No apprehension on mobile panic button: Centre
Come January 2017, every mobile phone will have a ‘panic button’ installed in it using which women in distress can immediately alert police, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said by January 2017, all mobile phones will have a ‘panic button’ so that if a woman is under some kind of threat, she can use the button and alert the police.
Underlining that there should be no apprehension about this panic button, he said, “Some kind of rumours are going around about this button, but I want to assure that there will no inconvenience to anyone.”
During Question Hour, Mr. Prasad said by January 2018 all mobile will have GPS so that if a woman is in distress and alerts police, her location can be tracked.
‘Modi’s foreign visits led to higher FDI inflow’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits have yielded results in terms of increase in Foreign Direct Investment inflows and overall trade in goods, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
“As a result of these (visits), the FDI inflows have witnessed a 40 per cent increase in 2015 (up to December) over the corresponding period in 2014. Moreover, India’s overall trade in goods with these countries has risen by 2.3 per cent from 2013-14 to 2014-15,” Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
Bullet train fare to be 1.5 times that of AC 1st class
The Ministry of Railways has proposed a tariff for the upcoming bullet train service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad that will be 1.5 times more than the first class AC fare prevailing now, parliament was informed on Wednesday.
In Duronto Express, for example, the current AC 1st Class fare between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, is Rs. 2,200. This means, for the 508-km run between the two cities — via a dedicated, high-speed corridor — the fare will be around Rs. 3,300.
In Japan, a similar, 550-km run between Tokyo and Osaka on the Shinkansen, as the bullet train network there is called — and on which the Indian service is being modelled — costs around Rs. 8,500.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said the first phase of the Indian network will have a maximum design speed of 350 kmph and an operating speed of 320 kmph.
The Ministry expects around 36,000 daily users per day both ways by 2023, going up to 186,000 by 2053. “The total journey time of the fast train will be 2.07 hours and of trains stopping at each station will be 2.58 hrs,” Mr. Sinha said.
The Ministry has planned a total of 12 stations for the train — Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati. “The total completion cost will be approximately Rs. 97,636 crore,” the Minister said.
“Further, it has been decided to undertake a feasibility study between Delhi-Nagpur as part of the New Delhi-Chennai corridor through government-to-government cooperation with China,” he said in his answer to the question posed by G. Hari of the AIADMK.
In a debate in the Lok Sabha last week, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had brushed aside criticism of bullet trains being an expensive proposition for the country, saying the government had managed to secure a soft loan of Rs. 1 lakh crore from Japan at a mere 0.1 per cent interest.
“The technology to be used for bullet trains will help improve the services of normal trains and the integration of signalling system,” Mr. Prabhu had said, wondering if a “deliberate misinformation” campaign was going on against the introduction of such trains.
Govt. setting up CMS for lawful interception
The government is setting up a centralised monitoring system (CMS) to automate process of lawful interception and monitoring of phones and internet, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
The monitoring centre at Delhi, and regional monitoring centre (RMC) at New Delhi and Mumbai have been operationalised.
“Government has decided to set up the CMS in a phased manner to automate the process of lawful interception and monitoring of mobile phones, landlines and the internet in the country,” Mr. Prasad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
He further said the phase related with technology development and pilot trials of the CMS have been completed.
“The CMC at Delhi, RMC at New Delhi and Mumbai has been operationalised and other RMC in licence service area, under CMC project across the country are progressively being operationalised in a phased manner,” Mr. Prasad said.
Over 8,000 website hacking incidents in January to March 2016
As many as 8,056 incidents of website hacking were reported in the first three months of 2016, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
In written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the total number of “cyber security incidents including phishing, scanning, malicious code, website intrusion, denial of service etc” stood at 41,319, 44,679, 49,455 and 14,363, during the years 2013, 201, 2015 and 2016 (till March), respectively.
Citing information reported to and tracked by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Minister further said these cyber security incidents included 28,481, 32,323, 27,205 and 8,056 website hacking incidents during 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 (till March), respectively.
“In addition, 54,677, 85,659, 61,628 and 13,851 spam (unsolicited email) incidents were reported to CERT-In during the year 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 (till March), respectively,” Mr. Prasad said.
Not considering DA-linked pension for EPFO members
The government is not considering inflation-linked pension for the subscribers of Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 run by retirement fund body EPFO as the value of benefits cannot be left open-ended.
”...No proposal is under consideration of the Government at present for providing inflation-linked Dearness Allowance (DA) to pensioners of EPS, 1995,” said Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
“The value of benefits cannot be left open-ended by linking it (pension) with inflation which is variable,” he said.
According to the statement, the issue of index-linking of pension by fully neutralising inflation was considered by the Expert Committee constituted by the government in 2009 for review of EPS, 1995 and the same was found not feasible in the case of a funded scheme like EPS, 1995 wherein contribution of the employer and Government is at a fixed rate of 8.33 per cent and 1.16 per cent respectively.
The Minister, however, informed the House that the government has notified a minimum pension of Rs.1,000 per month to the pensioners under the EPS 1995 from September 1, 2014 for the year 2014-15, which is continued beyond March, 2015 without any break.
Unions have been demanding indexing of pension under the EPS 1995 for providing social security to formal sector workers who are subscribers of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation.
India ratifies TFA pact of WTO
The government said it has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the WTO and the pact aims to expedite the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit.
“India has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Agreement (WTO) and the instrument of Acceptance for Trade Facilitation Agreement was handed over to WTO Director General by India on April 22, 2016,” Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
The Trade Facilitation Agreement will enter into force once two-thirds of WTO members have completed their domestic ratification process, Ms. Sitharaman added.
India is the 76th WTO member to accept the TFA.
TFA sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues.
“These objectives are in consonance with India’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ initiative,” the Minister said.
India seeks consultations with US at WTO over visa issue
India has sought consultations with the U.S. at WTO on higher visa fees as it is of the view that the measures are inconsistent with the WTO General Agreement on Trade and Services (GATS), Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
“India has decided to seek consultations with the US under the dispute settlement mechanism at WTO regarding certain measures, namely allegedly imposing increased fees on certain applicants for L-1 and H1-B categories of non-immigrant visas,” Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
Challenged WTO panel finding in US solar case: Minister
India has appealed against findings of a WTO panel on the solar case the country is contesting against the US, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.
“India had filled an appeal against the WTO panel findings and the recommendations thereof. India’s appeal primarily focuses on the need for a holistic approach to the issue of government procurement, keeping in view the public policy objectives of ensuring energy security and achieving ecologically sustainable growth, Sitharaman said in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
13 Indians have died in Pakistan jails since 2013
Thirteen Indians have died in Pakistani jails in the last nearly three-and-a-half-years including Kirpal Singh, who died recently in a Lahore jail, prompting India to seek a thorough investigation into it.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said India has also reiterated to the Pakistan government that it is their responsibility to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails.
“As per the information available in our missions/posts abroad, 49 Indians died in prisons in various countries during the last three years and the current year. This includes 13 Indians who died in Pakistani jails during this period,” Mr. Singh said.
Rs. 3,000 crore per annum plan to boost nuclear power sector
To increase investment in nuclear power generation, the government is preparing a comprehensive plan spanning over the next 15-20 years with a proposed budgetary allocation of Rs. 3,000 crore per annum, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
A recent amendment to the Atomic Energy Act 1962 has created a provision enabling Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) to seek equity participation from other central PSUs for atomic power projects and this will help in infusing additional capital, Minister of State for the Department of Atomic Energy, Jitendra Singh, said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
No reservation in appointments at senior positions: Govt.
There is no provision for reservation in appointments at senior positions, the government said on Wednesday.
Of the total 69 IAS officers working as secretaries in various central Ministries, one belongs to Scheduled Caste and two to Scheduled Tribe, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
“There is no provision for reservation in appointments at senior positions under the central staffing scheme. Secretaries are appointed on the basis of their experiences and suitability as per the established procedures,” he said.
At present, 18 non-IAS officers are holding the posts of Secretaries in various central government departments.
Further, a person with expertise in the sector has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation on contract basis, the Minister said.
Responding to another query, Mr. Singh said the Centre is reviewing performance of consultants appointed in various Ministries and departments.
As per rules, all Ministries and departments should be monitoring the performance of consultants so that the output of the consultancy is in line with the department’s objectives.
5875 Indian workers died in Gulf countries in 2015: Govt
As many as 5,875 Indian workers died in Gulf countries in 2015 with maximum number of deaths of 2,691 reported from Saudi Arabia, government said on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia was followed by UAE which reported 1,540 deaths in 2015, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said while replying to a written question in Lok Sabha.
While Qatar reported 279 deaths, there were 520 Indian workers who died in Oman, the minister said, adding 223 deaths happened in Bahrain, 611 in Kuwait and 11 in Iraq.
However, Mr. Singh ruled out any co-relation between cases of deaths of Indian migrant workers and employment in hazardous occupations, and said as reported by the Indian missions/posts in Gulf countries, the death of Indian workers is mostly due to natural causes and traffic accidents.
CIC disposed of more cases in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15
Working full strength, the Central Information Commission has disposed of more cases in 2015-16 as compared to 2014-15, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
As per information furnished by the CIC, the number of appeals and complaints disposed of by the commission in 2015-16 is 28,188 as against 20,181 in 2014-15, indicating an improved performance over the previous year, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and pensions, Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.
Govt. mulls reducing numbers of tax, administrative tribunals
An Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) has been constituted to look into the possibility of reduction in the number of tax and administrative tribunals, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
There are at least 36 tribunals for settling various administrative and tax-related disputes, including Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), Customs Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) and Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT), among others.
Rise in recruitment of minorities in govt. jobs
There has been a rise in recruitment of minorities in central government Ministries, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
The Department of Personnel and Training has been collecting data on recruitment of minority communities since 2006-07.
As per data received for the year 2013-14, 7.89 per cent of people from minorities were recruited. As per data for 2014-15, 8.56 per cent of people from minorities have been recruited in government services, he said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.
“However, no segregated data on recruitment is collected religion-wise,” the Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office said.
No timeline set to declare Jews as minority: Govt.
Government has not fixed any timeline to take a decision on declaring Jews as a minority community, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Responding to queries whether the government has received any proposal from the community to be declared as minority and time line set by the Centre to take a decision in this regard, Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “A proposal of Jewish community demanding grant of minority status has been received by this Ministry.
“No time line has been fixed by the central government to take a decision to declare Jewish community as minority community.”
He informed the population of Jews/Judaism religious community as per 2011 Census is not yet published.
The community, according to Office of the Registrar General, is classified under the category ‘Other Religion and Persuasion’, he added.
According to 2001 Census, the number of Jews living in India was 4650 with 2466 of them residing in Maharashtra.
Rise in complaints against IAS, IPS officers
There has been rise in complaints against IAS and IPS officers in the past three years, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
As many as 342 complaints were received against IAS officers and 132 against IPS officers during 2015-16, he said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
As many as 333 and 118 complaints were received against IAS and IPS officers respectively in 2014-15, said Mr. Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
During 2013-14, the Centre had received 246 and 89 complaints against IAS and IPS officers, he said, without giving details of the plaints.
Cases of women from African countries smuggling drugs noticed: MHA
Some cases of women from African countries smuggling popular drugs into the country have come to light, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
“Yes Sir. Some cases of women from African countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Burundi, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria and Mozambique smuggling popular drugs in the country have come to the notice,” Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said.
According to data presented by the Minister, 10 such cases were reported in 2013, 11 in 2014, 17 in 2015 and two cases in 2016 till March.
BSF killed twice the number cattle smugglers in 2015 than 2014
BSF killed more than double the number of criminals and cattle smugglers along the India-Bangladesh border during 2015 as compared to the previous year, government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, also said a total of 4,37,958 cattle were seized between 2013 and March 31, 2016 in a total of 49,775 incidents.
“During the year 2014 and 2015, Border Security Force killed 10 and 26 cross border criminals, out of which 6 and 17 were cattle smugglers, respectively,” he said.
Mr. Rijiju added there was “no definite” trend of cattle smuggling noticed in the last three years.
India received $48 billion in remittances in 9 months of last fiscal
India has received $48 billion in remittances in the first nine months of the previous fiscal, the government informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
India, one of the top recipients of remittances globally, had received $66.26 billion in 2014-15 while the amount was $65.48 billion in 2013-14.
Replying to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh also said, as per policy, investments made by NRIs under schedule 4 of FEMA (transfer or issue of security by persons residing outside India) Regulations is deemed to be domestic investment on par with investment made by residents.
He said existing policy allows special dispensation for NRI investments in construction and civil aviation sector.
To a separate question on whether over 300 Indian students are facing action by US government for staying in that country illegally, Singh said the American authorities have arrested 22 brokers, recruiters and employers who allegedly conspired with foreign nationals to fraudulently obtain visas through a “pay to stay” New Jersey college namely University of Northern New Jersy (UNNJ).
Over Rs. 1700 crore approved for 24 tourism projects in 2015-16
Tourism Ministry has sanctioned over Rs. 1,700 crore under its various schemes during 2015—16, which is an increase of around 60 per cent, as compared to the amount approved in 2014-15, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
In 2015-16, 24 projects got the nod with amount sanctioned to the tune of Rs. 1,719.11 crore, while in 2014-15, Rs. 1,076.55 crore were approved for 95 projects, Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply.
