bala Goswami: Will the Minister of Commerce and Industry be pleased to state: (a) the details of funds provisioned for investment in startups; (b) whether any target has been set for the number of entrepreneurs to be given assistance by Government under this scheme; (c) if so, the details thereof; (d) whether Government plans to set up any monitoring mechanism to ensure the utilization of funds given under this head; and (e) if so, the details thereof?

Identification of beneficiaries under ONORC scheme 2934 Shri K.J. Alphons: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government would provide the data on the total number of migrant workers and their families who have availed the Public Distribution Systems (PDS) from the One Nation One Ration Card scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) the measures Government has taken to tackle the problem of shortage of data on the population moving to other cities for work; (c) the manner in which Government would ensure that beneficiaries are identified in a proper time-bound manner; and (d) the roadmap Government has prepared to ensure that all the States and UTs are integrated into this scheme by March 2021? 719

Smuggling of PDS foodgrains 2935 Shri Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken note of the fact that foodgrains meant for public distribution in the State of Andhra Pradesh have been smuggled to foreign countries, which in turn left the beneficiaries under PDS to starvation; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has put in place any strong preventive mechanism to prevent diversion of PDS foodgrains to open market, not only in the country but also illegally exporting to foreign countries; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Regulating rate of gold 2936 Shri A. Vijayakumar: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any proposal to regulate rate of gold and its wastage, making charges of jewellery in the country; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether One Nation and One Rate of Gold all over the country scheme is to be launched in the country; (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and (e) if so, whether there is huge black money business in the jewellery business, if so, the action taken to curb black money in jewellery business?

Expansion of PDS 2937 Smt. Vandana Chavan: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has plans to expand Public Distribution System (PDS) to include pulses and millets under the scheme; (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (c) whether Government has any plans of expanding price support mechanisms and incentives towards pulses and millets, as per Shanta Kumar Committee recommendations; (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (e) the details of steps taken by Government to expand distribution under PDS, as well as distribute locally grown food items to ensure diverse, traditional diet and nutritional security and if not, the reasons therefor?

Identity verification for ONORC scheme 2938 Shri Derek O' Brien: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which Government plans to implement One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme in light of increasing reports of fake Aadhaar cards; 720

(b) the provisions planned by Government to mitigate risk of contagion involved in biometric confirmation; (c) whether Government plans to extend food security to those having no identity verifications; (d) if so, the details thereof; (e) whether under the fluidity of service promised in ONORC, beneficiaries attached to an FPS will keep fluctuating due to mobility of migrants; (f) if so, whether there are any provisions to manage this; and (g) if so, details thereof?

Achievements under PMGKAY 2939 Dr. Amar Patnaik: Shri Bhaskar Rao Nekkanti: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the number of ration card holders who received direct supply of wheat, rice and pulses till date, out of the target of 80 crores, under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as part of the COVID-19 relief package 2020; (b) whether the target of 80 crore people under the Yojana was met every month, if not, the reasons therefor; (c) the details of the number of accounts to which Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) was made; and (d) whether the set targets of the scheme were met, if not, the reasons therefor?

Spoilage of foodgrains 2940 Shri Anil Desai: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that a large quantity of food items like wheat, rice, pulses, etc., procured by State agencies, are kept in open which resulted in soaking in rain; (b) the quantity of grain items spoiled due to improper storage during the last five years, year-wise; (c) the approximate loss to the nation due to spoilage of foodgrains and the action that has been taken against the responsible persons for the loss during the last five years, year- wise; and (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

Distribution of foodgrains under PMGKAY 2941 Shri G.C. Chandrashekhar: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the percentage of foodgrains offtake out of the total allocated under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) from inception till date, by States; (b) whether the Ministry has maintained the State-wise data on distribution of foodgrains under PMGKAY; (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (d) the reasons of modified distribution plan from 5kg of rice or wheat plus 1kg of pulses per family in March 2020 to only 5 kg of rice in April 2021? 721

Implementation of High Level Committee recommendation on restructuring FCI 2942 Shri Prashanta Nanda: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether steps have been taken by the Central Government on the recommendations made by High Level Committee on restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI) that beneficiaries be given six months ration immediately after the procurement season ends; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Outsourcing of stocking operations by FCI 2943 Shri Prashanta Nanda: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Food Corporation of India (FCI) is outsourcing its stocking operations to various agencies such as Central Warehousing Corporation, as recommended by High Level Committee on restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in 2015; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Underestimation of beneficiaries under NFSA 2944 Shri Binoy Viswam: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken cognizance of underestimation of beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA); (b) the steps taken by Ministry in furtherance of Hon’ble Supreme Court’s order to re- determine the total number of persons to be covered under NFSA; (c) whether Government is planning on revising the policy of basing the beneficiaries of NFSA through census, as it only occurs once in a decade and this exercise needs frequent updating; (d) the number of beneficiaries under NFSA and the allocations for each State at present, State-wise; and (e) the number of beneficiaries no longer eligible under NFSA in last three years?

Buffer stock of onion and pulses 2945 Dr. Narendra Jadhav: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has created buffer stocks of onion and pulses under Price Stabilization Fund for the year 2021-22, so as to mitigate volatility in the prices of agricultural produce, if so, the details thereof; (b) if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) the amount of fund that has been spent by Government to mitigate volatility between 2019-20 to 2020-21, the details thereof? 722

Performance of technicians trained under NTH 2946 Dr. Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the number of technicians who have been trained by National Test House (NTH) in the last five years, industry-wise details thereof; (b) the number of testing and calibration laboratories that have been established in consultation with NTH over the last five years; (c) the details of these laboratories set up in the State of Maharashtra, location and functioning-wise; (d) whether the Ministry conducts performance assessment of these laboratories and trained technicians, if so, the details of the last three assessments; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Utilization of CWF for consumer awareness and training programmes 2947 Dr. Amee Yajnik: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the details of financial assistance from Consumer Welfare Fund (CWF) released in the last two years, State-wise; (b) whether consumer awareness and training programmes have been organized by Government in the last two years utilizing Consumer Welfare Fund; and (c) if so, the details thereof?

Production and consumption of edible oils 2948 Smt. Ambika Soni: Shri Ramkumar Verma: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has formulated any plan to bridge the gap between domestic consumption and domestic production of edible oils; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) the recent measures taken by Government to make India Atmanirbhar in edible oils?

Allocation and distribution of foodgrains under ANBP 2949 Smt. Phulo Devi Netam: Dr. Amee Yajnik: Will the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution be pleased to state: (a) the percentage of foodgrains offtake out of total allocated under the AtmaNirbhar Bharat Package (ANBP) from inception till date, State-wise; (b) the number of target beneficiaries for foodgrain distribution and the actual number of beneficiaries under ANBP since inception till date, State-wise; (c) the percentage of foodgrains distributed out of total offtake under ANBP since inception till date, State-wise; (d) the manner in which the Ministry is identifying beneficiaries and ensuring appropriate allocations under ANBP; and 723

(e) the details of the current buffer stock of major pulses as on date?

Shortage of veterinary hospitals 2950 Shri A. Vijayakumar: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware that there is a huge shortage of veterinary hospitals in the country; (b) if so, the action taken to set up more veterinary hospitals in the country; (c) whether it is a fact that private/individuals are not allowed to run veterinary hospitals in the country; (d) if so, the reasons therefor; and (e) if not, the scheme to set up private veterinary hospitals in the country?

Achievement of objectives of PMMSY 2951 Shri T.G. Venkatesh: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMSSY), introduced to boost fish and aquatic products and their marketing and infrastructure support, has been achieving its objectives; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) the status of implementation of the scheme in Andhra Pradesh as on date?

Assistance to small farmers/fishermen 2952 Shri Vaiko: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) the scheme for assistance to small farmers for promotion of fisheries under various schemes like Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY); (b) the outlay for the scheme during the last three years; and (c) the number of farmers who have been assisted and the amount of funds which has been utilised during the last three years in the country, Tamil Nadu in particular, year-wise?

Upgrading indigenous breeds of cows under Gokul Mission 2953 Shri Sambhaji Chhatrapati: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Gokul Mission, launched in 2014 with upgradation of indigenous cow breeds as one of the primary objectives, has proved to be successful; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Govternment has any system of certification of individual cows of a particular breed for the buyers; and (d) if not, why a system of certification for individual cows of a particular breed is not possible for introduction at district veterinary centres to begin with?

Threat to indigenous fishes from Hybrid Magur fish 2954 # Shri Brijlal: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether the situation has turned out such that Hybrid Magur fishes have reached rivers 724 and are eating the indigenous fishes and their weights have gone up to 30-40 kgs in the rivers, in view of the fact that Hybrid Magur fish (Catfish) also known as Thai Magur is banned in India but being farmed broadly, if so, the measures taken to prevent the said problem; and (b) the provision of punishment for those who farm these fishes and sell them despite the imposition of ban?

New guidelines to prevent cruelty to animals 2955 Shri K. Somaprasad: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Government plans to introduce a new guideline in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulations of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 to combat the problems of illegally slaughtered beef exports and cattle smuggling; (b) if so, the details thereof including the proposed date of its introduction; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Meat being staple diet for non-Muslim population 2956 Shri K. Somaprasad: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry is aware that meat is a staple diet even for the non-Muslim population in some States such as Kerala where more than 5 lakh people are dependent on animal husbandry, dairy sector and meat processing sector in the State; (b) if so, whether Government is willing to consult various States for their visions in this regard; (c) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefore; and (d) the details of latest livestock census, State-wise including Kerala?

Auditing accounts of NDDB 2957 Prof. Manoj Kumar Jha: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether CAG has commenced auditing the accounts of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) pursuant to the Judgement dated 27.10.2010 of Hon'ble High Court of Delhi in writ Petition (Civil) No. 2748/1998, if not, the reasons therefor; (b) whether Government intends to request CAG to audit the account of NDDB on a regular basis, if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) whether CAG has completed its audit of the National Dairy Plan implemented by NDDB between 2012 and 2019, if so, the details thereof?

Milk dairy cooperatives in Maharashtra 2958 Dr. Fauzia Khan: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) the number of milk dairy cooperatives running at present in Maharashtra along with the details of the production of milk during each of the last five years, district-wise; (b) whether any special efforts have been made by Government to increase milk production per cattle in Maharashtra; (c) whether Government has any plan to establish/open new dairy science/dairy technical colleges in the country particularly in Maharashtra; and 725

(d) if so, the details thereof?

Medicines for safety of animals 2959 # Shri Ram Nath Thakur: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether medicines for safety of animals are available in every Block, if so, whether Government proposes to provide medicines with the help of online registration; (b) whether any Block level survey is being conducted for animals like cows and buffaloes, etc. and veterinary doctors are being given responsibility at Block level, if not, what can be done in this regard; and (c) whether any arrangement is there for the training of animal keepers at Block level?

Fishing harbors in Odisha 2960 Shri Bhaskar Rao Nekkanti: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is planning to set up fishing harbors in Odisha, like in Kerala; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Technology adoption in fisheries management 2961 Shri Bhaskar Rao Nekkanti: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is planning to encourage the adoption of technology innovations for safe and sustainable fisheries management; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

Making coastal districts self-sustainable in marine fishery 2962 Shri Ayodhya Rami Reddy: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) the measures being taken by Ministry of Fisheries to make each coastal districts self- sustainable and independent in terms of marine fishery sector development; (b) whether small fishermen have to travel to other coastal districts/States in search of fishing harbours as well as markets; (c) whether it is a fact that deep sea fishing expose fishermen to new and high value marine species and except for Kerala, no other coastal States have registered deep sea vessel; and (d) whether the current funding scheme is restrictive and not adequate to meet the needs for development of fishery harbor/deep sea vessel, considering the economic upliftment it generates?

Promotion of indigenous cows 2963 Shri M.V. Shreyams Kumar: Will the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any proposal to promote cattle and indigenous cows in every State; 726

(b) if so, the details thereof, including the State-wise plan; and (c) whether the farmers will be provided incentives to promote cattle and indigenous cows and if so, the details thereof?

Opportunities created by pandemic for FPIs 2964 Shri Sushil Kumar Gupta: Will the Minister of Food Processing Industries be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the pandemic has provided an opportunity to the Indian Food Processing Industry to grow; (b) whether the Ministry will ensure the development of high quality food testing and certification infrastructure in the country as hygiene needs would grow in post COVID-19 world; and (c) if so, the measures being taken in this regard?

Infrastructure development in Gujarat under PMKSY 2965 Dr. Amee Yajnik: Will the Minister of Food Processing Industries be pleased to state: (a) the details of infrastructure developed by Government in Gujarat under Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) to minimize the wastage of agro-product; (b) whether PMKSY has had an impact on annual income of farmers in various parts of the country; and (c) if so, the details thereof?

Wastage of agricultural produce due to weak cold chain 2966 Shri Ayodhya Rami Reddy: Will the Minister of Food Processing Industries be pleased to state: (a) the measures being taken by the Ministry to reduce wastage of agricultural produce by setting up at least one food park integrated with multiple cold storages across districts dominated by agricultural sector; (b) whether it is a fact that India ranked 94th of the 107 countries on the Global Hunger Index in 2020 and US$ 14 billion worth of food products are wasted annually in India; and (c) whether the country wastes a significant portion of its farm produce due to a weak cold chain infrastructure with 16 per cent of fruits and vegetables being wasted every year?

Implementation of PESA Act 2967 Shri Md. Nadimul Haque: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) the number of States where the rules for implementing Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act has been formulated; (b) whether the Ministry is planning to adopt any measures to check the dilution of the law in the last twenty five years and its non-implementation; and (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Present condition of Panchayati Raj Institutions 2968 # Shri Surendra Singh Nagar: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: 727

(a) the present condition of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the country; (b) whether the elections for these Institutions in all the States take place as per the legal provisions; (c) the amount of funds transferred to them by Central Government during the last three years; (d) whether these funds have been utilized or remain unutilized for the projects; (e) whether equal or more amount of funds is provided to them by State Governments; (f) the achievement rate with regard to completion of such projects within the stipulated time schedule; and (g) whether Government proposes to make any major change in decentralized functioning of PRIs?

Direct financial assistance by Central Government 2969 Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Central Government provides direct financial assistance to the Panchayati Raj Institutions for development; (b) if so, the basis of deciding amount of financial assistance and the level at which the development work is designed, the details thereof; (c) whether the expenditure incurred on these development works is audited or not; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

Simultaneous Panchayat elections 2970 Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is contemplating to hold Panchayat elections simultaneously across the country; (b) whether Government believes that by holding simultaneous elections, a large amount of money and human resources can be saved; (c) whether Central Government held any consultations with the State Governments in this regard; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

Governance for Panchayats 2971 Shri Rakesh Sinha: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) whether Government would contemplate to give training for developmental governance to plan and implement developmental works in Panchayats to Panchayat representatives, as Panchayats got onerous responsibilities and huge revenue for development works; (b) whether Government would prepare a team for social auditing of governance and developmental works in Panchayats; (c) whether Government would select 101 Panchayats every year in the country which show optimum utilisation of funds and have done maximum developmental works; (d) whether there is any scientifically drawn index of governance for Panchayats to show high, middle, low and poor developmental activities in Panchayats; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor? 728

Release of grant to Panchayats 2972 Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Ministry of Finance has released ₹8,924 crore to Panchayats in various States; (b) if so, the details thereof, with a particular reference to Andhra Pradesh; (c) whether it is for the current fiscal; (d) the outstanding amount that still needs to be released to various States, including Andhra Pradesh, as of July, 2021; and (e) when is the second grant going to be released to States?

Districts covered under BRGF in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat 2973 Shri Parimal Nathwani: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) the districts covered under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat; (b) the funds allocated and released to Governments of these States under BRGF during the last three years, State-wise; (c) whether district-wise scheme is also formulated for proper utilisation of these funds and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the local public representatives are included in the monitoring committee for monitoring of works undertaken under BRGF and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the other measures taken for the monitoring and proper utilisation of funds under BRGF?

Current status of SVAMITVA scheme 2974 Shri Sujeet Kumar: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) the current status of the SVAMITVA scheme; and (b) whether there are a specific number of targets to be achieved in Odisha under this scheme?

Sanctioned and released funds under RGPSA 2975 Shri Iranna Kadadi: Will the Minister of Panchayati Raj be pleased to state: (a) the details of reasons for huge gap between sanctioned and released funds under Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA), State-wise including Karnataka, during the last three years and the current year; (b) the details of performance of works under RGPSA during the period, State-wise and year-wise including Karnataka; (c) the details of targets fixed and achieved during the said period, State-wise and year- wise; and (d) the extent to which the said scheme is likely to be helpful to increase capacity building? 729

Women personnel strength in RPF and GRP 2976 Shri K.C. Venugopal: Shri Sanjay Seth: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the number of women personnel deployed in Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), State-wise and their actual strength; (b) whether Government has assessed the problem being faced by women personnel of RPF and GRP while performing their duties, if so, the details thereof and the corrective steps taken in this regard; (c) whether the Railways proposes to set up Commando Training Centres for women RPF personnel on sensitive routes and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Railways for strengthening the RPF?

Commercial development of sports facilities 2977 Shri B. Lingaiah Yadav: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Railways is facing a cash crunch owing to rising maintenance costs and has identified 15 sports facilities across the country for techno economic studies for commercial development; and (b) if so, the details thereof and the present status thereof?

Lack of progress in key railway projects 2978 Shri B. Lingaiah Yadav: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether the lack of progress in key railway projects across the country has resulted in an 'embarrassing' situation, if so, the details thereof, zone-wise and the pending projects as on date and the reasons therefor; and (b) the corrective steps being taken for the future?

Passenger trains being run as special trains 2979 # Shri Vivek K. Tankha: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether all the passenger trains running at present are running on their original routes with same stoppages but are being run in the category of special trains, if so, the reasons therefor; (b) whether extra fare is being charged from the passengers in these special trains, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and (c) by when the Indian Railways is going to run these trains as normal trains and charge the fare as per the pre-COVID-19 fare table, the details thereof?

Electrification of railway lines 2980 # Shri Surendra Singh Nagar: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the total length of railway lines in the country and the zone-wise length of railway lines, in kilometers, which is yet to be electrified; (b) whether the Railways have prepared any time-bound plan for electrification of railway 730 lines; (c) if so, the details thereof and the zone-wise details of the status of railway line electrification projects at present; (d) the zone-wise details of the funds allocated for the said purpose during the last three years and the current year; and (e) the steps taken by Railways on priority basis to expedite the electrification work of railway lines in the country including Uttar Pradesh?

Closure of Garhara railway school, Barauni 2981 Shri Rakesh Sinha: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that there is a school turned inter college in Garhara in Barauni (Sonpur Division) which has been in existence for many decades and run by Railways; (b) whether it is also a fact that this institution is facing closure notice from Railways, the reasons therefor; (c) whether it is also a fact that its closure will impact hundreds of poor families whose children depend on this institution; and (d) whether Government would rethink its decision and shift it to nearby place if its location is a problem to serve the cause of welfare principle of Indian State?

Business at platforms 2982 Shri Rakesh Sinha: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the revenue from private and public business activities on railway platforms; (b) the revenue generated from New Delhi railway station platforms; (c) which railway station platforms in the country gives maximum revenue; (d) whether Government would rationalise the platform spaces and develop a model for maximising its earning; (e) whether it is a fact that the rates charged from tender for business activities at platforms are irrational and manipulated by middlemen; and (f) whether Government involve IITs and IIMs to create model for platforms in the interest of the passengers and Railway's sustainability?

Complaints regarding allocation of berths 2983 # Ch. Sukhram Singh Yadav: Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether fax machine in the office of Chief Commercial Manager, Gorkhapur, North Eastern Railway, has been removed; (b) if so, the method of receiving the recommendations for allocation of berths; (c) the number of complaints received regarding reservation of berths in North Eastern Railway headquarter, Gorkhapur during the last two years; and (d) the details of action taken on these complaints?

Plans for new train services in Rajasthan 2984 # Shri Ramkumar Verma: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: 731

(a) whether Government has any plan to start new train services in the State of Rajasthan in the ensuing financial year; (b) if so, the details thereof; and (c) the details of total budget allocated for railway divisions in the State of Rajasthan during the past financial years and the details of funds utilised during the said period?

Privatization of railway stations 2985 Dr. V. Sivadasan: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is planning to privatize any railway station or train or any of the assets belonging to the Railways, if so, the details thereof; (b) if not, the reasons therefor; (c) whether any railway station or train or other assets belonging to the Railways have been privatized till now; and (d) if so, whether any loss of employment has taken place because of the privatization or during the privatization process, the details thereof?

IP based Video Surveillance System (VSS) in Railways 2986 Smt. Vandana Chavan: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) details of current status of rollout and implementation of IP-based VSS in Railways, State/UT-wise; (b) details of IP-based VSS already in use, State/UT-wise; (c) details of accuracy of facial recognition technology being utilised in IP-based VSS and whether accuracy has been independently verified, if not, reasons therefor; (d) whether IP-based VSS is connected to CCTV for real time tracking; (e) details of procedural safeguards in place to regulate usage of IP-based VSS; and (f) how Government plans to protect citizens' rights in absence of Personal Data Protection Bill or any other statutory backing for usage of IP-based VSS and facial recognition technology?

Stoppage of Yesvantpur-Jaipur Train No.82653-82654 2987 Shri T.G. Venkatesh: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry has received any request for providing stoppage to 82653-82654 Yesvantpur-Jaipur Suvidha Express at Adoni Railway Station; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Ministry has taken any decision on the subject matter, if so, the details thereof; and (d) the stand of Government in this regard?

Establishment of solar power plants at railway stations 2988 Shri T.G. Venkatesh: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has been establishing solar power plants at all the railway stations in the country; (b) if so, the details thereof; 732

(c) the number of railway stations identified so far for establishment of solar power plants, particularly in the State of Andhra Pradesh; and (d) the progress thereof as on date?

Sanctioned posts of FPEs 2989 Shri P. Bhattacharya: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the details of number of sanctioned posts of Finger Print Examiner (FPE) and the currently filled posts; (b) whether the Finger Print Examiners have not yet been paid for their work and travelling allowances in connection with Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) and Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC); (c) whether the retired Finger Print Examiners, who were working from home due to COVID-19 pandemic, have not been paid any salary till now; and (d) if so, the details thereof and by when they are likely to be paid the same?

Financial health of Railways 2990 Shri Tiruchi Siva: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has assessed the impact of dropping passenger tariff revenue on the financial health of the Railways; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the plans to make up for the lost revenue and revival of the operating ratio of the Railways; (d) whether Government plans to redevelop major railway stations across India under public private partnership; and (e) if so, details thereof including the stations selected, its target and date of implementation?

Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Guwahati 2991 # Shri Brijlal: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether any plan is under consideration to run Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Guwahati or Kolkata via Lucknow-Gonda-Gorakhpur-Chapra; and (b) if not, the problems which are being faced in it and the way those problems could be solved?

Timeline for completion of EDFC 2992 # Shri Brijlal: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the time-line for the completion of "Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Project (EDFC) at Bhaupur-Mughalsarai" section; and (b) whether the progress of the said work has been made as per its stipulated time, if not, the details thereof? 733

Vizianagaram-Titlagarh railway project 2993 Shri V. Vijayasai Reddy: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Vizianagaram-Titlagarh (Sambalpur) project was taken up under Sagarmala project; (b) the estimated cost of the project and by when it is likely to be completed; and (c) the present status of the project?

Ticket checking staff 2994 # Smt. Chhaya Verma: Ch. Sukhram Singh Yadav: Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is considering to give the status of running staff to the ticket checking staff of Railways; (b) whether any Committee has been constituted in relation to giving the status of running staff to the ticket checking staff working in the Railways; (c) if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Chairman of the Railway Board has presented a note to Government for granting the status of running staff to the ticket checking staff; and (e) if so, the details thereof?

Upgrading railway stations under ECR Zone 2995 # Shri Sushil Kumar Modi: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the stations under East-Central Railways (ECR) Zone which have been selected to be converted into world-class stations; (b) the authority which is going to undertake this work; (c) when was the tender invited for the development of the above stations; and (d) the station-wise details of estimated cost of work proposed, the details thereof?

Development of world-class railway stations 2996 Shri Y. S. Chowdary: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the number of railway stations developed by Government to provide world-class facilities to the passengers across the country so far, zone-wise; (b) whether Government has sought participation of private sector in modernization of railway stations across the country including Tirupati and Nellore stations, if so, the details thereof along with the response of the private sector thereto; and (c) whether Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with private companies in this regard, if so, the details thereof?

Proposed construction of FOBs and under bridges in various railway zones 2997 Shri Y. S. Chowdary: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the number of Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) and under bridges proposed to be 734 constructed by Railways in the Southern/South Central/South Coast Railway Zone, location-wise; (b) whether requests have come from the State Government of Andhra Pradesh or public representatives about construction of FOBs and under bridges in the last three years; (c) if so, the details thereof and the response of Government; and (d) whether any target has been fixed for completing the construction of all proposed FOBs and under bridges, if so, the details thereof?

Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) 2998 Shri Sanjay Singh: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Government has not conducted the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) examination in the last two years; (b) if so, the reasons therefor; (c) whether Government plans to include Railway Class A vacancies in the Engineering Services Examination and Civil Services Examination until the release of the IRMS notification; and (d) if so, details thereof and reasons therefor?

Vande Bharat scheme 2999 # Ms. Saroj Pandey: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the number of trains which are being run under Vande Bharat scheme of the Ministry of Railways currently and the names of stations between which these trains run; (b) the number of such trains which Government proposes to run in future and the routes on which these trains would be run; and (c) the budget allocated by Government for the same?

Child/ women sensitisation in Indian Railways 3000 Dr. Narendra Jadhav: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether there is an increase in the number of women personnel recruited in Railway Protection Force (RPF) from the past figure of 9 per cent, if so, the details thereof; (b) if not, the reasons therefor; (c) whether child help desk/kiosk (CHD) have been set up across all railway stations, if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether special training is being imparted to RPF personnel so as to sensitise them regarding the issue of child help, if so, the details thereof?

Funds for Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh 3001 Shri Partap Singh Bajwa: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the total amount of fund transferred to Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh for the years 2017-18 till present, year-wise; (b) the total allocation of funds for the years 2017-18 till present; (c) the total utilisation of funds for the years 2017-18 till present, State-wise list of the same; and 735

(d) whether any money was returned unused to the Ministry at the end of the year, if so, the details thereof?

Rail coach factories in India 3002 Dr. Banda Prakash: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the details of rail coach factories in India at present, State-wise; (b) the number of metro train coaches that are manufactured in these factories; (c) whether Government proposes to launch a pilot project to convert some of the said factories into modern coach factories; (d) if so, the State-wise details thereof; and (e) the funds proposed to be spent on the said task?

Declining number of persons recruited through RRBs 3003 Shri M. Shanmugam: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the number of persons recruited through Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) in the country have been declining in the recent years; (b) if so, the details thereof during the last three years; (c) whether the number of contractual appointments are steadily increasing in the Railways in the recent years, if so, the details thereof during last three years; (d) the reasons for not filling regular vacancies after retirement in various posts; and (e) whether privatization and vacant posts affect the safety and efficiency of the Railway's functioning?

Advance freight amount 3004 Shri Shaktisinh Gohil: Shri Rajmani Patel: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether Indian Railways have accounted an advance freight amount of ₹8,351 crore received from two PSUs (NTPC and CONCOR) as revenue, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether advance amount received from customers should be accounted as a liability in the balance sheet; (c) whether advance freight of ₹8,351 crore from NTPC and CONCOR was not included in the earnings of 2018-19, the reasons therefor; (d) whether Indian Railways would have a negative balance of ₹7,334.85 crore but for receipt of advance freight and less appropriation to depreciation reserve fund and pension fund; and (e) if so, the details thereof?

Tenure of staff on deputation at headquarter reservation cell 3005 # Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the tenure fixed for the staff working on deputation in headquarter reservation cell; (b) the number of staff posted in the reservation cell of Chief Commercial Manager office, Gorakhpur under North-Eastern Railways and since when they are posted; and (c) the number of applications forwarded by Minster of Railways and Minister of State for 736

Railways Cell, Railway Board to the reservation cell, headquarters North-Eastern Railways for allotment of berths in various trains between January 2021 and June 2021 and number of berths alloted thereon?

New bio-toilets in Railways 3006 Shri Shwait Malik: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Railways have started fitting new bio-toilets and ventilation systems to overcome the frequent problems of choking and foul smell, if so, the details thereof and in what manner the bio-toilets would help in solving the problem; and (b) the number of railway stations where bio-toilets have already been installed?

Regularization of private train fare 3007 Smt. Shanta Chhetri: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether the fare of the privatized train would be regularized by Government or will the private players have free hand; (b) the percentage increase of platform tickets as a consequence of privatisation drive in Railways; (c) the Railway land sold during the last three years, State-wise and year-wise with reasons; (d) whether State Governments were given first opportunity to purchase such sale of Railway properties; and (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Unpopularity of railway press converted museum 3008 Smt. Shanta Chhetri: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry is aware that the railway press of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways which is converted to museum is neither popular amongst tourists nor the locals; (b) whether the Ministry would convert it into a central school so that lots of people can get benefit; and (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Lagging railway infrastructure in North East 3009 Smt. Jharna Das Baidya: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) whether the Railways is aware that the present infrastructure of Railways in all the States of North East Region (NER) is lagging behind in comparison to the rest of the country; (b) if so, whether the Railways have taken up any special package to improve the same; and (c) if so, the details thereof? 737

Cost of medicines purchased by railway hospital 3010 # Smt. Sampatiya Uikey: Ch. Sukhram Singh Yadav: Smt. Chhaya Verma: Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad: Will the Minister of Railways be pleased to state: (a) the total price of the medicines purchased by all the Indian Railways hospitals through local purchase during 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21; (b) the region-wise details of the cost of the purchased medicines; (c) the amount of funds paid to speciality hospitals of the country which are empanelled by the Railways during the said financial years; and (d) the total amount of funds spent on purchase of medicines (other than local purchase), surgical items and oxygen cylinders by all the zonal railways of Indian Railways under the head 'Treatment of Railway Employees' during the said financial years?

Construction of roads under PMGSY in Rajasthan 3011 Shri Harshvardhan Singh Dungarpur: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the targets set and sanction granted for construction of rural roads under PMGSY in Rajasthan during the last three years; (b) if so, the details of roads constructed in kilometres; (c) the details of pending road projects in the State; (d) whether the timeframe for completion is being set and the number of villages in the State still deprived of roads; and (e) if so, whether any survey has been conducted by Government in this regard and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

Budget allocation under PMAY-G 3012 Shri K.J. Alphons: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the details of the total budget allocation by Central Government during this financial year and the target achieved so far under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G); (b) the details of the process of selection of beneficiaries under the scheme; (c) the details of the beneficiaries from the SC/ST community, widows and differently-abled persons under the scheme; and (d) the measures taken by Government to minimize the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic so as to achieve the objective of “Housing of All” by end of March-2022?

Livelihood opportunities under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan 3013 Shri K.J. Alphons: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the number of migrant workers and rural citizens who have returned due to COVID-19 including lockdown, have been empowered and provided livelihood opportunities so far under the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan; (b) whether Government would provide the details of the process of selecting the aspirational districts under the said scheme; and (c) how Government would ensure the livelihood opportunities of migrant workers, other 738 than six States, which are covered in the scheme?

Non-receipt of payments under MGNREGA in Andhra Pradesh 3014 Shri Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware of the fact that the beneficiaries under the MGNREGS in different districts in the State of Andhra Pradesh have not received their payments for the past several months; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has sent any communication to the State Government to make payments to the beneficiaries in a time-bound manner; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Construction of roads in Andhra Pradesh under PMGSY-III 3015 Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Government of Andhra Pradesh has submitted proposals to construct rural roads to the extent of 2,314 kilometre under PMGSY-III; (b) whether any additional proposals have been received from Government of Andhra Pradesh; (c) if so, the details thereof; and (d) the present progress of road construction works in Andhra Pradesh, district-wise, and by when all the proposed roads are going to be completed?

Schemes under MGNREGA for LWE districts of Jharkhand 3016 # Shri Samir Oraon: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the schemes sanctioned under MGNREGA in the Left Wing Extremism affected Gumla, Lohardaga and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand during last two years, district-wise details thereof along with amount of funds approved in this regard; (b) whether it is a fact that extensive financial irregularities have come to light in the works done under MGNREGA in Gumla, Lohardaga and Ranchi; (c) whether it is also a fact that even records related to wells sanctioned for these districts are missing; and (d) whether Central Government has made any arrangements to carry out physical inspection/ effective assessment to ascertain the completion of these schemes?

Lag in completion of houses under PMAY-G 3017 Shri Derek O' Brien: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the number of houses targeted to be provided under the Pradhna Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G) in 2020-21; (b) the number of houses that were constructed under the scheme in 2020-21 ; (c) whether it is a fact that there has been a major lag in completing the target of 2.95 crore houses by March 2022; (d) if so, the reasons therefor; and 739

(e) the details of the selection process for identifying beneficiaries of the scheme?

Completion of motorway in Kot block of Uttarakhand under PMGSY 3018 # Shri P. Bhattacharya: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that a motorway connecting Dandapani market to Khanda village via Khadet in Kot block of Pauri Gharwal, Uttarakhand was approved in 2016-17 under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and the amount of funds allocated for the same; (b) whether it is also a fact that this motorway was built just for one kilometre and then it was left incomplete; and (c) if so, the reasons therefor and if not, the time by which it would be completed?

Extending financial assistance to women Jan Dhan account holders 3019 Shri Sushil Kumar Gupta: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that women Jan Dhan bank account holders have got third and final instalment of ₹500 as financial assistance to tide over the COVID-19 crisis; and (b) if so, whether Government would consider extending it for another period of three months as the financial condition of poor people in the country is still critical due to unemployement?

Extension of benefits under MGNREGS and NRLM 3020 Shri Sushil Kumar Gupta: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Central Government has asked the Ministries of Environment & Forest and Tribal Affairs to work out a strategy framework with the Rural Development Department to ensure extension of the benefits under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM); (b) if so, the measures taken to ensure coordination among various Central Ministries and States; and (c) whether Government has any plan to appoint a nodal agency in this regard?

Increasing the amount given under various pension schemes 3021 Shri Abdul Wahab: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Government is only providing a meagre amount in schemes under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP); (b) if so, the reasons therefor; (c) whether Government is considering increasing the amount of National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), NSAP and National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS); (d) if not, the reasons therefor; and (e) the latest beneficiary details under NOAPS, IGNOAPS, NSAP, NFBS schemes from Kerala? 740

Proposal for common worksheds of Handloom Weavers and Artisans 3022 Smt. Chhaya Verma: Shri Vishambhar Prasad Nishad: Ch. Sukhram Singh Yadav: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any proposal for sanction of common worksheds for group activities of Handloom Weavers and Artisans under Category C and D (Non NRM) of MGNREGA; (b) whether Government has any plan to implement MGNREGA programme to continue their traditional occupation of Handloom and Handicrafts sectors to provide regular work; (c) whether Government has any proposal to allocate the funds under Category C and D (Non-NRM) of MGNREGA for construction of worksheds for livelihood activities of Goods/ Cooperative Society Buildings/Stock Room of Raw Material and Production; and (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

Rural employment apart from MGNREGA 3023 Shri Binoy Viswam: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the number of people across the country in rural areas who remain unemployed since 2017 till present, State-wise; (b) the measures the Ministry is planning on adopting to benefit the current unemployed population with reference to above; and (c) the impact of COVID-19 on rural employment and the steps, apart from MGNREGA, the Ministry is taking to address the same?

Pending wage payments under MGNREGA 3024 Shri John Brittas: Dr. Amar Patnaik: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the number of pending wage payment transactions under MGNREGA, State-wise for Financial Year 2020-21 and this fiscal and if so, the reasons therefor; (b) the number of wage payment transactions pending even after Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) were generated, State-wise, for Financial Year 2020-21; (c) whether Government is taking measures to disburse pending wages; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Utilisation of quota under MGNREGA 3025 Shri John Brittas: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the details of MGNREGA utilisation of persondays quota since the pandemic began in March 2020, State-wise; (b) whether the Ministry has considered increasing the number of days of MGNREGA work available from 100 to 200 days for this fiscal; and (c) if so, the details thereof? 741

Decrease in budget allocation under MGNREGA 3026 # Dr. Kirodi Lal Meena: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has decreased the budget allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) throughout the country for 2021-22 and if so, the details thereof; (b) the reasons for decrease in budget allocation for this scheme this year; (c) the State-wise total number of workers employed under MGNREGA in the country; (d) the impact on employment of workers under MGNREGA; and (e) the total amount of budget sanctioned and released for Rajasthan?

Condition of rural poor amid COVID pandemic 3027 Shri Sanjay Raut: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that many migrant workers and the rural poor have been facing great distress since the last one year due to COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country and are unable to run their family; (b) if so, the details thereof and Government's response thereto; (c) whether Government is considering to increase work days under MGNREGA from 100 days to 150 days to ease the hardship faced by rural people; (d) if so, the details of steps proposed to support the rural poor in the country; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

Construction and upgradation of roads under PMGSY in Karnataka 3028 Shri Iranna Kadadi: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has sanctioned the roads and upgradation of roads constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the State of Karnataka; (b) if so, the details thereof and the criteria used in this regard; and (c) the length of roads which would be constructed and upgraded along with the funds that have been released to the State Government for the said purpose?

Action against corruption under PMAY-G 3029 Dr. Sasmit Patra: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the details of the total number of beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G) in a State-wise manner; (b) the details of any corruption in the PMAY-G programme in the States; and (c) the action that the Ministry has undertaken against such corruption, the State-wise details of action undertaken thereof?

Impact evaluation studies to help Self Help Groups 3030 Shri M. Shanmugam: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry has commissioned several impact evaluation studies to understand the overall impact of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY- 742

NRLM) in the past to help Self Help Groups; (b) if so, the findings of the impact evaluation studies; (c) whether any mid-course corrections have been carried out in view of the study reports; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) the measures taken to ensure availability of bank loans to Self Help Groups at subsidized interest rate, especially during the COVID pandemic, the details thereof?

Houses to SC/STs under PMAY-G 3031 Shri Subhash Chandra Singh: Shri Prashanta Nanda: Will the Minister of Rural Development be pleased to state: (a) the total number of houses given to SC/STs in the Financial Year 2020-21 under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G), State-wise details thereof; and (b) the total number of houses allowed to SC/STs in the Financial Year 2020-21, State- wise?

Skill Development Centres in each Constituency 3032 # Shri Surendra Singh Nagar: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Government is planning to set up Skill Development Centres across the country to encourage spirited youth to become entrepreneurs, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is also a fact that Government is planning to set up at least one Skill Development Centre in each Lok Sabha Constituency, if so, the details thereof; and (c) the amount of funds allocated to each Constituency and the amount of funds released so far?

Enlarging the scope of apprenticeship 3033 Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Ministry is planning to amend Apprenticeship Act to allow training and educational institutions to hire apprentices and also provide online training; (b) if so, the details of the proposal and how skill can be developed online; (c) how the proposed changes would help enlarge the scope of apprenticeship and availability of facilities in more and more areas; and (d) the extent to which the proposed changes would increase apprentices in the country?

Skill trades in ITIs 3034 Shri Parimal Nathwani: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) the details of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) functioning in the country at present along with the skill trades being taught in these Institutes, State/ UT-wise including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat; (b) the number of students learning in these institutes and the existing vacancies in various categories along with the plan to fill up these vacancies, State/ UT- wise including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Gujarat; and (c) whether Government proposes to set up new ITIs in the country and if so, the details 743 thereof, State-wise?

Progress of Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan at Wayanad 3035 Shri Abdul Wahab: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that no substantial improvement has been made by the authorities at Wayanad district in implementing programmes such as PMKK, NULM, ITI, polytechnic, JSS, designed under the Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan scheme; (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; (c) the details of number of people trained from SC, ST, OBC and General category since the beginning of above schemes under Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan in Wayanad; and (d) the number of people who are employed after the successful completion of the programme?

Registered workers on ASEEM portal 3036 Shri Sujeet Kumar: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) the total number of registered workers on Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM) portal, as on date; (b) the total number of workers who have received employment through ASEEM portal, State-wise including Odisha; (c) which sector/field aggregated most demand nationally and in the State of Odisha; and (d) whether the Central Government is taking any steps to upskill the registered workers on the ASEEM portal?

Identification of jobs in foreign coutries 3037 # Shri Mahesh Poddar: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Government identified 42 lakh blue and grey collared jobs for Indians abroad; (b) whether there is any general criteria for getting shortlisted for such jobs; (c) whether such employees would have to undergo a process of eligibility match and standardization or any mandatory training with the countries of employment; and (d) if so, the steps being taken in this regard?

Scheme for ITI degree holders 3038 # Shri Ram Nath Thakur: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether any scheme is being formulated for skill development in villages; (b) whether there is any scheme to establish cottage industry for ITI trained degree holders, if so, the time by which it would be implemented and if not, the reasons therefor; and (c) whether there is any scheme under which all the ITI degree holders of the country are given loans and encouraged to establish some cottage industry? 744

New schemes to support uneducated women and young entrepreneurs 3039 Shri K.C. Ramamurthy: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) the details of new schemes to support rural uneducated women and young entrepreneurs; (b) the details of mechanism the Ministry has to see how many skilled have gone into organized sector, how many of them have standup on their own and provide employment to others and how many of them failed to get employment; (c) whether Ministry can think of model skill centre in every district of the country which gives a real fillip to skill education and making India skill capital of the world; and (d) if so, the details thereof?

Employment of skilled youth 3040 Shri Vijay Pal Singh Tomar: Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has prepared any action plan for making the youth skilled and preparing them in accordance with the demand of the labour market; (b) if so, the details thereof, scheme-wise, and the total number of youth in the country who have been given skill training and how many of them have got employment, State- wise; (c) whether Government has conducted any survey in this regard and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the number of institutions providing training in skill development functioning in various States, State-wise details thereof?

New Delhi Desh Deepak Verma, The 6th August, 2021 Secretary-General. 15 Sarvana, 1943 (Saka)

# Original notice of the question received in Hindi. INDEX (Ministry-Wise)

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare : 2881, 2882, 2883, 2884, 2885, 2886, 2887, 2888, 2889, 2890, 2891, 2892, 2893, 2894, 2895, 2896, 2897, 2898, 2899, 2900, 2901, 2902, 2903, 2904, 2905, 2906, 2907, 2908, 2909, 2910, 2911 Chemicals and Fertilizers : 2912, 2913, 2914, 2915, 2916, 2917, 2918, 2919, 2920, 2921, 2922, 2923 Commerce and Industry : 2924, 2925, 2926, 2927, 2928, 2929, 2930, 2931, 2932, 2933 Consumer Affairs, Food and Public : 2934, 2935, 2936, 2937, 2938, 2939, 2940, Distribution 2941, 2942, 2943, 2944, 2945, 2946, 2947, 2948, 2949 Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying : 2950, 2951, 2952, 2953, 2954, 2955, 2956, 2957, 2958, 2959, 2960, 2961, 2962, 2963 Food Processing Industries : 2964, 2965, 2966 Panchayati Raj : 2967, 2968, 2969, 2970, 2971, 2972, 2973, 2974, 2975 Railways : 2976, 2977, 2978, 2979, 2980, 2981, 2982, 2983, 2984, 2985, 2986, 2987, 2988, 2989, 2990, 2991, 2992, 2993, 2994, 2995, 2996, 2997, 2998, 2999, 3000, 3001, 3002, 3003, 3004, 3005, 3006, 3007, 3008, 3009, 3010 Rural Development : 3011, 3012, 3013, 3014, 3015, 3016, 3017, 3018, 3019, 3020, 3021, 3022, 3023, 3024, 3025, 3026, 3027, 3028, 3029, 3030, 3031 Skill Development and Entrepreneurship : 3032, 3033, 3034, 3035, 3036, 3037, 3038, 3039, 3040

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