Dumping Of Toxic Waste By Ships

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  SHIPPING

QUESTION NO  1974

ANSWERED ON  18.08.2011

Will the Minister of SHIPPING be pleased to satate :-


(a) whether ship Probo Koala containing tons of hazardous asbestos, after being banned by Bangladesh, headed to India;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is a fact that India is becoming the dumping ground for toxic waste belonging to ships endangering the human lives and environment; and

(d) if so, the action proposed to be taken?
   

ANSWER

     
MINISTER OF SHIPPING

(SHRI G.K. VASAN)

(a) & (b): Ship Probo Koala has not visited the Indian shore as per the information received from the various ports and Mercantile Marine Departments as on 10.08.2011.

(c) & (d): No, Sir.

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Registration Of Placement Agencies

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

QUESTION NO  1832

ANSWERED ON  17.08.2011

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to satate :-


(a) whether it is mandatory for the placement agencies to register themselves with local police station across the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof; (C) whether Government has received any complaints against some placement agencies;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) the details of cases booked/registered for minor abuse by the placement agencies; and

(f) the action proposed to be taken against the agencies involving in such activities?
  

ANSWER

      
MINISTER OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

(SHRI MALLIKARJUN KHARGE)

(a) & (b): There are various types of private placement agencies operating in the country. On the basis of their regulation/coverage, these agencies can be broadly classified into four categories:
(i)Manpower Export and Placement Agencies- covered under Immigration Act, 1983 ;
(ii) Labour Contractors covered under Contract (Abolition & Regulation) Act, 1970 and the Inter-State Migrant Workmen(Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979;
(iii)Private Security Agencies – governed by Private Security Agencies(Regulation)Act,2005; and
(iv) Private Placement Agencies catering to specific needs of the employers/labour market or temporary workers and not covered under first three categories. The first three categories of private placement agencies have to obtain licence and register themselves with respective authorities as per the provisions of relevant Act/Rules. However, the fourth category of private placement agencies is not covered by any specific Act. Some States/UTs have issued guidelines to register them under their Shop & Establishment Act by the Labour Department. In order to safeguard the interest of jobseekers, Ministry of Labour & Employment issued guidelines on 30.10.2003 to the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations to consider regulation of the functioning of Private Placement Agencies, as per local needs. These guidelines do not stipulate mandatory registration with local police station.

(c) to (f) Complaints, if any, are received by respective State Government/UT Administrations, and are dealt with by them as per the provisions of above mentioned Act(s) and /or provisions of Indian Penal Code. The details of these complaints are not maintained centrally.

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Impact Of Scam On Economic Growth

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  FINANCE

QUESTION NO  1587

ANSWERED ON  16.08.2011

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to satate :-


(a)whether it is a fact that various scams that took place in the country have hobbled reforms and economic growth of the country;

(b)if so, the details thereof;

(c)whether routine decision making by Government has also slowed which has in turn also affected the economic growth of the country; and

(d)the steps taken/being taken by Government to improve the economic growth of the country?
  
ANSWER
      

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(SHRI NAMO NARAIN MEENA)

(a) The Indian economy weathered the global economic crisis of 2008 well and bounced back to register real GDP growth (at factor cost at constant prices), of 8.0 and 8.5 per cent during 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. The government is actively pursuing economic reforms to help India grow on a sustainable path.

(b) Does not arise.

(c) No, sir.

(d) The Government has pursued prudent macroeconomic policies on an ongoing basis with a countercyclical focus in recent years, strengthened structural measures to promote growth, develop product as well as financial markets, and increased social spending to provide a stronger foundation to protect the poor.

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Ban On Sand Mining Along River Ganga

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS

QUESTION NO  1572

ANSWERED ON  16.08.2011

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether Government had written to the States to put blanket ban on sand mining across India especially along the holy river Ganga;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether Government has received any reply from the States; and
(d) the steps being taken by Government to stop the sand mining along the holy river Ganga?
  

ANSWER

      
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRIMATI JAYANTHI NATARAJAN)
(a)&(b) The Ministry of Environment and Forests has not put any ban on sand mining across India; however, mining of minerals including sand mining projects having lease area of 5 ha and above require prior environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. With specific reference to illegal river bed sand mining taking place along the Ganga river in Uttarakhand, particularly around Haridwar, the Ministry of Environment and Forests had written to the State Government of Uttarakhand to stop illegal river bed sand mining.
(c) The Ministry of Environment and Forests has not received any response from the Government of Uttarakhand in this regard.
(d) The non compliance of EIA Notification, 2006 would attract action under the penal provision of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

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Robery Incidents In Trains

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  RAILWAYS

QUESTION NO  1530

ANSWERED ON  12.08.2011

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to satate :-


(a) whether incidents of robbery and other related incidents are on the rise in Railways;

(b) the details of robberies that have taken place in trains during the last three years;

(c) the number of persons booked / convicted for robbery during the last three years;

(d) whether security arrangements are adequate for the passengers in trains; and

(e) the steps taken / being taken by Government to provide adequate security to the passengers in the trains?
  

ANSWER 

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI BHARATSINH SOLANKI)



(a): There is increase in the incidents of robbery reported during the year, 2010 in comparison to the years 2009 and 2008. However, there is decrease in the incidents of robbery reported during the year 2011 (Upto June).

(b) and (c): The number of cases of robbery reported during the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 (Upto June) in trains along with number of persons arrested and convicted over Indian Railways are as under:-

Year No of cases of Robbery reported in trains Persons arrested Persons convicted 2008 172 441 28 2009 198 615 52 2010 302 525 58 2011 (Upto June) 126 197 4

(d) and (e): Prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law and order in Railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Police, which they discharge through Government Railway Police (GRP) of the State concerned. As such the cases of crime on Railways are reported to, registered and investigated by the Govt. Railway Police. However, Railway Protection Force (RPF) supplements the efforts of GRP by deploying their staff for escorting of important trains in affected areas and access control duties at important and sensitive railway stations.

The following measures are being taken by the Railways for security of the passengers:-

1. On vulnerable and identified routes / sections, 1275 trains are escorted by Railway Protection Force daily on an average, in addition to 2200 trains escorted by Government Railway Police of different States daily.

2. An Integrated Security System consisting of electronic surveillance of vulnerable stations through Close Circuit Television Camera Network, access control, Anti-sabotage checks has been approved to strengthen surveillance mechanism over 202 sensitive and vulnerable Railway stations.

3. Regular coordination meetings are held with State Police at all levels to ensure proper registration and investigation of crime by Government Railway Police (GRP).

4. Public awareness against crime like Drugging of passengers is done through regular announcements at stations and in trains.


5. An amendment in the Railway Protection Force Act to enable Railway Protection Force to deal with the passenger related offences more effectively is under active consideration.

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Loss Due To Software Piracy

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

QUESTION NO  1441

ANSWERED ON  12.08.2011

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether it is a fact that software piracy rate is on rise in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether it is a fact that Government has lost about $ 866 million in taxes due to software piracy in the year 2009 alone; and
(d) if so, the steps taken/being taken by Government in this regard?
   

ANSWER

     
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI SACHIN PILOT)
(a): There is no official estimate available to ascertain the extent of software piracy in the country.
(b): Does not arise.
(c): Many of the software packages used in India are being imported. Software is exempted from basic custom duty. There is no explicit data available on financial losses arising out of software piracy.
(d): The steps taken by the government to curb software piracy include the following :
(i) Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for software in the country is covered under Copyright Act, 1957 as amended and violations attract penal action under Section 63 of the Copyright Act.
(ii) Government has set up a Copyright Enforcement Advisory Council under Ministry of Human Resource Development (the nodal Administrative Ministry), which reviews the progress of enforcement of Copyright Act and also advises on measures – both on the policy & implementation front for its better enforcement. Special Cells for monitoring the enforcement of copyright have been set at Police Headquarters in the States / UTs.
(iii) Instructions have been issued to various Government departments to use legal copies of software.
(iv) Zero custom duty on application software has contributed in reducing costs.
(v) Government is promoting Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) in e-governance applications in the country. A National Resource Centre for Free and Open Source Software (NRCFOSS) has been set up to carry out Research & Development, Human Resource Development, FOSS deployment, Support and Awareness in the country. NRCFOSS has brought out an indigenous GNU / Linux based operating system named as Bharat Operating System Solutions (BOSS) with Indian languages support.

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Financial Crunch In Air India

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  CIVIL AVIATION

QUESTION NO  1277

ANSWERED ON  11.08.2011

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether Air India is facing financial crunch for the last two/three years.
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c)whether Government/Management of Air India have taken any steps to improve the financial performance of the Company;
(d):whether the Government has sanctioned Rs.250 crore as advance infusion; and
(e) steps taken/being taken by Government to improve the financial performance of Air India?
  

ANSWER

      
MINISTER OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS & MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION
( SHRI VAYALAR RAVI )
(a) and (b): Yes, Sir. Air India incurred a loss of Rs.2226.16 crore during 2007-08, of Rs.5548.26 crore during 2008-09, of Rs.5552.55 crore during 2009-10 and the estimated loss for 2010-11 is Rs.6994 crore.
(c) and (e): In order to improve its financial performance, Air India has taken various steps such as Rationalization of routes to cut losses, return of leased capacity, reduction of contractual employment, review of all agreement between management and staff on all technical and operational matters and constitution of Turn Around Committee (which includes representatives from senior management and unions) to look at all areas of reduction.
(d): Pending payment of outstanding dues for VVIP operations, Government has paid an amount of Rs.500 crore on ad-hoc basis from the equity provision of Rs.1200 crore to Air India.

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Finish Technology For Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  ATOMIC ENERGY

QUESTION NO  1249

ANSWERED ON  11.08.2011

Will the Minister of ATOMIC ENERGY be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether Government is planning to introduce Finnish technology for Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether this technology has ever been used in India; and
(d) whether Finnish technology would ensure nuclear safety?
   

ANSWER

     
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)
(a) No, Sir.
(b) does not arise.
(c) No, Sir.
(d) The nuclear power reactors planned to be set up at Jaitapur are not based on Finnish technology but are 1650 MW evolutionary pressurised water reactors (EPRs) developed by Areva, France. The EPR design has been evolved from the several years’ operational feedback of N4 reactors in France and KONVOI reactors in Germany. The first EPR is under construction in Finland. EPRs are also under construction in France and China. The EPRs have not been set up in India earlier. The EPRs are reactors with advanced safety features, which include four independent safety trains housed in independent seismically qualified buildings, a core catcher, passive core cooling provisions which will ensure cooling of the fuel even in the worst case of fuel melt down thus preventing radioactivity releases, and hydrogen re-combiners to prevent hydrogen explosion.

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People Killed In Kashmir Insurgency

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 

MINISTRY OF  HOME AFFAIRS

QUESTION NO  1156

ANSWERED ON  10.08.2011

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to satate :-

     (a)    the details of people killed in Kashmir insurgency           civilian and policemen between January, 1990 to April, 2011

(b) the details of militants killed during the above period; and

(c) the details of compensation paid during the above period?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI JITENDRA SINGH)

(a) & (b): As per reports of J&K Government, 13226 civilians and 5369 Security Force personnel have been killed in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from year 1990 to April, 2011. Similarly, 21323 terrorists have been killed during the same period.
(c): Relief is a State subject. As per the J&K Government’s Relief policy, the Next of Kins (NoKs) of civilian victims of terrorist violence as well as Security Force personnel are sanctioned ex-gratia amounts based on extent orders in this regard.

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Pakistani Nationals Jailed For Terrorist Activities

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  HOME AFFAIRS

STARRED QUESTION NO-145

ANSWERED ON-10.08.2011

(a) the details of Pakistani nationals who have been jailed for terrorist activities across the country;
(b) the details of expenditure incurred on their security or otherwise;
(c) the details of Pakistani nationals awarded capital punishment; and
(d) the number of persons hanged/awarded death penalty till date?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI JITENDRA SINGH)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.145 FOR 10.08.2011
(a): As per the available inputs, 130 Pakistani Nationals are currently lodged in various Indian jails for their involvement in terrorist and terrorism related activities across the country.
(b): ‘Prison’ is a State subject as per the VII Schedule of the Constitution of India. Expenditure on prisons and prisoners is therefore incurred by the State Governments. Central Government thus does not maintain any account of the expenditure incurred on security and other heads on prisoners lodged in various jails across the country.
(c): At present, the following three Pakistan nationals currently lodged in Indian jails have been sentenced to death for their involvement in terrorist activities :- Sl. No. Name & Parentage Jail where lodged
1. Mohd. Arif @ Abu Hamid @ Ashfa s/o Mohd. Akram CJ Tihar, Delhi
2. Md. Husain @ Abu Husain s/o Nazir Husain CJ Tihar, Delhi
3. Mohd. Ajmal Mohd. Amir Kasab @ Abu Mujahil Mumbai Central Prison
(d): As per the available information, the stage of appeal in respect of the said Pakistani prisoners who have been sentenced to death, is as under :- Sl. No. Name & Parentage Stage of appeal
1. Mohd. Arif @ Abu Hamid @ Ashfa s/o Mohd. Akram Supreme Court of India
2. Md. Husain @ Abu Husain s/o Nazir Husain Supreme Court of India
3. Mohd. Ajmal Mohd. Amir Kasab @ Abu Mujahil Supreme Court of India

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Ground Water Availability

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF  WATER RESOURCES

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-925

ANSWERED ON-08.08.2011

(a) the details of availability of ground water, as on date;

(b) the details of withdrawal of ground water for irrigational, domestic and industrial purposes;

(c) the present status of ground water level; and

(d) the steps/measures taken by Government to improve the level of ground water?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES & MINORITY AFFAIRS ( SHRI VINCENT H. PALA)

(a) As per last assessment of ground water resources as on year 2004 carried out jointly by Central Ground Water Board and State Ground Water organizations, the total Annual Replenishable Ground Water Resources of the country have been estimated as 433 Billion Cubic Metres (bcm).

(b) Ground water withdrawal as on 2004 for all uses is estimated as 231 bcm per year, out of which withdrawal for irrigation is 213 bcm and that for domestic and industrial purposes together is 18 bcm.

(c) The water level data collected during May, 2011 has shown that water levels in majority of observation wells range from 2 to 20 metres below ground level. A few locationsin the States/ UTs of Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have registered water levels more than 20 meters below ground level. The state wise details of depth to water level as measured during May, 2011 are given in Annexure I.

(d) ‘Water’ is a state subject, hence it is the primary responsibility of the State Governments to take necessary measures to improve ground water levels. However, Ministry of Water Resources has taken following steps for improvement of the level of ground water: ? Circulation of `Model Bill` to enable States/Union Territories to enact suitable legislation for regulation and control of ground water development. States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and UTs of Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Puducherry have enacted ground water legislation. ? Implementation of Demonstrative Projects on Rain Water Harvesting and Artificial Recharge to Ground Water with an outlay of Rs. 100 Cr. during 11th Plan in the country. ? States have been advised for making rainwater harvesting mandatory. In pursuance thereof, 18 States and 4 UTs have made rain water harvesting mandatory under building bye-laws. ? Circulation of a Master Plan for artificial recharge of ground water to the States/UTs. ? Constitution of Advisory Council on Artificial Recharge to Ground Water for popularizing concept of artificial recharge among stakeholders as well as water managers. ? Institution of Bhoomijal Samvardhan Puraskars & National Water Award to encourage adoption of innovative practices of ground water augmentation and artificial recharge through people`s participation. ? Issuance of directions by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) to all the Chief Secretaries of States having Over-exploited blocks to take all necessary measures to promote/ adopt artificial recharge to ground water/ rain water harvesting. ? Issuing of directions by CGWA vide public notice to all the Residential Group Housing Societies/ Institutions/Schools/ Hotels/ Industrial Establishments falling in the over-exploited and critical areas (Except in the water logged areas) in the country to adopt Roof Top Rain Water harvesting systems in their premises. ? Issuing of directions by CGWA to Heads of Central Road Research Institute, National Highway Authority of India, Central Public Works Department, Railway Board, Sports Authority, Airports Authority of India, Civil Aviation, Youth Affairs & Sports to implement the Scheme of Ground Water Recharge along all National/State Highways and other roads, railway tracks and other establishments of Railways, all stadia and airports. ? Notification of 43 areas by Central Ground Water Authority for regulation of ground water development. 

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Vacancies In The Office Of The Registrar Of Companies

FILLING UP OF VACANT POSTS IN REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES IN HYDERABAD

The Registrar of Companies, Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh, was established in the year 1956 with staff strength of 10. After taking over of 600 companies from Nizam, at present, about 72,000 companies are registered with this RoC in Andhra Pradesh. However, the staff strength remained more or less at 1956 level. Though the staff strength has been increased, more than 50 per cent posts are lying vacant with the RoC, Hyderabad, due to resignation or retirement of the employees. As a result, the RoC is facing difficulty in handling its daily operations leading to inconvenience to entrepreneurs and others concerned.

I, therefore, request the Government to issue suitable directions to the concerned authorities to fill up the vacant posts, so that problems of RoC, Hyderabad, could be mitigated.