कथन

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the details of total Strength/in position, vacancies, appointments made across categories including safety in Railways and zonal divisions from 2014 to till date; (b) the details of the number of employees due to retire in the next three years, Grade-wise; (c) the total number of posts abolished in Railways during the last ten years, Year-wise; (d) the number of employees currently engaged on an outsourced/contractual basis along with the categories of work for which they are engaged; (e) the total number of applicants who appeared for the railways recruitment examination last year; (f) whether the Government is planning to fill the vacancies in the current year 11.02.2026 586 and if so, the details thereof; and (g) whether it is a fact that the report by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has pointed out that 'High vacancy in the cadre ultimately affects the working condition of the staff on roll' and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (g): Recruitment done in Indian Railways during 2004-05 to 2013-14 vis-à- vis during 2014-15 to 2024-25 is given as under :- Period Recruitments 2004-05 to 2013-14 4.11 lakh 2014-15 to 2024-25 5.08 lakh 2025-26 (till date) 34,929 Occurrence and filling up of vacancies are continuous processes on Indian Railways considering its size, spatial distribution and criticality of operation. Adequate and suitable manpower is provided to cater to the regular operations, changes in technology, mechanisations and innovative practices. The vacancies are filled up primarily by placement of indents by Railways with Recruitment agencies as per operational and technological requirements. Presently, recruitment against 1,43,086 vacancies of non-gazetted 11.02.2026 587 personnel has been taken up on Indian Railways as per Annual Calendar 2024 and 2025. During January to December 2024, ten Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) for 92,116 vacancies were notified for filling up of posts of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs), Technicians, Sub-Inspectors, Constables in Railway Protection Force (RPF), Junior Engineers (JEs)/ Depot Material Superintendent (DMS)/ Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA), Paramedical Categories, Non- Technical Popular Categories (Graduate), Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate), Ministerial & Isolated Categories and Level-1 categories such as Assistants, Track Maintainers and Pointsman. First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests (CBTs) for 59,678 posts has been completed. Details are as under:- Exam Candidates Cities Languages 1st Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies) 18,40,347 156 15 CBT for the post of Technician (14,298 vacancies) 26,99,892 139 15 1st Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies) 11,01,266 146 15 CBT for the post of RPF-SI (452 vacancies) 15,35,635 143 15 CBT for the post of RPF-Constable (4,208 vacancies) 45,30,288 147 15 CBT for Paramedical Categories (1,376 vacancies) 7,08,321 143 15 11.02.2026 588 1st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies) 58,41,774 141 15 1st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under Graduate) (3,445 vacancies) 63,27,473 157 15 CBT for Ministerial & Isolated categories (1,036 vacancies) 4,46,013 139 15 Total Candidates 2,50,31,009 2nd stage CBTs for the posts of ALP, JE/DMS/CMA and Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate & Under-Graduate) have also been completed. Details are as under: - Exam Candidates Cities Languages 2nd Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies) 2,66,363 112 15 2nd Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies) 1,17,339 118 15 2nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies) 1,21,931 129 15 2nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate) (3445 vacancies) 51,978 79 15 Total Candidates 5,57,611 Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for the post of ALP and Non- Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) and Computer based Skill Test for the 11.02.2026 589 post of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate-level) and Ministerial & Isolated Categories have also been completed. Details are as under:- Exam Candidates Cities Languages CBAT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies) 1,32,044 84 2 Translation Test for Ministerial and Isolated Categories 1,233 8 2 CBAT for the post of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) 13,616 38 2 Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST) for the post of Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate-level) 30,341 58 2 Total Candidates 1,77,234 CBT for 32,438 vacancies for level-1 categories has commenced from 27.11.2025 in 140 cities in 15 languages. Physical efficiency Test (PET) for 4,208 vacancies of Constable (RPF) has been completed on 06.12.2025. Panels for more than 34,000 candidates for various posts including the posts of Technicians, Junior Engineers, Paramedical Categories, Sub-Inspectors (RPF) and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised. Majority of them are in safety categories. In addition, as per Annual Calendar for the year 2025, nine Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs) for 50,970 vacancies have also been issued. 11.02.2026 590 Details are as under:- CEN No. Post Name No. of Vacancies notified Month of Notification 01/2025 Assistant Loco Pilots 9,970 March 2025 02/2025 Technician 6,238 June 2025 03/2025 Paramedical categories 434 July 2025 04/2025 Section Controller 368 August 2025 05/2025 Junior Engineer/ Depot Material Superintendent 2,585 October 2025 06/2025 Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate) 5,810 October 2025 07/2025 Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under- Graduate) 3,058 October 2025 08/2025 Isolated Categories 312 December 2025 09/2025 Level-1 22,195 December 2025 The RRB examinations are quite technical in nature entailing large scale mobilization of men and resources and training of manpower. Railway overcame all these challenges and successfully conducted the recruitment in a transparent manner following all laid down guidelines. No instance of paper leakage or similar malpractice has occurred during the entire process. Further, as system improvement, the Ministry of Railways has introduced a system of publishing the annual calendar from 2024 for recruitment to various categories of Group ‘C’ posts. The introduction of the annual calendar is benefitting the aspirants in the following manner: 11.02.2026 591 • More opportunities for candidates; • Opportunities to those becoming eligible every year; • Certainty of exams; • Faster recruitment process, training and appointments Manpower review is a continuous process undertaken in Railways to cater to changes in technology, policies, processes and practices. Sometimes posts are redistributed as per operational and administrative requirements. In exigencies of work, contractual engagement/outsourcing is resorted to as a stop-gap arrangement till regular incumbents join the posts. Such contractual engagement/outsourcing is purely temporary and time-bound, and is undertaken only to ensure smooth functioning of Railway operations until posts are filled through regular selections as per extant rules and procedures. जागो úाहक जागो 1959. ®ीमती अिनता नागरिसंह चौहानः ³या उपभोĉा मामले, खाī और सावªजिनक िवतरण मंýी यह बताने कì कृपा कर¤गे िकः (क) ³या उपभोĉा अिधकारŌ, उपभोĉा संर±ण अिधिनयम, 2019, उिचत मूÐय, गुणव°ा मानकŌ, Ăामक िव²ापनŌ और िशकायत िनवारण तंý के संबंध म¤ जागłकता का Öतर देश के úामीण और आिदवासी बहòल ±ेýŌ म¤ अभी भी अÂयंत कम है; (ख) यिद हाँ, तो úामीण और आिदवासी ±ेýŌ म¤ उपभोĉा जागłकता बढ़ाने के िलए सरकार Ĭारा कायाªिÆवत िकए जा रहे कायªøमŌ/अिभयानŌ (जैसे "जागो úाहक जागो", राÕůीय उपभोĉा 11.02.2026 592 हेÐपलाइन, िडिजटल और ऑफलाइन जनसÌपकª) का Êयौरा ³या है; (ग) िपछले तीन वषŎ के दौरान इन कायªøमŌ के तहत सरकार Ĭारा आयोिजत जागłकता िशिवरŌ, ÿिश±ण कायªøमŌ और ÿचार गितिविधयŌ कì राºय-वार सं´या का Êयौरा ³या है; और (घ) ³या सरकार का Öथानीय भाषाओं म¤ जागłकता सामúी ÿदान करने के िलए दूरÖथ और आिदवासी ±ेýŌ म¤ िवशेष अिभयान चलाने का िवचार है और यिद हाँ, तो तÂसंबंधी Êयौरा ³या है? उपभोĉा मामले, खाī और सावªजिनक िवतरण मंýालय म¤ राºय मंýी; तथा सामािजक Æयाय और अिधकाåरता मंýालय म¤ राºय मंýी (®ी बी. एल. वमाª): (क) से (घ): उपभोĉा मामले िवभाग इले³ůॉिनक, आउटडोर और सोशल मीिडया सिहत िविभÆन मीिडया के माÅयम से "जागो úाहक जागो" के तÂवावधान म¤ देशÓयापी मÐटीमीिडया उपभोĉा जागłकता अिभयान चला रहा है। उपभोĉाओं को उपभोĉा अिधकारŌ, उपभोĉा संर±ण अिधिनयम, 2019, उिचत मूÐय, गुणव°ा मानकŌ, Ăामक िव²ापनŌ, राÕůीय उपभोĉा हेÐपलाइन (एनसीएच) और िशकायत िनवारण तंý तथा िविभÆन अÆय उपभोĉा संबंधी मुĥŌ के बारे म¤ जागłक िकया जाता है। िवभाग ÿमुख मेलŌ/ÂयोहारŌ/आयोजनŌ म¤ भाग लेता है जहां बड़ी सं´या म¤ लोग एकý हो सकते ह§। िवभाग Öथानीय Öतर पर जागłकता उÂपÆन करने के िलए िविभÆन राºयŌ/क¤þशािसत ÿदेशŌ को अनुदान सहायता भी जारी करता है। इससे यह सुिनिIJत होता है िक उपभोĉा जागłकता िवशेष łप से úामीण, आिदवासी और दूरदराज के ±ेýŌ म¤ उपभोĉाओं तक पहòंचे। िवभाग ने 2022-23 म¤ उपभोĉाओं को सशĉ बनाने और उनके अिधकारŌ के बारे म¤ जागłकता फैलाने करने के िलए एक शुभंकर "जागृित" लॉÆच िकया है। जागृित को एक सशĉ युवा उपभोĉा के łप म¤ पेश िकया जाता है। एससी और एसटी बहòल ±ेýŌ म¤ लोगŌ के बीच उपभोĉा जागłकता फैलाने के िलए यूट्यूब िव²ापन, आकाशवाणी ÿसारण, इंटरएि³टव वॉयस åरÖपांस िसÖटम (आईवीआरएस) कॉल, 11.02.2026 593 एसएमएस अलटª जैसे अिभयान चलाए गए। िवभाग, ±ेýीय भाषाओं म¤ िविभÆन मीिडया के माÅयम से एसएमएस अिभयान जैसे जागłकता अिभयान चला रहा है। िवभाग ने ईएमआरएस ÖकूलŌ और क¤þीय िवīालयŌ म¤ िवतरण के िलए अंúेजी, िहंदी और ±ेýीय भाषाओं म¤ उपभोĉा जागłकता संबंधी मुĥŌ पर कॉिमक बुक ÿकािशत कì ह§। ये पुÖतक¤ राÕůीय ई-पुÖतकालय पर भी अपलोड कì गई ह§। गांव और úाम पंचायत Öतर पर उपभोĉा जागłकता को सुŀढ़ करने के उĥेÔय से, िवभाग ने राºयŌ/क¤þशािसत ÿदेशŌ म¤ úाम पंचायतŌ के िलए वचुªअल ±मता-िनमाªण सýŌ कì एक ®ृंखला भी आयोिजत कì है। इसके अलावा, भारतीय मानक Êयूरो (बीआईएस) बीआईएस ±ेýीय कायाªलयŌ और शाखा कायाªलयŌ के नेटवकª के माÅयम से िनयिमत आधार पर उपभोĉा जागłकता कायªøम आयोिजत करता है। इन कायªøमŌ म¤ अिनवायª ÿमाणन, हॉलमािक«ग, úाम पंचायत संवेदीकरण कायªøम आिद के तहत मानकŌ पर जागłकता कायªøम शािमल ह§। जमीनी Öतर पर जागłकता उÂपÆन करने और भारतीय मानकŌ के अनुपालन को बढ़ावा देने के िलए, भारतीय मानक Êयूरो (बीआईएस) ने संवेदीकरण कायªøमŌ के माÅयम से देश भर म¤ úाम पंचायत अÅय±Ō और सिचवŌ को संवेदनशील बनाने के िलए एक Óयापक पहल कì है। यह पहल देश भर के úाम पंचायत अÅय±Ō और सिचवŌ को मानकŌ, बीआईएस केयर ऐप और सरकारी खरीद म¤ महÂवपूणª गुणव°ा के मुĥŌ के बारे म¤ िशि±त करती है। इन कायªøमŌ म¤ Öथानीय भाषा म¤ जानकारी दी गई और ÿासंिगक भारतीय मानकŌ कì जानकारी वाली िवशेष पुिÖतकाएँ भी िवतåरत कì गईं। ये पुिÖतकाएं बीआईएस वेबसाइट पर भी उपलÊध ह§। यह सुिनिIJत करने के िलए िक बीआईएस कॉिमक सािहÂय बड़ी सं´या म¤ छाýŌ तक पहòंचे, इन पुÖतकŌ को ±ेýीय भाषाओं म¤ िश±ा मंýालय, भारत सरकार के राÕůीय ई-पुÖतकालय मंच पर 11.02.2026 594 उपलÊध कराने के िलए नेशनल बुक ůÖट इंिडया (एनबीटी) के साथ एक समझौता ²ापन पर हÖता±र िकए गए ह§। हåरĬार-ल³सर औīोिगक ±ेý म¤ रेल कागō टिमªनल कì Öथापना 1960. ®ी िýवेÆþ िसंह रावत: ³या रेल मंýी यह बताने कì कृपा कर¤गे िक: (क) ³या सरकार का उ°राखंड के हåरĬार-ल³सर औīोिगक ±ेý म¤ िÖथत सैकड़Ō कारखानŌ से माल कì सुगम आवाजाही के िलए वहां एक रेल कागō टिमªनल Öथािपत करने का िवचार है; (ख) यिद हां, तो उĉ कागō टिमªनल के ÿÖतािवत Öथान, ±मता और उĥेÔयŌ का Êयौरा ³या है; (ग) इस पåरयोजना कì Öवीकृित कì वतªमान िÖथित और इसके कायाªÆवयन कì अपेि±त समय- सीमा ³या है; (घ) यिद नहé, तो इसके ³या कारण ह§; और (ङ) इस ±ेý कì औīोिगक आवÔयकताओं को Åयान म¤ रखते हòए सरकार कì भावी योजनाएं ³या ह§? रेल मंýी; सूचना और ÿसारण मंýी; तथा इले³ůॉिनकì और सूचना ÿौīोिगकì मंýी (®ी अिÔवनी वैÕणव): (क) से (ङ): िनजी िनवेश के माÅयम से कागō टिमªनलŌ कì Öथापना को बढ़ावा देने के उĥेÔय से, ‘गित शिĉ मÐटी-मोडल कागō टिमªनल’ नीित शुł कì गई है, िजसके तहत ÿित वषª 198 िमिलयन टन कì अनुमािनत यातायात ±मता वाले 124 गित शिĉ मÐटी मोडल कागō टिमªनलŌ को पहले ही कमीशन िकया गया है। इसके अलावा, 280 अितåरĉ ÖथानŌ के िलए सैĦांितक अनुमोदन दे िदया गया है। अब तक, हåरĬार-ल³सर औīोिगक ±ेý सिहत उ°राखंड म¤ गित शिĉ मÐटी-मोडल कागō 11.02.2026 595 टिमªनल के िवकास के िलए 3 ÖथानŌ (पथरी, ल³सर और इकबालपुर) के िलए ÿÖताव ÿाĮ हòए ह§ जहां सैĦांितक अनुमोदन पहले ही िदए जा चुके ह§। ÿÖतािवत Öथान, ±मता और इनके उĥेÔय का Êयौरा िनÌनानुसार है – ø.सं. Öथान ±मता उĥेÔय 1 पथरी 01 फुल रेक कंटेनर साइिडंग कंटेनर यातायात कì सुिवधा के िलए। 2 ल³सर 03 फुल रेक कंटेनर साइिडंग कंटेनर यातायात कì सुिवधा के िलए। 3 इकबालपुर 02 फुल रेक संभलाई लाइन¤ इनवडª ि³लंकर और आउटवडª बैμड सीम¤ट कì सुिवधा के िलए। गित शिĉ मÐटी-मोडल कागō टिमªनल नीित के ÿावधानŌ के अनुसार, एज¤िसयŌ से अपे±ा कì जाती है िक वे िनमाªण-कायª शुł करने के िलए अंितम अनुमोदन ÿाĮ होने के चौबीस (24) महीनŌ के भीतर िनमाªण-कायª को कायाªिÆवत/पूरा कर¤। गित शिĉ मÐटी-मोडल कागō टिमªनल का Öथान उīोग से मांग, कागō यातायात कì संभावना, रेल अवसंरचना कì उपलÊधता और ±ेý कì समú संभार तंý ±मता के आधार पर तय िकया जाता है। राÕůीय Öतर पर रेिडयो ÿसारण को बढ़ावा देने कì योजनाएँ 1961. ®ी अŁण कुमार सागरः ³या सूचना और ÿसारण मंýी यह बताने कì कृपा कर¤गे िकः (क) राÕůीय Öतर पर रेिडयो ÿसारण को बढ़ावा देने के िलए ÿÖतािवत योजनाओं का Êयौरा ³या है; (ख) इन योजनाओं के अंतगªत úामीण ±ेýŌ म¤ रेिडयो कì ³या भूिमका है; (ग) ³या शाहजहांपुर लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ रेिडयो Öटेशन कायª कर रहे ह§; (घ) शाहजहांपुर लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ रेिडयो ÿसारण तक पहòंच म¤ आने वाली समÖयाओं का 11.02.2026 596 Êयौरा ³या है; और (ङ) शाहजहांपुर लोक सभा संसदीय ±ेý म¤ सूचना के ÿसार पर संबंिधत योजनाओं का ³या ÿभाव पड़ा है? सूचना और ÿसारण मंýालय म¤ राºय मंýी; तथा संसदीय कायª मंýालय म¤ राºय मंýी (डॉ. एल. मुłगन): (क) से (ङ): भारत सरकार, ÿसार भारती के िलए ÿसारण अवसंरचना के िवकास, आधुिनकìकरण तथा उÆनयन हेतु, िजसम¤ आकाशवाणी (एआईआर) कì अवसंरचना भी सिÌमिलत है, के िलए केÆþीय ±ेý कì योजना “āॉडकािÖटंग इÆĀाÖů³चर एंड नेटवकª डेवलपम¤ट (बीआईएनडी)” के माÅयम से सहायता ÿदान करती है। इस योजना के िलए वषª 2021-26 कì अविध हेतु ₹2539.61 करोड़ का पåरÓयय िनधाªåरत िकया गया है। इसके अितåरĉ, “भारत म¤ सामुदाियक रेिडयो आंदोलन को समथªन” योजना के अंतगªत वषª 2021–26 कì अविध के िलए ₹50 करोड़ का पåरÓयय ÿदान िकया गया है। यह सामुदाियक रेिडयो ÖटेशनŌ (सीआरएस) कì Öथापना, संचालन, नवीनीकरण तथा ÿितÖथापन के िलए िव°ीय सहायता ÿदान करने हेतु है। आकाशवाणी कì ÿमुख भूिमका जनसामाÆय को सूिचत करने, िशि±त करने तथा मनोरंजन ÿदान करने हेतु सावªजिनक ÿसारण सेवाओं का आयोजन एवं संचालन करना है। आकाशवाणी देश के úामीण ±ेýŌ कì सेवा करते हòए 23 भाषाओं तथा 182 बोिलयŌ म¤ कायªøमŌ का ÿसारण करता है। सामुदाियक रेिडयो Öटेशन (सीआरएस) भी Öथानीय भाषाओं एवं बोिलयŌ म¤ Öथानीयकृत, कम लागत वाले तथा सहभािगतापूणª संचार माÅयम ÿदान करके úामीण ±ेýŌ म¤ महÂवपूणª भूिमका िनभाते ह§। आकाशवाणी देशभर म¤ 591 ÿसारण केÆþŌ का संचालन करता है। बीआईएनडी योजना के अंतगªत 68 एफएम रेिडयो ůांसमीटरŌ कì Öथापना तथा 43 एफएम रेिडयो ůांसमीटरŌ के ÿितÖथापन/उÆनयन को भी Öवीकृित ÿदान कì गई है। 11.02.2026 597 शाहजहांपुर लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ आकाशवाणी Ĭारा रेिडयो ÿसारण आकाशवाणी लखनऊ से तथा आंिशक łप से आकाशवाणी एफएम Öटेशन बरेली से ÿदान िकया जाता है। इसके अितåरĉ, शाहजहांपुर लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý के कलाकार भी आकाशवाणी लखनऊ के कायªøमŌ म¤ भाग लेते ह§। CIRCULATION OF FRAUDULENT FINANCIAL SCHEMES ON SOCIAL MEDIA 1962. DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that a large number of videos circulating on social media platforms are propagating fraudulent financial schemes and misleading social narratives; (b) if so, the details of steps taken by the Government to regulate, monitor and curb the dissemination of such content; (c) the number of persons who have been booked, charged or prosecuted in connection with such cases during the last three years, year and State/UT- wise; and (d) the policy framework or action plan proposed by the Government to effectively prevent the spread of such fraudulent and misleading videos on social media platforms? 11.02.2026 598 THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA): (a) to (d): The policies of Government of India are aimed at ensuring open, safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace for users in the country. The Government is cognizant of the risks and harms arising from the misuse of digital technologies including the misuse of social media platforms. The Information Technology Act, 2000 (“IT Act”) has provisions for removal of unlawful online content. The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules”), require that the intermediaries, which includes social media platforms, shall observe due diligence while discharging their duties and shall inform the users of computer resources not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any information that deceives or misleads the addressee about the origin of message or knowingly and intentionally communicates any misinformation or information that is patently false and untrue or misleading in nature or is unlawful in any way. Where any information falls within the categories prohibited under this Rule, any user may make a request to the Grievance Officer of the concerned intermediary on whose platform such unlawful information is made available to the public. Upon receipt of such request, the intermediary must act expeditiously 11.02.2026 599 within the timelines prescribed under IT Rules, 2021. In case the user is aggrieved by the decision of an intermediary’s Grievance Officer or does not receive timely redressal, user may prefer an appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee within thirty days of the receipt of communication from the Grievance Officer. Section 79 of the Information Technology Act provides that intermediaries are required to disable/remove unlawful content through a court order or on being notified by appropriate government or its agency. In case of failure to observe due diligence as provided in the IT Rules, intermediaries lose the exemption from liability for any third-party information, data or communication link, under section 79 of the IT Act. MeitY through a program, namely, Information Security Education & Awareness (ISEA), has been creating awareness among users highlighting the importance of following the ethics while using Internet and advising them not to share rumors/fake news. A dedicated website for information security awareness (https://www.infosecawareness.in) provides relevant awareness material. As per records maintained by NCRB, the State/UT-wise cases registered, cases charge sheeted, and cases convicted under fake news on social media for cybercrimes (involving communication devices as medium/target) during 2021- 2023 is placed in Statement. 11.02.2026 600 STATEMENT Fake news on social media for cybercrimes CENTRAL LEATHER RESEARCH INSTITUTE (CLRI) IN LADAKH 1963. SHRI MOHMAD HANEEFA: Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV CR CCS CON PAR PCS PCV 1 Andhra Pra des h 14 18 0 16 19 0 15 10 1 11 11 1 24 15 0 21 23 0 2 Aruna chal Prades h 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Ass am 5 1 0 5 1 0 3 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Bihar 3 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 14 3 0 2 3 0 5 Chhattis ga rh 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Goa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Gujarat 2 7 0 6 8 0 1 1 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Harya na 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 Hima cha l Pra des h 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 Jha rkha nd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Karna ta ka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 1 1 0 12 Kerala 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 Ma dhya Prades h 6 7 0 8 8 0 15 14 0 16 14 0 4 3 0 0 3 0 14 Ma ha ra shtra 15 12 0 12 16 0 23 3 0 4 3 0 10 1 0 0 1 0 15 Ma nipur 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 Meghala ya 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 Mizoram 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Nagal and 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Odi sha 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Punja b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 21 Rajas tha n 7 5 0 5 5 0 5 2 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 Sikkim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Tamil Nadu 23 6 0 11 12 0 37 7 0 55 40 0 35 10 4 23 14 4 24 Tel anga na 34 50 0 29 63 0 81 45 0 17 52 0 98 33 7 31 39 7 25 Tripura 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 Utta r Pra des h 24 16 0 27 26 0 36 36 30 51 51 30 11 8 0 12 11 0 27 Utta ra kha nd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 West Be ngal 43 23 0 21 24 0 10 8 0 12 10 0 7 7 0 8 11 0 TOTAL STATE(S) 179 148 0 145 185 0 230 127 31 178 189 31 209 82 11 98 107 11 29 A&N Isla nds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 Cha ndigarh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 D&N Ha veli a nd Da ma n & Di u 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 Del hi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 Ja mmu & Kas hmi r 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 Ladakh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 Puducherry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL UT(S) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL (ALL INDIA) 179 148 0 145 185 0 230 128 31 179 190 31 209 82 11 98 107 11 State/UT-wise Cases Registered(CR), Cases Chargesheeted(CCS), Cases Convicted(CON), Persons Arrested(PAR), Persons Chargesheeted(PCS) and Persons Convicted(PCV) under Fake News on Social Media under Cyber Crimes during 2021-2023 SL State/UT 2021 2022 2023 11.02.2026 601 (a) whether the Government is aware of the demand and need to establish a regional branch of the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) in Ladakh to support the development of the leather industry and related sectors in the region and if so, the details thereof; (b) the efforts made so far by the Government or CSIR to explore the possibility of setting up such a regional centre in Ladakh; (c) whether there is any concrete plan or proposal under consideration for establishing a CLRI regional branch in Ladakh and if so, the details thereof; (d) the timeline by which the Government anticipates implementing such a plan to promote scientific research and industrial development in Ladakh through CLRI’s presence; and (e) the specific steps that will be taken to facilitate infrastructure, staffing and research collaboration for the regional centre in Ladakh ? THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPACE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH): (a) to (e): Presently, there is no plan to establish a regional centre of CSIR - 11.02.2026 602 Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI) in Ladakh. The CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai, has been actively working in the Ladakh region to develop the local leather industry, improve the value chain, and promote entrepreneurship, particularly among women and artisans. This initiative is part of a broader collaboration under the CSIR-Ladakh initiative, which aims to leverage Science & Technology for the region's development. The brief details of Key Initiatives and Activities in Ladakh undertaken by CSIR-CLRI is as follows:  Skill Development and Training: CSIR-CLRI has conducted specialized 30- day training programs for artisans in Leh and Kargil, focusing on leather and allied products. These sessions aimed to turn the traditional, unorganized leather usage into a sustainable, structured industry.  Value Addition to Local Products: The institute is assisting in developing combination products using leather and traditional items, such as Goncha (robes) and Kamarbandh (sashes), with improved designs and techniques to meet market needs.  Natural Dyeing and Material Usage: CSIR-CLRI is working with local artisans to use textile materials dyed with natural dyes for making combination products.  Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Training programs have specifically targeted Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and women artisans to create skilled, self- 11.02.2026 603 reliant entrepreneurs in the leather sector.  Collaborative Partners: The work is done in collaboration with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Ladakh, Rural Development Department (RDD), and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Ladakh. CSIR-CLRI's involvement is part of the CSIR-Ladakh initiative, which also includes other CSIR laboratories focusing on high-altitude agriculture, bio- resources, and medicinal plants. यवतमाल-वािशम (महाराÕů) म¤ रेल पåरयोजनाएं 1964. ®ी संजय उ°मराव देशमुख: ³या रेल मंýी यह बताने कì कृपा कर¤गे िक: (क) महाराÕů के यवतमाल-वािशम लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ वतªमान म¤ चल रही अथवा ÿÖतािवत ÿमुख रेल पåरयोजनाओं (जैसे Öटेशन पुनिवªकास, नई रेल पटरी/लाइन¤, दोहरीकरण, पुल, वंदे भारत रेलगाड़ी सुिवधा) का Êयौरा ³या है; (ख) िव°ीय Öवीकृित, Öवीकृत धनरािश, वतªमान िÖथित (िवÖतृत पåरयोजना ÿितवेदन, भूिम अिधúहण, िनमाªणाधीन/पूणª) का Êयौरा ³या है और ÿÂयेक पåरयोजना के िलए अपेि±त समय- सीमा ³या है; (ग) अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना के अंतगªत यवतमाल-वािशम लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ ÖटेशनŌ कì अīतन िÖथित ³या है और अब तक िकए गए Óयय का Êयौरा ³या है; (घ) ³या महाराÕů म¤ िकसी नए टिमªनल Öटेशन का िनमाªण िकए जाने का ÿÖताव है और यिद हां, तो तÂसंबंधी Êयौरा ³या है; और 11.02.2026 604 (ङ) ³या इन पåरयोजनाओं कì िनगरानी के िलए रेलवे बोडª/डीआरएम Öतर पर कोई िवशेष सिमित या समी±ा तंý गिठत िकया गया है और यिद हां, तो तÂसंबंधी Êयौरा ³या है? रेल मंýी; सूचना और ÿसारण मंýी; तथा इले³ůॉिनकì और सूचना ÿौīोिगकì मंýी (®ी अिÔवनी वैÕणव): (क) से (ङ): महाराÕů म¤ यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤, शुł िकए गए रेल अवसंरचनाÂमक कायŎ का Êयौरा िनÌनानुसार है: यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý कì संपकª ता म¤ सुधार लाने के िलए वधाª - यवतमाल - नांदेड़ नई लाइन (284 िक.मी.) कì मंजूरी दी गई है। वधाª - कलंब खंड (39 िक.मी.) को चालू कर िदया गया है और शेष खंड पर कायª शुł कर िदया गया है। िपछले पांच वषŎ के दौरान बजट आवंटन म¤ उÐलेखनीय वृिĦ कì गई है। महाराÕů राºय (यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý सिहत) म¤ पूणªत:/अंशत: पड़ने वाली अवसंरचना पåरयोजनाओं और संर±ा कायŎ के िलए बजट आवंटन िनÌनानुसार है: अविध पåरÓयय 2009-14 1,171 करोड़ Łपए ÿितवषª 2025-26 23,778 करोड़ Łपए (20 गुना से अिधक) वषª 2009-14 और वषª 2014-25 के दौरान महाराÕů राºय (यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý सिहत) म¤ पूणªतः/अंशत: पड़ने वाले नए रेलपथ कì कमीशिनंग/िबछाने संबंधी कायŎ का Êयौरा िनÌनानुसार है: अविध कमीशन िकए गए नए रेलपथ नए रेलपथŌ कì औसत कमीशिनंग 2009-14 292 िकलोमीटर 58.4 िकलोमीटर ÿितवषª 2014-25 2,292 िकलोमीटर 208.36 िकलोमीटर ÿितवषª (3 गुना से अिधक) 11.02.2026 605 िदनांक 01.04.2025 कì िÖथित के अनुसार, महाराÕů (यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý सिहत) म¤ पूणªतः/अंशत: पड़ने वाली 89,780 करोड़ Łपए कì लागत पर कुल 5,098 िकलोमीटर लंबाई कì 38 पåरयोजनाओं (11 नई लाइन, 02 आमान पåरवतªन और 25 दोहरीकरण) को Öवीकृत िकया गया है। इसका सार िनÌनानुसार है:- कोिट Öवीकृत पåरयोजनाओं कì सं´या कुल लंबाई (िकलोमीटर म¤) माचª 2025 तक कमीशन कì गई लंबाई (िकलोमीटर म¤) माचª, 2025 तक Óयय (करोड़ Łपए म¤) नई लाइन 11 1,355 234 10,504 आमान पåरवतªन 2 609 334 4,286 दोहरीकरण/मÐटीůैिकंग 25 3,134 1,792 24,617 कुल 38 5,098 2,360 39,407 रेल पåरयोजना/ओं का पूरा होना िविभÆन कारकŌ पर िनभªर करता है, जो िनÌनानुसार ह§:  भूिम अिधúहण  वन संबंधी मंजूरी  बाधक जनोपयोगी सेवाओं का Öथानांतरण  िविभÆन ÿािधकरणŌ से सांिविधक Öवीकृितयां  ±ेý कì भू-वै²ािनक और Öथलाकृितक पåरिÖथितयां  पåरयोजना Öथल के ±ेý म¤ कानून एवं ÓयवÖथा कì िÖथित  पåरयोजना Öथल िवशेष के िलए िकसी वषª म¤ कायª करने के महीनŌ कì सं´या आिद पåरयोजनाओं से संबंिधत अÆय मुĥŌ के समाधान के िलए भूिम अिधúहण, वÆय एवं वÆयजीव मंजूरी के िलए राºय सरकारŌ और संबंिधत ÿािधकाåरयŌ के साथ िनयिमत łप से अनुवतê कारªवाई कì जाती है। 11.02.2026 606 Öटेशन िवकास पåरयोजनाएं रेल मंýालय ने ÖटेशनŌ के पुनिवªकास के िलए अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना शुł कì है। अब तक, अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना के अंतगªत 1337 ÖटेशनŌ को िचिĹत िकया गया है, िजनम¤ से महाराÕů के यवतमाल - वािशम के लोक सभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ िÖथत वािशम Öटेशन भी शािमल है। अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना अंतगªत महाराÕů राºय म¤ िवकास के िलए िचिĹत िकए गए ÖटेशनŌ के नाम िनÌनानुसार ह§: राºय ÖटेशनŌ कì सं´या ÖटेशनŌ के नाम महाराÕů 132 अहमदनगर, अजनी (नागपुर), अ³कलकोट रोड़, अकोला, आकुडê, अमलनेर, आमगाँव, अमरावती, अंधेरी, बडनेरा, बÐहारशाह, बांþा टिमªनस, बारामती, बेलापुर, भंडारा रोड, भोकर, भुसावल, बोरीवली, भायखला, चालीसगाँव, चांदा फोटª, चंþपुर, चनê रोड, छýपित संभाजी नगर, छýपित िशवाजी महाराज टिमªनस, िचंचपोकली, िचंचवाड, दादर (मÅय रेल), दादर (पिIJम रेल), दिहसर, दŏड, देहò रोड, देवलाली, धामणगांव, धरणगांव, धारािशव, धमाªबाद, धुले, िदवा, दुधनी, गंगाखेर, गोधानी, गŌिदया, úांट रोड, हडपसर, हातकणंगले, हजूर सािहब नाÆदेड, िहमायत नगर, िहंगनघाट, िहंगोली द³कन, इगतपुरी, जलगाँव, जालना, जेऊर, जोगेĵरी, कÐयाण जं³शन, कामटी, कांिदवली, कंजुर मागª, कराड, काटोल, केडगाँव, िकनवट, कोपरगाँव, कुडुªवाडी जं³शन, कुलाª जं³शन, लासलगाँव, लातूर, लोकमाÆय ितलक टिमªनस, लोनंद जं³शन, लोनावाला, लोअर परेल, मलाड, मलकापुर, मनमाड जं, मानवत रोड, मरीन लाइÆस, माटुंगा, िमराज जं³शन, मुदखेड़ जं³शन, मुंबई स¤ůल, मुंāा, मुितªजापुर, नागरसोल, नागपुर जं, नंदगाँव, नांदुरा, नंदुरबार, नरखेड़ जं³शन, नािसक रोड, नेताजी सुभाष चंþ बोस इतवारी जं³शन, पाचोरा जं³शन, पालघर, पंढरपुर, पनवेल जं³शन, परभणी जं³शन, परेल, परली वैजनाथ, परतूर, फलटाण, ÿभादेवी, पुलगाँव जं³शन, पुणे जं³शन, पूणाª जं³शन, रावेर, रोटेगांव, साईंनगर िशडê, स§डहÖटª रोड, सांगली, 11.02.2026 607 राºय ÖटेशनŌ कì सं´या ÖटेशनŌ के नाम सतारा, सावदा, सेलू, सेवाúाम, शहाड, शेगांव, िशवाजी नगर पुणे, ®ी छýपित शाहó महाराज टिमªनस कोÐहापुर, सोलापुर, तलेगांव, ठाकुलê, ठाणे, िटटवाला, तुमसर रोड, उमरी, उŁली, वडाला रोड, िवīािवहार, िवøोली, वडसा, वधाª, वािशम, वाठार अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना के तहत महाराÕů राºय म¤ रेलवे ÖटेशनŌ पर िवकास कायª तेज गित से शुł िकए गए ह§। महाराÕů राºय म¤ अब तक 17 ÖटेशनŌ (आमगांव, बारामती, चांदा फोटª, िचंचपोकली, देवलाली, धुले, केडगांव, लासलगांव, लोनंद जं³शन, माटुंगा, मुितªजापुर जं³शन, नंदुरा, नेताजी सुभाष चंþ बोस इतवारी जं³शन, परेल, सावदा, शहाड और वडाला रोड) का कायª इस योजना के तहत पूरा हो चुका है। अÆय ÖटेशनŌ पर भी कायª तीĄ गित से शुł िकए गए ह§ और उपरोĉ म¤ से कुछ ÖटेशनŌ कì ÿगित िनÌनानुसार है:  वािशम Öटेशन: Öटेशन भवन, ÿांगण, ÈलेटफॉमŎ, Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर, ÿती±ालय क±, शौचालय, पåरचलन ±ेý, िलÉट और 12 मीटर पैदल पार पुल के सुधार का कायª िकया गया है।  मानवत रोड Öटेशन: Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर का कायª पूरा हो चुका है। Öटेशन भवन, ÿवेश Ĭार, Èलेटफॉमª कì सतह, ÿती±ालय, शौचालय और िलÉट के सुधार का कायª शुł िकया गया है।  परभणी जं³शन Öटेशन: नए Öटेशन भवन, Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर और 12 मीटर पैदल पार पुल के संरचनाÂमक कायª शुł कर िदए गए ह§।  परतूर Öटेशन: Öटेशन भवन, ÿवेश Ĭार, Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर, Èलेटफॉमª सतह, ÿती±ालय, शौचालय, पåरचलन ±ेý, िलÉट और 12 मीटर पैदल पार पुल के िवÖतार का कायª शुł कर िदया गया है। 11.02.2026 608  पूणाª जं³शन Öटेशन: नए Öटेशन भवन का संरचनाÂमक कायª, Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर, Èलेटफॉमª सतह, पåरसर दीवार और 12 मीटर पैदल पार पुल का कायª शुł कर िदया गया है।  सेलू Öटेशन: Èलेटफॉमª शेÐटर, Èलेटफॉमª सतह, ÿती±ालय, शौचालय, िलÉट और 12 मीटर पैदल पार पुल के कायŎ को शुł कर िदया गया है। इसके अलावा, भारतीय रेल म¤ ÖटेशनŌ का िवकास/पुनिवªकास/उÆनयन/आधुिनकìकरण िनरÆतर और सतत ÿिøया है और इस संबंध म¤ कायŎ को पारÖपåरक ÿाथिमकता और िनिधयŌ कì उपलÊधता के अÅयधीन, आवÔयकतानुसार िकया जाता है। ÖटेशनŌ के िवकास/पुनिवªकास/उÆनयन/आधुिनकìकरण के कायª Öटेशन कì कोिट/िÖथित/Öटेशन म¤ संभाले जाने वाला यातायात आिद के आधार पर शुł िकए जाते ह§। अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना म¤ दीघªकािलक ŀिĶकोण के साथ िनरंतर आधार पर ÖटेशनŌ के िवकास कì पåरकÐपना कì गई है। अमृत भारत Öटेशन म¤ ÖटेशनŌ म¤ सुधार लाने के िलए माÖटर योजना तैयार करना और उनका चरणबĦ कायाªÆवयन शािमल ह§। इस माÖटर योजना म¤ िनÌनानुसार शािमल ह§:  Öटेशन और पåरचलन ±ेýŌ तक पहòंच म¤ सुधार,  Öटेशन का शहर के दोनŌ भागŌ के साथ एकìकरण,  Öटेशन भवन म¤ सुधार,  ÿती±ालय, शौचालय, बैठने कì ÓयवÖथा, पेयजल बूथŌ म¤ सुधार,  याýी यातायात के अनुłप चौड़े पैदल पार पुल/एयर कॉनकोसª का ÿावधान  िलÉट/Öवचािलत सीिढ़यŌ/र§प का ÿावधान  Èलेटफॉमª कì सतह और Èलेटफॉमª पर कवर म¤ सुधार/ÿावधान  ‘एक Öटेशन एक उÂपाद’ जैसी योजनाओं के माÅयम से Öथानीय उÂपादŌ के िलए िकयोÖक का 11.02.2026 609 ÿावधान,  पािक«ग ±ेý, मÐटी मोडाल एकìकरण,  िदÓयांगजनŌ के िलए सुिवधाएं,  बेहतर याýी सूचना ÿणाली  ÿÂयेक Öटेशन पर आवÔयकता को Åयान म¤ रखते हòए ए³जी³यूिटव लाउंज, Óयावसाियक बैठकŌ के िलए नािमत Öथान, ल§डÖकेिपंग आिद का ÿावधान इस योजना म¤ आवÔयकतानुसार, चरणबĦ और Óयवहायª łप से दीघªकािलक और पयाªवरण अनुकूल समाधान, िगĘी रिहत रेलपथ का ÿावधान आिद और दीघाªविध म¤ Öटेशन पर िसटी स¤टर के िनमाªण कì भी पåरकÐपना कì गई है। रेलवे ÖटेशनŌ का िवकास/उÆनयन जिटल ÿकृित का होता है िजसम¤ यािýयŌ और रेलगािड़यŌ कì संर±ा शािमल है और इसके िलए दमकल िवभाग, धरोहर, पेड़Ō कì कटाई, िवमानप°न संबंधी Öवीकृित इÂयािद जैसी िविभÆन सांिविधक ÖवीकृितयŌ कì आवÔयकता होती है। इनकì ÿगित जनोपयोगी सेवाओं को Öथानांतåरत करना, (िजनम¤ जल/सीवेज लाइन, ऑिÈटकल फाइबर केबल, गैस पाइप लाइन, पावर/िसगनल केबल इÂयािद शािमल ह§) अितलंघन, याýी संचलन को बािधत िकए िबना रेलगािड़यŌ का पåरचालन, रेलपथ एवं उ¸च वोÐटेज िबजली लाइनŌ के िनकट सािÆनÅय म¤ िकए जाने वाले कायŎ के कारण गित ÿितबंध आिद जैसी āाउन फìÐड संबंधी चुनौितयŌ के कारण भी ÿभािवत होती है और ये कारक कायª के समापन समय को ÿभािवत करते ह§। अमृत भारत Öटेशन योजना के तहत ÖटेशनŌ के िवकास/ उÆनयन/आधुिनकìकरण को साधारणतः पर योजना शीषª-53 'úाहक सुिवधाएं' के तहत िव° पोिषत िकया जाता है। ÖटेशनŌ के िवकास और रखरखाव के िलए िनिध के आबंटन का िववरण ±ेýीय रेलवे-वार रखा जाता है और कायª- वार या Öटेशन-वार नहé। याýी सुिवधाओं को साधारणतः पर योजना शीषª-53 'úाहक सुिवधाएं' के 11.02.2026 610 तहत िव°पोिषत िकया जाता है। महाराÕů चार रेलवे जोनŌ, अथाªत्, मÅय रेलवे, दि±ण मÅय रेलवे, दि±ण पूवª मÅय रेलवे और पिIJम रेलवे के अिधकार ±ेý म¤ आता है। इन ±ेýŌ के िलए, िव° वषª 2025-26 के िलए 3,834 करोड़ Łपए का आबंटन िकया गया है, िजसम¤ से अब तक 3,122 करोड़ Łपए का Óयय (िदसंबर, 2025 तक) िकया गया है। उपåर सड़क पुल/िनचला सड़क पुल कायª: यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ अकोला - पूणाª खंड पर काटा रोड - वािशम Öटेशन के बीच िक.मी. 813/6-7 पर समपार सं. 111 के बदले उपåर सड़क पुल के िनमाªण के िलए कायª Öवीकृत िकया गया है। कायª ÿगित पर है। रेलपथ के नीचे ब³से डाले गए ह§ और नािलयŌ और åरटेिनंग वॉल का कायª शुł कर िदया गया है। इसके अलावा, 02 कायŎ के िलए िवÖतृत पåरयोजना åरपोटª तैयार करने के िलए कायª Öवीकृत िकए गए ह§। समपारŌ िजसम¤ यवतमाल - वािशम लोकसभा िनवाªचन ±ेý म¤ अकोला - पूणाª खंड पर अमनवाडी - जऊलका Öटेशन के बीच िक.मी. 796/4-5 पर समपार सं. 102 और काटा रोड - वािशम Öटेशन के बीच िक.मी. 816/6-7 पर समपार सं. 113 शािमल है। वषª 2004-14 से 2014-25 (िदसंबर, 2025 तक) के दौरान भारतीय रेल म¤ िनिमªत ऊपरी/िनचले सड़क पुलŌ कì सं´या िनÌनानुसार है: अविध िनिमªत ऊपरी/िनचले सड़क पुल 2004-14 4,148 अदद 2014-25 (िदसंबर, 2025 तक) 13,882 अदद िदनांक 01.01.2026 कì िÖथित के अनुसार, महाराÕů राºय म¤ 5,599 करोड़ Łपए कì लागत से 269 अदद ऊपरी/िनचले सड़क पुलŌ सिहत भारतीय रेल म¤ 1,14,298 करोड़ Łपए कì लागत से 4,769 अदद ऊपरी/िनचले सड़क पुलŌ को Öवीकृत िकया गया है जो योजना और िनÕपादन के 11.02.2026 611 िविभÆन चरणŌ म¤ ह§। ऊपरी/िनचले सड़क पुलŌ के कायŎ का पूरा होना और इÆह¤ कमीशन करना समपार को बंद करने कì सहमित ÿदान करने म¤ राºय सरकारŌ का सहयोग, पहòँच मागª संरेखण का िनधाªरण, सामाÆय ÓयवÖथा आरेख (जीएडी) का अनुमोदन, भूिम अिधúहण, अितøमण हटाना, अितलंघनकारी उपयोिगताओं का Öथानांतरण, िविभÆन ÿािधकरणŌ से सांिविधक मंज़ूरी, पåरयोजना/कायª ÖथलŌ के ±ेý म¤ कानून ÓयवÖथा कì िÖथित, जलवायु पåरिÖथितयŌ के कारण िकसी िवशेष पåरयोजना/±ेý के िलए एक वषª म¤ कायŎ कì अविध आिद जैसे िविभÆन कारकŌ पर िनभªर करता है। ये सभी कारक पåरयोजनाओं/कायŎ के समापन समय को ÿभािवत करते ह§। महाराÕů म¤ कोिचंग टिमªनल जोगेĵरी और वसई रोड म¤ नए कोिचंग टिमªनलŌ को मंजूरी दी गई है। इसके अलावा, परेल म¤ नए कोिचंग टिमªनल और लोकमाÆय ितलक म¤ नए सैटेलाइट टिमªनल कì िवÖतृत पåरयोजना åरपोटª (डीपीआर) तैयार कì गई है। भारतीय रेल म¤ पåरयोजनाओं के िøयाÆवयन कì िनगरानी हेतु एक सुÓयविÖथत Öथािपत तंý है, िजसम¤ उनकì समी±ा, िनरी±ण, कायŎ कì गुणव°ा कì जाँच तथा लेखापरी±ा शािमल ह§। िनमाªण कायª िविभÆन संिहताओं एवं िनयमाविलयŌ म¤ िनधाªåरत मानकŌ एवं िविनद¥शŌ के अनुłप िनÕपािदत िकए जाते ह§। िविभÆन एज¤िसयŌ/अिधकाåरयŌ/बहò-िवषयक दलŌ Ĭारा समय-समय पर िनधाªåरत अनुदेशŌ के अनुसार िनरी±ण/लेखापरी±ा/जाँच कì जाती है तथा ±ित सिहत सुधाराÂमक कारªवाई तुरंत कì जाती है। यह सतत एवं िनरंतर चलने वाली ÿिøया है। DEMAND/AVAILABILITY OF RAIL CAPACITY 1965. SHRI MALVINDER SINGH KANG: 11.02.2026 612 Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has undertaken any corridor-wise assessment of passenger demand versus available rail capacity in northern Punjab, particularly on routes connecting Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar, Una and Nangal with major urban centres and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of new train services, frequency augmentation or rake rationalisation proposed or under consideration for these routes during the period 2024–26; (c) whether constraints relating to single-line sections, platform length or signalling upgradation have been identified as limiting factors for service expansion in this region and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the details of the steps taken or proposed to be taken to improve rail-based access for pilgrims and daily commuters in the Anandpur Sahib region in view of recurring congestion during peak periods? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (d): Indian Railways regularly carry out passenger demand and capacity assessments across the railway network. Based on such assessments, additional train services including special trains are introduced/operated to meet the passenger demand. 11.02.2026 613 As the Railway network straddles across State boundaries, trains are introduced, as per network requirement, across such boundaries. Presently, Anandpur Sahib, Rupnagar, Una Himachal and Nangal Dam stations are catered by 28 train services, 26 train services, 18 train services and 26 train services respectively as listed below: Anandpur Sahib: SN Train no. and name 1 12057 New Delhi - Daulatpur Chowk Jan Shatabdi Express 2 12058 Daulatpur Chowk-New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express 3 12325 Kolkata – Nangal Dam Gurumukhi Express 4 12326 Nangal Dam – Kolkata Gurumukhi Express 5 14053 Delhi – Daulatpur Chowk Himachal Express 6 14054 Daulatpur Chowk-Delhi Himachal Express 7 14505 Amritsar-Nangal Dam Express 8 14506 Nangal Dam-Amritsar Express 9 19307 Indore-Una Himachal Express 10 19308 Una Himachal-Indore Express 11 19411 Gandhinagar Capital - Daulatpur Chowk Express 12 19412 Daulatpur Chowk-Gandhinagar Capital Express 13 22447 New Delhi-Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express 14 22448 Amb Andaura-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express 15 22709 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Amb Andaura Express 16 22710 Amb Andaura-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express 17 64511 Haridwar - Amb Andaura MEMU 18 64512 Amb Andaura - Haridwar MEMU 11.02.2026 614 19 64515 Ambala Cantt - Nangal Dam MEMU 20 64516 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU 21 64517 Ambala Cantt - Nangal Dam MEMU 22 64518 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU 23 64563 Raipur Haryana - Amb Andaura MEMU 24 64564 Amb Andaura - Raipur Haryana MEMU 25 74991 Ambala Cantt. - Daulatpur Chowk DEMU 26 74992 Daulatpur Chowk - Ambala Cantt DEMU 27 64513 Saharanpur - Nangal Dam MEMU 28 64514 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU Rupnagar and Nangal Dam: SN Train no. and name 1 12057 New Delhi - Daulatpur Chowk Jan Shatabdi Express 2 12058 Daulatpur Chowk-New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express 3 12325 Kolkata – Nangal Dam Gurumukhi Express 4 12326 Nangal Dam – Kolkata Gurumukhi Express 5 14053 Delhi – Daulatpur Chowk Himachal Express 6 14054 Daulatpur Chowk-Delhi Himachal Express 7 14505 Amritsar-Nangal Dam Express 8 14506 Nangal Dam-Amritsar Express 9 19307 Indore-Una Himachal Express 10 19308 Una Himachal-Indore Express 11 19411 Gandhinagar Capital - Daulatpur Chowk Express 11.02.2026 615 12 19412 Daulatpur Chowk-Gandhinagar Capital Express 13 22709 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Amb Andaura Express 14 22710 Amb Andaura-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express 15 64511 Haridwar - Amb Andaura MEMU 16 64512 Amb Andaura - Haridwar MEMU 17 64515 Ambala Cantt - Nangal Dam MEMU 18 64516 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU 19 64517 Ambala Cantt - Nangal Dam MEMU 20 64518 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU 21 64563 Raipur Haryana - Amb Andaura MEMU 22 64564 Amb Andaura - Raipur Haryana MEMU 23 74991 Ambala Cantt. - Daulatpur Chowk DEMU 24 74992 Daulatpur Chowk - Ambala Cantt DEMU 25 64513 Saharanpur - Nangal Dam MEMU 26 64514 Nangal Dam - Ambala Cantt MEMU Una Himachal: SN Train no. and name 1 12057 New Delhi - Daulatpur Chowk Jan Shatabdi Express 2 12058 Daulatpur Chowk-New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express 3 14053 Delhi – Daulatpur Chowk Himachal Express 4 14054 Daulatpur Chowk-Delhi Himachal Express 5 19307 Indore-Una Himachal Express 6 19308 Una Himachal-Indore Express 7 19411 Gandhinagar Capital - Daulatpur Chowk Express 11.02.2026 616 8 19412 Daulatpur Chowk-Gandhinagar Capital Express 9 22447 New Delhi-Amb Andaura Vande Bharat Express 10 22448 Amb Andaura-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express 11 22709 Hazur Sahib Nanded - Amb Andaura Express 12 22710 Amb Andaura-Hazur Sahib Nanded Express 13 64511 Haridwar - Amb Andaura MEMU 14 64512 Amb Andaura - Haridwar MEMU 15 64563 Raipur Haryana - Amb Andaura MEMU 16 64564 Amb Andaura - Raipur Haryana MEMU 17 74991 Ambala Cantt. - Daulatpur Chowk DEMU 18 74992 Daulatpur Chowk - Ambala Cantt DEMU During 2024-2026, the following train services have been extended to cater to the passengers of the Rupnagar-Anandpur Sahib-Nangal Dam-Una Himachal sector: 1 Extension of 19307/19308 Indore-Chandigarh Express upto Una Himachal w.e.f 14.03.2024 2 Extension of 64511/64512 Saharanpur-Una Himachal Passenger to Amb Andaura w.e.f 19.07.2025. Indian Railways have issued ‘Bharat Gaurav Trains’ policy in November 2021, under which theme based tourist circuit trains are being run with the objective to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world. As per this policy, service providers 11.02.2026 617 have full flexibility to decide the themes/itineraries for operation of Bharat Gaurav tourist circuit trains, which may include tourist circuits of any part of India including the state of Punjab, based on market demand, commercial viability etc. As of now, one trip of Bharat Gaurav Train “Guru Kripa Yatra” has been operated covering various pilgrimage destinations in Punjab including Sri Keshgarh Sahib in the Anandpur Sahib region. Besides, introduction of train services/increase in frequency are on-going processes on Indian Railways which depends on various factors including - • Capacity of that section • Availability of path • Availability of required rolling stock • Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock • Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets Rail network expansion in Punjab To improve rail connectivity in Northern Punjab, Nangaldam – Talwara – Mukerian new line (123 km) was sanctioned. 60 km of this project connecting Nangal Dam - Una - Andaura - Daulatpur Chowk section has been commissioned. Work of Daulatpur Chowk – Talwara – Mukerian section has been taken up. Also work of Chandigarh-Baddi New Line (28 Km) has also been taken up at a cost of Rs. 1540 crore. To further extend this line, survey for Baddi-Ghanauli New Line (25 Km) has been completed and Detailed Project Report (DPR) has 11.02.2026 618 been prepared. After preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed. Budget allocation for Infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in the State of Punjab is as under: Period Outlay 2009-14 ₹225 crore/year 2025-26 ₹ 5,421 Cr. (More than 24 times) As on 01.04.2025, 09 projects (04 New Line and 05 Doubling) of total length 714 Km, costing Rs.21,926 crore, falling fully/partly in the State of Punjab are sanctioned, out of which 115 Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.8,079 crore has been incurred upto March’ 2025. The summary is as under:- Category No. of projects Total Length Length Commissione d Expenditure upto March 2025 (Rs.in Crore) New Line 04 252 Km 64 Km 7,359 Doubling /multitracking 05 462 Km 51 Km 720 Total 09 714 Km 115 Km 8,079 11.02.2026 619 In last three years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and current financial year 2025-26, 22 surveys (09 New Line, 12 Doubling and 01 Gauge Conversion) covering a total length of 2,101 Km have been taken up falling partly/fully in the State of Punjab. Station redevelopment in Punjab Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes:  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas  Integration of station with both sides of city  Improvement of station building  Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths  Provision of wider foot over bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration 11.02.2026 620  Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station. The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 30 stations are located in Punjab. The name of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Punjab are as following: State No. of Stations Name of Stations Punjab 30 Abohar, Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, Beas, Bhatinda Junction, Dhandari Kalan, Dhuri, Fazilka, Firozpur Cantt, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar Cantt Junction, Jalandhar City Junction, Kapurthala, Kot Kapura Junction, Ludhiana Junction, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Nangal Dam, Pathankot Cantt., Pathankot Junction, Patiala, Phagwara Junction, Phillaur Junction, Rup Nagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Mohali, Sangrur, Sirhind 11.02.2026 621 Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Punjab have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 03 stations (Anandpur Sahib, Muktsar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar Mohali ) in Punjab have been completed under this scheme. The works at other stations have also been taken up at good pace andprogress of some of the stations is as given below:  Gurdaspur station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, waiting room, toilet, circulating area, parking and lighting on main entry have been completed. The works of entry/exist gate on main entry, new platform no. 2, booking cum waiting hall, circulating area, parking and entry/exist gate on second entry and 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.  Fazilka station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, platform surfacing, toilet, circulating area, parking, entry/exit gates, signage and lighting on main entry have been completed. The work of 6 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up.  Phagwara station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, platform surfacing, waiting rooms, toilet, circulating area, parking, executive lounge, entry/exit gate, signage, lighting on main entry, new booking cum waiting hall, circulating area and approach road on second entry have been completed. The works of lift, escalator and 12 m Foot Over Bridge 11.02.2026 622 have been taken up.  Phillaur station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, platform surfacing, toilet, circulating area, parking, entry/exit gates, signage and lighting have been completed. The work of 12 m Foot Over Bridge have been taken up.  Kapurthala station: The works of improvement of station building, porch, platform shelter, platform surfacing, waiting room, toilet, circulating area, parking, entry/exit gates, signage, lighting on main entry side, new booking cum waiting hall, parking and circulating area on second entry have been completed. The work of 12 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up. Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways including provision for waiting hall and drinking water facilities is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority and availability of funds. Development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. Upgradation / development / redevelopment of Railway Stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, airport clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brown field related challenges such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical 11.02.2026 623 fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables, etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Development / Upgradation / Modernisation of stations including under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise, or station wise or state-wise. Punjab is covered under the jurisdiction of two railway zones, namely Northern Railway and North Western Railway. For the last four years and the current year, ₹ 8,501 crore has been allocated while an expenditure of ₹ 7,131 crore has been incurred during the last four years and current year (up to December, 2025). VODAFONE INDIA TELECOM COMPANY 1966. SHRI MATHESWARAN V. S.: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government proposes/nominates anyone in the board of Vodafone India Telecom Company as the Government owns more than 45 per cent equity shares in the Company and if so, the details thereof; and (b) whether the Government proposes to buy more equity shares in the Vodafone 11.02.2026 624 and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI): (a): No such proposal is under consideration. The Government of India’s shareholding in Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has been classified as Public Shareholding, and the government is not involved in the management of VIL. (b): No such proposal is under consideration at present in respect of VIL. PENDING RAILWAY LINE DOUBLING WORKS BETWEEN KAYAMKULAM AND ERNAKULAM IN KERALA 1967. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the present status of the pending railway line doubling works between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam, section-wise and project-wise; (b) the reasons for the prolonged delay in completion of the said doubling works particularly in land acquisition, fund allocation and execution issues; (c) the details of the total funds sanctioned, released and utilised for the project so far; and (d) the details of the timeline fixed by the Government for completion of the remaining works and the steps taken to expedite the project in view of heavy 11.02.2026 625 passenger density and operational constraints on this crucial rail corridor in Kerala? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (d): Ernakulam and Kayamkulam are connected through two routes, first via Kottayam and second via Ambalapuzha. The first route via Kottayam is already a double-line section. While the second route via Ambalapuzha is partly double line and partly single line at present. The status of doubling of Ernakulam to Kayamkulam via Ambalapuzha is tabulated below: S. N Section Status 1 Ernakulam – Kumbalam – Thuravur (23 Km) Doubling Sanctioned. Works taken up 2 Thuravur – Mararikulam (21 Km) DPR prepared 3 Mararikulam – Alappuzha (12 Km) Field Survey completed. DPR preparation taken up 4 Alappuzha- Ambalapuzha (13 Km) DPR prepared 5 Ambalapuzha-Kayamkulam (31 Km) Already double line After preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As 11.02.2026 626 sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed. Kerala:- Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala is as under:- Period Outlay 2009-14 ₹ 372 crore/year 2025-26 ₹3,042 crore (more than 8 times) As on 01.04.2025, 06 projects (02 new line and 04 doubling) of 266 km length, costing ₹9,415crore falling fully/partly in Kerala are sanctioned. The summary is as under:- Category No. of projects Total Length Length Commissioned Balance to complete Expenditure upto March 2025 (₹in Crore) New line 02 146 km 0 km 146 km 309 Doubling /multitracking 04 120 km 26 km 94 km 2,941 Total 06 266 km 26 km 240 km 3,250 Zonal Railway wise details of Railway projects are made available in public domain on Indian Railway’s website. Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in 11.02.2026 627 Kerala are as under : S.N Project Cost (₹ in Crores) 1 Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore gauge conversion (217 km) 1,360 2 Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion (357 km) 1,122 3 Mulanturutti-Kuruppantara doubling (24 km) 303 4 Chenganur-Chingavanam doubling (27 km) 436 5 Ambalapuzha-Haripad doubling (18 km) 346 6 Kurruppanthara-Chingavanam doubling (27 km) 749 Some of the other projects falling fully/partly in Kerala which have been taken up are as under: S No. Project Cost (₹ in Crores) 1 Tirunnavaya –Guruvayur new line (35 Km) 138 2 Angamali-Sabarimala new line (111 km) 3,801 3 Ernakulam-Kumbalam doubling (8 km) 595 4 Kumbalam-Thuravur Patch doubling (16 km) 803 5 Trivandrum- Kanyakumari doubling (87 km) 3,786 6 Shoranur - Vallathol doubling (10 km) 367 In last three years (i.e. 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-25 and current financial year i.e. 2025-26), total 09 Nos. of Surveys (03 new line and 06 doubling) falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala having a total length of 1,124 km have been sanctioned and survey work has been taken up. Execution of important infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the State 11.02.2026 628 of Kerala are held up due to delay in land acquisition. Status of land acquisition in the State of Kerala is as under: Total Land required for Projects in Kerala 476 ha Land Acquired 65 ha (14%) Balance Land to be acquired 411 ha (86%) Railway had deposited ₹1,975 crore for land acquisition to Government of Kerala. Support of the Government of Kerala is needed to expedite the land acquisition. For instance, details of some major projects which are delayed due to land acquisition are as under:- S N Name of the project Total land required (in Ha) Land acquired (in Ha) Balance Land to be acquired (in Ha) 1. Angamali - Sabarimala new line (111 km) 416 24 392 2. Ernakulam – Kumbalam Patch doubling (8 km) 4 3 1 3. Kumbalam – Turavur Patch doubling (16 km) 10 9 1 4. Shoranur - Vallathol doubling (10 km) 5 0 5 Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success depends upon the support of Government of Kerala. Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which include the following: 11.02.2026 629  Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed route  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project  Connection of missing links and providing additional route  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines  Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives  Railway’s own operational requirements  Socio-economic considerations  Overall availability of funds Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include the following:  Land acquisition by State Government  Forest clearance  Shifting of infringing utilities  Statutory clearances from various authorities  Geological and topographical conditions of area  Law and order situation in the area of project site  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc. All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s. 11.02.2026 630 COVERAGE OF SOCIAL PROTECTION SCHEMES 1968. SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI: Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state: (a) the manner in which the Government looks at the Report that 64.3 per cent of population is covered under social protection schemes as compared to 22 per cent during the year 2016; (b) whether it is also true that proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all dimensions has declined from 24.8 per cent to 14.9 per cent; and (c) whether the Government envisages that poverty can be removed at this pace by 2030 as mandated by SDGs and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (RAO INDERJIT SINGH): (a): According to the latest data from the International Labour Organization's (ILO) ILOSTAT database, India's social security coverage has increased from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025. India’s expansion in social protection coverage has been enabled by a strong foundation of digital and financial inclusion. Bank account coverage under Jan Dhan, combined with Aadhaar-enabled identification and the Direct Benefit Transfer system, has enabled benefits to reach the intended 11.02.2026 631 recipients swiftly and transparently. Complementing this, a wide array of social protection programmes include Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan Dhan, PM- POSHAN, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Saman Nidhi Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, etc. In addition, Health protection through Ayushman Bharat, supported by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, has extended accessible healthcare. (b) and (c): As per the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023 released by NITI Aayog, the proportion of population in multidimensional poverty declined from 24.85 per cent in 2015-16 to 14.96 per cent in 2019-21, indicating that about 13.5 crore people have escaped poverty during the period. Further, as per the discussion paper “Multidimensional Poverty in India since 2005-06” published by NITI Aayog, multidimensional poverty in India is estimated to have declined from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14 to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23, indicating that about 24.82 crore people have escaped poverty during this period. These results highlight that India is on track in achieving SDG target 1.2 of halving multidimensional poverty by 2030. The substantial progress in all indicators of the National MPI which intersect across multiple SDGs demonstrates the concerted efforts made to achieve overall progress. This is attributable to a multi-faceted strategy focused on empowerment and inclusive growth. 11.02.2026 632 SAFETY, WELFARE AND PROTECTION OF MINORITY COMMUNITIES 1969. SHRI CHARANJIT SINGH CHANNI: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of recent reports and representations indicating that minority communities are facing repeated issues related to safety, discrimination, social insecurity and law and order disturbances and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of incidents reported during the last three years concerning minority communities in Punjab including cases of violence, intimidation, damage to religious places and denial of basic rights; (c) the steps taken by the Union Government in coordination with the State Government to ensure the safety, constitutional rights and social harmony of minority communities in the State; and (d) whether any special schemes, monitoring mechanisms or Central assistance have been initiated or proposed to address these concerns and strengthen confidence among minority communities in Punjab and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU): (a): Public order and Police are subjects under the State list in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. State Governments are entrusted with 11.02.2026 633 responsibility for prevention, detection and investigation of such crimes and for prosecuting criminals through legal processes. The safeguards for the protection of interests of Minorities are mandated in the provisions of the Constitution of India under Articles 15(1) & (2), 16(1) & (2), 25(1), 26, 28, 29(2), 30(1), 30(1A), 30(2). However, petitions are received in the National Commission for Minorities in which instances of violence, attacks, religious rights etc. are cited against minorities in the country. The Commission also takes Suo-Moto cognizance of these incidents. (b): The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) does not maintain data under the categories of violence, intimidation, damage to religious places, or denial of basic rights. However, data under the categories of law and order and religious rights are annexed as Statement. (c) and (d): As per Section 9(1) (d) of the NCM Act 1992, the petitions and Suo- Moto cases are taken up with the concerned Authorities/State Governments for redressal of grievances. STATEMENT Grievances/complaints received from Punjab under the Category “Law and Order Matters” and “Religious Rights” during last three years in the National Commission for Minorities: Category 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 11.02.2026 634 Law and Order Matters 08 25 19 Religious Rights 04 07 0 REDEVELOPMENT OF TIRUVALLA RAILWAY STATION 1970. SHRI ANTO ANTONY: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the present status of redevelopment of Tiruvalla railway station in Kerala; (b) the details of expenditure incurred by Railway in this regard; (c) whether the Government has taken any steps to widen the road in front of the above station; and (d) if so, the details and the steps taken by the Government? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (d): Tiruvalla station, located in Kerala has been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Development works at Tiruvalla station have been taken up at good pace. The works completed at Tiruvalla station includes:  Improvement of station building and concourse  New entrance arch and porch  Provision of platform shelter and platform surfacing  Improvement of waiting hall 11.02.2026 635  Improvement of booking office  Improvement of circulating area, parking and approach road  Provision of Divyangjan facilities  Provision of signages, Public Address System, coach guidance board and lighting Further, the work of 6 m Foot Over Bridge has been taken up at Tiruvalla station. The existing road in front of Tiruvalla station is sufficient to cater to present requirements of the station. Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways including issue related to approach roads is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority and availability of funds. Development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes:  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas  Integration of station with both sides of city 11.02.2026 636  Improvement of station building  Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths  Provision of wider foot over bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration  Amenities for Divyangjans  Better passenger information systems  Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station. The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, out of which 35 stations including Tiruvalla station, are located in Kerala. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in the state of Kerala are as following: 11.02.2026 637 State No. of Stations Name of Stations Kerala 35 Alappuzha, Angadippuram, Angamali For Kaladi, Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chengannur, Chirayinkeezh, Ernakulam, Ernakulam Town, Ettumanur, Ferok, Guruvayur, Kannur, Kasargod, Kayankulam Jn, Kollam Jn, Kozhikode, Kuttippuram, Mavelikara, Neyyattinkara, Nilambur Road, Ottappalam, Parappanangadi, Payyanur, Punalur, Shoranur Jn., Thalassery, Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thrisur, Tirur, Tiruvalla, Tripunithura, Vadakara, Varkala Shivagiri, Wadakancheri Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Kerala have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 7 stations (Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezh, Kuttippuram, Shoranur Jn., Vadakara, Wadakancheri) in Kerala have been completed under this scheme. The works at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of above stations is as given below:  Tripunithura station: The works of improvement of station building, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting hall, toilet, portico, improvement of circulating area, Divyangjan facilities and parking area have been completed. The finishing works have been taken up.  Angamali For Kaladi station: The works of improvement of station building, portico, platform shelter, improvement of platform surface, waiting 11.02.2026 638 hall, toilet, circulating area, parking area and Divyangjan facilities have been completed. The finishing works have been taken up.  Ferok station: The works of improvement of station building, new porch, platform shelter, platform surface, improvement of booking office, concourse, waiting hall, toilet, improvement of circulating area, parking area and Divyangjan facilities have been completed. The finishing works have been taken up.  Nilambur Road station: The works of improvement of station building, new porch, platform shelter, platform surface, improvement of booking office, concourse, waiting hall, toilet, improvement of circulating area, parking area and Divyangjan facilities have been completed. The finishing works have been taken up. Development / Upgradation of railway stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, airport clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brownfield related challenges such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables, etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Development / Upgradation / Modernization of stations including under Amrit 11.02.2026 639 Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation of funds for development and maintenance of stations are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not Work-wise or Station-wise. Passenger amenities are generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. Kerala is covered under the jurisdiction of Southern Railway. For this zone, an allocation of ₹ 1,125 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to December, 2025) of ₹ 892 crore has been incurred so far. DEPLOYMENT OF ANEEL 1971. DR. K SUDHAKAR: Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:- (a) the current status of the collaboration between National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited and Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) regarding the evaluation and potential deployment of Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (ANEEL) fuel in country's nuclear power plants; (b) the details of anticipated technical and economic benefits of integrating ANEEL fuel into the existing fleet of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), particularly in terms of fuel efficiency and waste reduction; (c) the manner in which this international collaboration complements the long-term objectives of the Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme and the goal of 11.02.2026 640 achieving 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047; (d) the details of the institutional and regulatory safeguards in place to ensure that collaborations with foreign entities remain consistent with national security and data protection protocols; and (e) the details of steps taken/being taken by the Government under the SHANTI Act, 2025 to facilitate such advanced technology partnerships? THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPACE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH): (a) : As per joint press release by NTPC and CCTE, they are exploring development and deployment of ANEEL, a Thorium based fuel for PHWR reactors, in India subject to approval from respective governments in line with prevailing national laws. (b) : The natural Uranium Oxide based fuel will continue to be deployed in our current fleet of PHWRs, representing an optimised and efficient utilisation of our limited Uranium resources in a sustained manner through the 3-stage program. With regard to waste, India is following a closed fuel cycle where the spent fuel is 11.02.2026 641 reprocessed to recover valuable fissile material for use in our second stage of nuclear program. (c) : India has a well-articulated 3 stage program that allows optimal utilization of our limited Uranium resources for attaining long term energy security through deployment of Thorium in a self-sustaining 3rd stage supported by a second stage involving Fast Breeder Reactors. (d) : All the collaborations in the field of nuclear energy will be consistent with the provisions of the SHANTI Act. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has a robust framework of regulatory oversight of nuclear facilities and has now been accorded statutory status with the passing of the SHANTI Act. (e) : Allowing private sector participation and undertaking all the steps to facilitate such advanced technology partnerships in line with the provisions of the SHANTI Act. VACANCIES IN ISRO 1972. SHRI BAPI HALDAR: Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state: the details of the sanctioned, in-position and vacant positions in ISRO along with the stipulated timeline for filling these vacancies? THE MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF EARTH 11.02.2026 642 SCIENCES; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SPACE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH): The details sought are as below: Sl. No. Category Sanctioned In- position Existing Vacancy Recruitment action in progress Recruitme nt action yet to be initiated 1. S&T 14108 12472 1636 1261 292 2. Admin 4034 3057 977 188 641 Total 18142 15529 2613 1449 933 % w.r.t. sanctioned 85.6% 14.4% 8% 5% 1. For 1449 posts recruitment actions are in progress and are in various phases. Department ensures that the same are anticipated to be completed by October, 2026. 2. With respect to remaining 933 posts, recruitment actions are being initiated and filling of vacancies is dependent on the outcomes of the selection processes. MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS OF BSNL 1973. DR. M. K. VISHNU PRASAD: 11.02.2026 643 Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the number of mobile subscribers of BSNL in the country, State wise; (b) the details of percentage of the growth registered in the number of subscribers during the last five years and current year; (c) the details of the number of telephone/mobile towers of BSNL with respect to the percentage of subscribers; and (d) the time by which the 4G/5G services are likely to be started/completed for the BSNL network services, State-wise? THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI): (a) and (b): The details of subscribers in the country for various Telecom Service Providers including BSNL as collected and published by TRAI from time to time are available on its website (https://www.trai.gov.in/release- publication/reports/telecom-subscriptions-reports). (c): As on 31.12.2025, BSNL has total 9,27,56,716 number of Mobile Subscribers and total 2,55,128 number of BTS (2G/3G/4G) installed. There are 364 number of mobile subscribers per BTS. (d): In line with Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, BSNL has placed purchase order for indigenously developed one lakh 4G sites for pan India deployment. Supply of 11.02.2026 644 4G equipment has started from September 2023 and as on 15.01.2026, total 97,672 4G sites have been installed and 95,511 sites are ON-Air. The equipment is 5G upgradable from technology perspective. KISAN RAIL SERVICES FROM ANDHRA PRADESH 1974. SHRI PRABHAKAR REDDY VEMIREDDY: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether it is true that so far nearly 2,400 Kisan Rail services for transporting perishables have been undertaken since its launch in August, 2020 and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is true that out of 2,400 services, only 5 services operated from Andhra Pradesh and no service has been operated after 2021-22; (c) if so, the reasons for such low number of services from Andhra Pradesh and also reasons for not taking up any service after 2021-22; (d) whether Kisan Rail services stopped and if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to start Kisan Rail from AP? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (e): Since the launch of Kisan Rail service on 7th August 2020, Railways 11.02.2026 645 have operated 2,364 Kisan Rail services, transporting approximately 7.9 lakh tonnes of perishables and generating revenue of Rs 318.68 crores approximately. From Andhra Pradesh, 116 services have been operated, transporting more than 34,000 tonnes of consignment of perishables including Bananas, Mangoes, Onions etc., towards Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi & Tripura. Potential circuits of Kisan Rail for movement of vegetables, fruits and other perishables are identified in consultation with Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Agriculture/ Animal Husbandry/ Fisheries Departments of State Governments as well as local bodies and agencies, Mandis etc., and services at applicable tariff are planned on the basis of demands placed and the operational feasibility. DECREASED RIDERSHIP IN RAILWAYS 1975. SHRI RAHUL GANDHI: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that ridership in the Railways has decreased over Thirteen per cent during the last ten years while the population has increased by approximately Ten per cent during the same period; (b) whether it is a fact that fares have been increased significantly during the last ten years and if so, the details thereof; 11.02.2026 646 (c) the total number of passenger coaches operational, their average daily deployment and the average daily occupancy, by category (AC, Sleeper and General etc.) during the last ten years, year-wise; (d) whether the Government proposes to implement dynamic fares for all AC trains and if so, the details and the rationale/timelines thereof; (e) the details of the reasons for not restoring senior citizen concessions that were discontinued during the Covid pandemic despite full normalisation of passenger services; and (f) whether the Government believes that increased fares, reduced availability of non-AC coaches and reduced concessions has contributed to falling ridership and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (f): During last 11 years (2014-2025), unprecedented infrastructure creation/augmentation works have been carried out in all transport sectors in the country. Progress achieved during this period under the key infrastructure sectors are as under: Infrastructure Sector Progress since 2014 National Highways About 58,232 km long National Highways/Expressways has been added in the National Highways/Expressways network. 11.02.2026 647 Railways About 35,000 kms new railway tracks have been added. Airports 90 nos. operational airports have been added. Metro 848 km length and 21 more cities have been added in the Metro network. Therefore, modal distribution is also changing accordingly to the change in infrastructure growth. The fares of Indian Railways are among the lowest in comparison to other countries in the world. A comparison of the Indian Railway passenger fares (ordinary class) with the fares of the similar segment of services of the neighbouring countries is as under: Country Approx lowest fare per PKM Comparison with India India ~ ₹ 0.20 Pakistan ~ ₹ 0.54 ~ 2.5x higher Bangladesh ~ ₹ 0.37 ~ 1.5x higher Sri Lanka ~ ₹ 0.5 ~ 2.5x higher Passenger fare in Vande Bharat (Semi High-speed train) when compared with the near similar segment of services in Chair Car (AC) for a journey of around 300-400 km is as under: Country Average approx fare per PKM Comparison with India India ~ ₹ 2.19 11.02.2026 648 China ~ ₹ 7 ~ 3x higher Japan ~ ₹ 20 ~ 9x higher France ~ ₹ 13 ~ 6x higher Note: Comparison of fares in above tables is based on information as available in public domain. There is no plan to implement dynamic fares in Vande Bharat Chair Car or Vande Bharat Sleeper trains. Indian Railways gave subsidy of Rs. 60,466 crore on passenger tickets in 2023-24. This amounts to concession of 45% on an average, to every person, travelling on Railways. In other words, if the cost of providing service is Rs. 100, then the price of ticket is Rs. 55 only. This subsidy is continuing for all passengers. Further, concessions beyond this subsidy amount are continuing for many categories like 4 categories of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjans), 11 categories of patients and 8 categories of students. New design Trainsets: Indian Railways is focused on providing affordable, good quality services to all sections of society. IR have developed and introduced the following trains: 1. Vande Bharat services (Chair Car): Indian Railways, with a view to improve travel experience of the passengers, have introduced indigenously designed and manufactured Vande Bharat trains with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger amenities. These new 11.02.2026 649 Vande Bharat Trains (Chair Car) have following features: (a) Fitted with KAVACH. (b) Jerk Free Semi-Permanent couplers. (c) Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways. (d) Emergency Alarm Push buttons and Talk Back Units on all Coaches. (e) Improved fire safety – Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories. (f) Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH. (g) Driver-Guard communication with voice recording facility &Crash hardened memory. (h) Air conditioning units with indigenously developed UV-C lampbased disinfection system. (i) Better Ride Comfort. (j) CCTVs in all Coaches. (k) For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end. (l) Coach condition monitoring System (CCMS) display with remote monitoring. Presently, 164 Vande Bharat train services (Chair Car) are being operated on the Indian Railways network. 11.02.2026 650 2. Vande Bharat Sleeper Service: To improve travel experience of the long journey passengers and set new benchmarks in terms of safe and comfortable journey, Vande Bharat Sleeper trains are provided with modern coaches having advanced safety features and passenger amenities like: (a) Jerk-Free Semi permanent couplers and Anti Climbers (b) Fitted with KAVACH. (c) Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH. (d) Crashworthy Design of Car body complying with EN standards. (e) Fire barrier doors at the end of each coach for compliance of fire safety standards. (f) Improved fire safety – Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories. (g) Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency. (h) Air conditioning units provided with indigenously developed UV-C lamp-based disinfection system for deactivating 99 % harmful bacteria from conditioned air to improve the hygiene standards inside the passenger area. (i) Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways. (j) CCTVs in all coaches. 11.02.2026 651 (k) Emergency talk-back unit for communication between Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency. (l) For Divyangjan passengers, special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end. (m) Centralized Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as Air conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc. (n) Ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing on to upper berths. Presently, 02 Vande Bharat Sleeper services are being operated on the Indian Railways network. 3. Amrit Bharat service: To provide affordable means of transportation to the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have introduced Amrit Bharat services that are fully non- AC modern trains. The present composition of Amrit Bharat consists of 11 General Class coaches, 8 Sleeper Class coaches, 01 Pantry car and 02 Luggage cum Divyangjan coaches. Increased speed and enhanced safety standards are the hallmarks of these trains with following enhanced features and amenities: (a) Better aesthetics of seat and berths with enhanced look & feel on the lines of Vande Bharat Sleeper. (b) Jerk Free Semi-Automatic Couplers. (c) Improved Crashworthiness in coaches by provision of crash tube. 11.02.2026 652 (d) Provision of CCTV system in all coaches and Luggage room. (e) Improved designs of toilets. (f) Improved design of Ladder for ease of climbing on to the berth. (g) Improved LED Light fitting & Charging Sockets. (h) Provision of EP assisted braking system. (i) Aerosol based fire suppression system in toilets and electrical cubicles. (j) USB Type-A and Type-C mobile charging sockets. (k) Emergency Talk Back system for two-way communication between Passenger and Guard/Train Manager. (l) Non-AC pantry with enhanced heating capacity. (m) Fully sealed gangways with quick release mechanism for easy attachment and detachment. Presently, 54 Amrit Bharat Express services are being operated on the Indian Railways network. 4. Namo Bharat Rapid Rail service Indian Railways have introduced Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services. These services are aimed to enhance the travel experience to the suburban and regional commuters for short distance travel. The prominent features of Namo Bharat Rapid Rail are as follows: (a) Centrally controlled Double Leaf Automatic Sliding Doors. 11.02.2026 653 (b) CCTVs for safety and passenger surveillance. (c) Modular interior with Cushioned Seats and Sealed Flexible Gangway. (d) Emergency Talk System. (e) Continuous LED lighting with Energy Efficient Lighting system. (f) FRP Modular Toilets with vacuum evacuation. (g) Fully Air-Conditioned trains with Driver cab AC. Presently, 4 Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services are in operation. Special trains IR also operates Special train services during festivals, holidays, etc. to cater to the extra needs of passengers and supplement the accommodation available by regular services. Accordingly, the number of Special trains operated across the Indian Railways network, to facilitate the passengers during Summer/winter vacations, festivals like Holi, Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath, Christmas, Sabrimala, Id-ul-fitr etc. are as below: Year No. special train trips 2023-24 ~40,500 2024-25 ~85,400 Non-AC coaches (General and sleeper coaches) With a view to meet the demand of passengers travelling in unreserved coaches, Railways have significantly increased the facilities for passengers demanding 11.02.2026 654 general class travel. During the last financial year 2024-25 alone, 1250 general coaches have been utilised in various long-distance trains. In the current financial year (upto December 2025), 767 Coaches have been utilised for permanent augmentation. To cater to the travel demand of the low and middle income families, Indian Railways have taken up manufacturing of 17,000 non-AC coaches (general/sleeper) over the next 5 years. On IR, the percentage of non-AC coaches, is about 70% as indicated below: Table 1: Distribution of coaches: Non-AC coaches (general and sleeper) ~57,200 ~70% AC coaches ~25,000 ~30% Total coaches ~82,200 100% The number of seats available for non-AC passengers has also increased. The current composition is as follows: Table 2: Distribution of seats: Non-AC seats ~ 54 lakhs ~ 78% AC seats ~ 15 lakhs ~ 22% Total ~ 69 lakhs 100% Further, to cater to the needs of passengers desirous of availing unreserved accommodation, Indian Railways (IR) operate unreserved non-AC passenger trains/ MEMU / EMU etc. for affordable travel, which are in addition to 11.02.2026 655 the unreserved accommodation (coaches) available in Mail/Express services. Overall, the passenger patronage of Indian Railways is showing steady and rapid growth trend, with consistent increase recorded during as under: Year % growth w.r.t previous year 2022-23 ~ 82% (previous year 2021-22 being Covid year) 2023-24 ~8% 2024-25 ~6% IMPACT OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS IN IMPROVEMENT OF LAST-MILE DELIVERY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES 1976. SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) the details of outcomes achieved under the Digital India Programme in strengthening India’ s Digital Public Infrastructure during the last five years; (b) the impact of digital platforms of the Government in improving last-mile delivery of Government services particularly for rural populations, women and marginalised communities; and (c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure interoperability, scalability and language accessibility of Digital India platforms across States and Union Territories? 11.02.2026 656 THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA): (a) to (c): In line with Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision to democratise technology and empower citizens, the Government of India had launched the Digital India programme in July, 2015. The overall goal is to ensure that digital technologies improve the life of every citizen, expand India’s digital economy, and create investment and employment opportunities in India. Under the Digital India programme, the Government has adopted the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach to enable delivery of digital services at population scale through open, interoperable and scalable platforms. DPI provides common digital building blocks that can be reused across sectors, thereby enabling rapid development of citizen-centric applications while ensuring security and interoperability. To promote linguistic inclusion in digital services, the Government has launched the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM) – BHASHINI, envisaged as a public digital platform for Indian language technologies. The Bhashini platform addresses communication barriers for India’s diverse population. This fosters greater access to digital tools for underserved communities. API Setu platform has been launched to facilitate implementation of Open API Policy and build open and interoperable digital platform to enable 11.02.2026 657 seamless service delivery across government. 7850+ APIs have been published. Government has successfully implemented foundational digital public infrastructure (DPI) at population scale for identity (Aadhaar), for payment (UPI), for data exchange (DigiLocker and API Setu), etc. DPI has been a transformative force in India's socio-economic development, significantly enhancing financial inclusion, digital inclusion, governance and economic growth. Digital India initiatives are accessible through mobile platforms, which has played a significant role in bridging the urban–rural divide. Expanding DPI in rural areas has been a key priority for Government of India to improve financial inclusion, digital inclusion and ensure access to essential government services for all the strata of society including women and deprived sections. These initiatives enable citizens to access a wide range of government services such as digital education, digital health, digital payments, e-Courts etc. anytime and from anywhere. The status of some of the key Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and digital platforms that have been instrumental in ensuring inclusive and equitable access to Government services, particularly for the rural population, women, and other sections of society, is as under:  Aadhaar: Aadhaar is the world’s largest digital identity programme that provides biometric and demographic-based unique digital identity. 143+ crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated so far. 11.02.2026 658  Unified Payments Interface (UPI): UPI has revolutionized digital transactions across the country. UPI has empowered millions of individuals and small businesses in rural and remote areas to make fast, secure and low-cost digital payments, significantly advancing financial inclusion. UPI is the world’s largest payments system.  UPI serves 6.5 crore merchants, and connects 685 banks on one platform, making it the world’s largest digital payment system.  UPI powers 81% of India’s digital payments and nearly 49% of global real- time digital payments.  DigiLocker: DigiLocker has provided anytime access to authentic digital documents from original issuer for the common citizen. More than 65.01 crore users are registered with DigiLocker to avail its services and more than 950+ crore documents issued from 2412 issuers onboarded on the platform.  Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG), one mobile application for all government services, is operational and offers 2390+ services for individuals.  Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA): It is the world’s largest, most diverse school education platform. As on date, 565.97 crore learning sessions have been imparted using DIKSHA. It has achieved 18.47 crore course enrolments and 14.69 crore course completions. 11.02.2026 659  Government e-Marketplace (GeM): GeM facilitates online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments / Organisations / PSUs. Currently, 168,345 Primary Buyers and 243,666 Secondary Buyers are onboarded on GeM. 10,676 product categories and 354 service categories are listed on GeM.  Co-WIN: CO-WIN is a transparent system that allows tracking of each dose of vaccine supplied to vaccination facilities and records the fulfilment of demand at a granular level. Facilitated 2.2+ Billion doses of vaccinations and 1.11+ Billion registrations of users.  Aarogya Setu: World’s leading contact tracing app to check and prevent covid outbreak. Aarogya Setu helps in predicting likelihood of spread of disease and possible hotspots and Digital health assessment provides updates on the user’s current health status.  eSanjeevani - National Telemedicine Service of India is a step towards digital health equity to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). eSanjeevani facilitates quick and easy access to doctors and medical specialists from smartphones. Over 44.70 Crore patients at over 137,661 Health & Wellness Centers (as spokes) through 18,447+ hubs serviced by more than 228,984 doctors, medical specialists, super-specialists and health workers as telemedicine practitioners. 11.02.2026 660  e-Hospital- e-Hospital application is the Hospital Management Information System for internal workflows and processes of hospitals. Currently, a total of 6,101 hospitals is active and operational on the platform.  e-Courts: e-courts is transforming the Indian Judiciary by making use of ICT. It has led to optimum automation of judicial and administrative processes and is Backbone of Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS). More than 3680 District & Taluka court complexes have been onboarded with e-Court platform.  Poshan Tracker: It is an important tool for women & child development and last mile delivery of nutritional services. It Provides real-time monitoring and tracking of beneficiaries and duty bearers and is Linked with Education and Health Programmes for proactive service delivery. Nutritional services have been delivered to 104 million beneficiaries, with last-mile service delivery by 1.39 million Anganwadi Workers being digitally tracked to ensure effective implementation and monitoring.  e-Office: It is a complete digital work place solution for Government offices assisting departments in informed and quicker decision making and less paper office. Implemented in 790 organizations with 1+ Million users and facilitated 53Million e-Files & 248+ Million e-Receipts  NCD Platform: The National Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) platform 11.02.2026 661 facilitates screening, diagnosis, and management of major NCDs, including hypertension, diabetes, and oral, breast, and cervical cancers, across primary, community, and district health facilities. As on date, 74.97 crore beneficiaries have been enrolled in the system and 8.64 crore patients under treatment for hypertension and diabetes. The platform is integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with 11.94 crore ABHA numbers generated/linked.  SIDH (Skill India Digital Hub): Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack) Integrating the entire skilling ecosystem in one accessible platform for citizens. It is empowering users with the tools and resources to thrive in the digital age. 17.32+ million candidate registrations, 2.4+ million App downloads and 8500+ NSQF & academy courses across various sectors are available on the platform.  Common Services Centres – CSCs are offering government and business services in digital mode enhancing last-mile connectivity in rural areas through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Over 800 services are being delivered through CSCs. As on December, 2025, 5.87 lakh CSCs are functional across the country (in rural and urban areas), out of which 4.57 lakh CSCs are functional at the Gram Panchayat level (rural). State/UT wise and district wise details of CSCs are available at https://csc.gov.in/ and list of services is available at https://csc.gov.in/. 11.02.2026 662  Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT): DBT uses Aadhaar to deliver welfare payments directly and remove fake beneficiaries. So far, Rs. 48+ lakh crore has been transferred through DBT. Majority of the disbursement of Governments’ welfare schemes is being carried out through DBT.  National Scholarship Portal (NSP): The platform enables scheme owning Ministries/Departments and States/UTs to process applications and disburse Scholarships/funds directly into the beneficiary’s bank account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. The National Scholarship Portal (NSP) serves over 7.47 Crore beneficiaries, with a total disbursement exceeding Rs. 44,181+ Crore. So far, 153 schemes belonging to 13 Ministries/Departments and 21 States/UTs are onboarded on NSP.  MyGov: MyGov is a Government of India’s Citizen Engagement Platform which collaborates with multiple Government bodies/ Ministries to engage people in policy formulation and seeks the opinion of people on issues/ topics of public interest and welfare. Presently, over 6.08+ crore citizens are registered with MyGov, participating in various activities hosted on MyGov platform.  Jeevan Pramaan: Jeevan Pramaan is an Aadhaar biometric-enabled digital service that allows Central, State, and other Government pensioners to conveniently submit Digital Life Certificates (DLCs) from anywhere in India, including their homes, using Aadhaar-based authentication. Over 11.96 crore 11.02.2026 663 Digital Life certificates have been processed since 2014.  PMGDISHA: The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was initiated to reach digital literacy in 6 crore rural households (one person per household) nationwide. As against 6 crore, 6.39 crore individuals were trained across the country, making it one of the world’s largest digital literacy initiatives.  FutureSkills PRIME: To bridge the industry skill gap, MeitY has initiated a programme titled “FutureSkills PRIME” jointly with National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) aimed at re-skilling/up-skilling of candidate in new/emerging technologies. Under the FutureSkills Prime program, there are over 500+ courses & 2000+ digital fluency pathways offered on the platform. More than 16.20+ lakh candidates have enrolled in various courses comprising of approximately 41% women learners and candidates from 720 tier-2 and tier-3 cities have enrolled.  The LokOS application has been developed to enable end-to-end digitization of Self-Help Group (SHG) networks across the country. It has been designed for both web and mobile platforms, with each platform supporting distinct user profiles and functionalities tailored to specific operational requirements. More than 92 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are registered on the LokOS platform, 5.56 lakh Village Organisations (VOs) have been profiled, and over 10.23 crore households mobilised through these Community-Based Organisations 11.02.2026 664 (CBOs) have been digitally profiled and linked on LokOS. UMEED CENTRAL PORTAL 1977. SHRI KAMAKHYA PRASAD TASA: Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be please to State:- (a) the details of various safeguards introduced under the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act, 1995 to prevent arbitrary or unilateral declaration of private or public land as waqf; (b) whether the Act mandates a formal enquiry before registering any property as waqf and if so, the details thereof along with the competent authority for such enquiry; (c) the manner in which the registration and validation process under the Act ensures transparency, public disclosure and protection against unverifiable claims; (d) the details of role assigned to District Collectors and revenue officials in verifying waqf land records and preventing encroachments or false claims; and (e) the manner in which the UMEED Central Portal has improved access to waqf- related information, public services and grievance redressal mechanisms? THE MINISTER OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU): (a) to (c): The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and 11.02.2026 665 Development Act, 1995, as amended by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, provides following safeguards to prevent arbitrary or unilateral declaration of private or public land as waqf and improve measures to enhance transparency, accountability, and lawful management of waqf properties: (i) As per Section 3A of the Act, waqf creation requires the individual to be the lawful owner of the property and competent to transfer or dedicate it. (ii) A waqf deed is mandatory for registering new waqf properties as waqf, ensuring proper documentation. (iii) As per Section 36 of the Act, 1995, all waqf registration applications must be submitted on the UMEED Central Portal–2025. The Waqf Boards forward the application to the District Collector, who conducts an inquiry to verify the claim’s genuineness and validity of the application and correctness of particulars. (iv) Section 40 of the Waqf Act, 1995, which previously allowed the Waqf Board to unilaterally declare properties as waqf based on collected information has now been omitted under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. (d): The Collector is responsible for verifying genuineness and accuracy of details of new waqf registration applications submitted on the UMEED Central Portal- 2025 and also entrusted with conducting surveys of waqf properties to prevent encroachment and alienation of waqf assets. (e): As per the Section 3(ka) of the Act, the Ministry has launched the statutory 11.02.2026 666 UMEED Central Portal–2025 on 06.06.2025 for uploading details of existing waqf and the property dedicated to the waqf, which also automate entire lifecycle of waqf properties, including registration, verification, survey by the Collector, mutation, annual account updates, audit, leasing and monitoring, ensuring transparency, efficiency and effective management and faster grievance redressal. PROTECTION OF CRITICAL TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE AND REDUCTION OF TELECOM FRAUD 1978. SHRI P. V. MIDHUN REDDY: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the details of the strategy of the Government to protect critical telecom infrastructure and address fraud vectors such as SIM misuse, illegal gateways, call spoofing and related cyber-enabled offences; (b) whether any targeted or enhanced measures have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh following recent large-scale telecom and financial fraud cases and if so, the details thereof; (c) the details of the key performance indicators or metrics used by the Government to assess effectiveness in fraud reduction and user protection; and (d) the steps taken to strengthen coordination with law enforcement agencies, 11.02.2026 667 telecom service providers and financial institutions to prevent recurrence of such frauds and protect citizens from financial losses? THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI): (a) : To protect critical telecom infrastructure and address fraud vectors such as SIM misuse, illegal gateways, call spoofing and related cyber-enabled offences, Government has taken several measures, inter-alia, including the following – I. Section 42 of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 prescribes following as an offence: i. providing telecommunication services or establishing telecommunication network without authorisation or causing damage to critical telecommunication infrastructure. ii. obtaining Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) or other telecommunication identifiers through fraud, cheating or personation. iii. possessing radio equipment without an authorisation or an exemption that can accommodate more than specified number of SIMs. iv. tampering with telecommunication identifiers or willfully possessing radio equipment knowing that it uses unauthorised or tampered telecommunication identifiers. II. The Telecommunications (Critical Telecommunication Infrastructure) Rules, 11.02.2026 668 2024 have been notified on 22.11.2024 prescribing standards, security practices, upgradation requirements and procedures for Critical Telecommunication Infrastructure (CTI). (b) and (c): The measures undertaken by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to prevent the misuse of telecommunications resources and to protect citizens against cyber fraud on pan India basis, including Andhra Pradesh (AP) and their effectiveness is as follows: I. DoT has developed Sanchar Saathi, a citizen centric initiative, available as web portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in) and mobile App, which facilitates citizens to report suspected fraud communications, to know mobile connections in their name, to report lost/ stolen mobile handsets, to check genuineness of mobile handset etc. The key performance indicators of actions initiated based on Sanchar Saathi are provided in table below: Parameter All India figures AP Licensed Service Area (includes the states of AP and Telangana) Recovery of lost/ stolen mobile handsets 8.46 lakhs 1.63 lakhs Mobile connections disconnected based on reporting by the citizens as ‘Not My Number’ or ‘Not 2.28 crores 21.5 lakhs 11.02.2026 669 Required’ Mobile connections disconnected based on inputs provided by the citizens related to suspected fraud communications 39.53 lakhs 3.46 lakhs I. DoT and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers. The system has resulted in almost 99% reduction in such call attempts. II. DoT has developed an indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics tool ASTR to identify SIMs taken by same person in different names. Based on ASTR, more than 88 lakh mobile connections have been disconnected failing reverification. III. DoT has developed Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) which is a risk-based metric that categorizes a suspicious mobile number according to its probability of being associated with medium, high, or very high risk of financial fraud. FRI empowers stakeholders – especially banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), and UPI service providers – to prioritize enforcement and take additional customer protection measures like enhanced due diligence and adoption of necessary real-time response protocols (alerts, transaction delays, warnings, transaction decline etc.) for flagged mobile numbers. Since 11.02.2026 670 its launch in May 2025, financial institutions have reported that based on transaction decline and alert/notifications given to the citizens, potential frauds amounting to more than ₹1400 crores have been prevented utilizing FRI. (d) : DoT has established Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP), a secure online platform, for bi-directional information sharing with stakeholders for prevention of misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crimes and financial frauds. More than 1200 organizations have been on-boarded on DIP including central security agencies, 36 State/UT Police, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Banks, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service providers, Payment System Operators (PSOs), and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). CAREER PROGRESSION OF TRAIN MANAGERS 1979. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) the current status of representations received from train Managers (formerly Guards) regarding pay anomalies arising from the 6th and 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations; (b) the details of the measures being taken to recognize the functional importance and operational accountability of the "Guard" category as a safety-critical role distinct from security personnel; (c) the details of the steps taken to ensure vertical career progression for Train 11.02.2026 671 Managers in alignment with Rule 211 of the Indian Railway Establishment Manual and Para 5.1.23 of the 7th CPC report; and (d) the details of the timelines and plans for addressing these long-standing grievances including the feasibility of upgrading entry-level pay and promotional scales for Goods, Passenger and Mail/Express Guards in the upcoming 8th Central Pay Commission? THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS; MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING; AND MINISTER OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW): (a) to (c): To address the career progression of Train Managers (Erstwhile Guards) Indian Railways, recognizes the importance of Train Managers as an important safety category and performing duties directly connected with the safe and efficient operations of trains. Their responsibilities include ensuring train integrity, compliance with break power and operational requirements, coordination with loco pilots and station staff, safe dispatch and reception of trains and handling abnormal and emergency situations related to Trains and Passengers. These functions are integral to train operations and are distinct from the duties of security personnel such as Railway Protection Force (RPF) /Government Railway Police (GRP) who are responsible for protection of law and order. Ministry of Railways has taken up measures inter alia addressing the various representations received from Train Managers through administrative orders 11.02.2026 672 mentioned below: 1. The pay scales recommended by 7th Central Pay Commission in respect of Train Managers have been notified by Ministry of Railways. 2. Category of Train Manager (Mail/Express) and Sr Train Manager (Passenger) have been granted DA indexed additional allowance at the rate of Rs 1125/ P.M. and Rs 750/P.M. 3. Grant of increment on promotion from Sr Goods Train Manager to Sr Passenger Train Manager has been given vide Ministry of Railways order dated 02.02.2026. 4. Provisions relating to filling up of vacancies and promotional quotas in the category of Train Manager (Goods) have been rationalised vide Ministry of Railways order dated 19.01.2026 thereby ensuring optimum utilisation of promotional opportunities and minimising stagnation. 5. Amendment to designations from Guards to Train Managers have been issued vide Ministry of Railways orders dated 13.01.2022. Existing career progression of Train Managers is as follows: Train Managers (Goods)  Senior Train Manager (Goods)  Senior Train Manager (Passenger)  Train Manager (Mail Express). In addition, Train Managers are eligible for promotion to the post of Station Master and Section Controllers through selection. They are also eligible to appear for selection to the Group ‘B’ post of Assistant Operations Manager (AOM) and Assistant Commercial 11.02.2026 673 Manager(ACM). (d): Matters related to pay structure, pay scales and other associated issues, including those raised for consideration before future Central Pay Commissions, fall within the purview of the Central Pay Commission constituted by the Government from time to time. Such matters are dealt with in accordance with the terms of reference and procedures prescribed for the Pay Commission concerned. As regards to 8th CPC, the Terms of Reference of the 8th Central Pay Commission have already been notified by the Government vide gazette notification dated 03.11.2025. FORTIFIED RICE 1980. SHRIMATI HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that rice shellers/millers in Punjab are facing serious operational and financial difficulties due to the present system of compulsory blending of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) including acute non availability and delayed supply of FRK, arising from new testing and approval norms; (b) if so, whether the Government has received a large number of representations regarding testing delays, increases in production costs and black marketing; 11.02.2026 674 (c) the quantity of fortified rice from Punjab that has been declared “beyond rejection limit” or returned by Food Corporation of Indian (FCI) during the last three marketing seasons and the financial liability imposed on millers for replacement, storage and related charges; and (d) whether the Government proposes to review FRK testing protocols, pricing etc. and make an assessment on the impact of FRK to protect both public health objectives and the viability of the rice shelling industry and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA): (a) and (b): Till date approx 20 LMT of fortified rice (FR) has been procured in the state of Punjab during KMS 2025-26. Further, the rice millers/shellers benefit from the revised process, as the quality testing of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) is now conducted at procurement stage. Earlier, the rice millers/shellers were largely responsible for ensuring the FRK quality and faced the risk of FR lots being affected, if samples failed at a later stage. The current system reduces the overall compliance burden on shellers/rice millers and streamlines the overall operations. (c): The details on the quantity of fortified rice from Punjab State that has been declared as Beyond Rejection Limit (BRL) or returned by Food Corporation of 11.02.2026 675 India (FCI) during last three marketing seasons are as under: KMS Quantity of fortified rice stock declared as BRL (in MT) 2022-23 15660 2023-24 5939.5 2024-25 4379 As per existing guidelines, the stock found BRL during the quality assessment is to be replace by the concerned rice agencies/rice millers on their risk and cost. (d): Based on the feedback received from the states/field implementations, the department has reviewed and streamlined the FRK testing/quality assurance procedures by issuing a SoP on 29.07.2025 and further amending on 06.12.2025. These revisions strengthen end-to-end testing and oversight to make sure that, only quality FRK is blended with the conventional rice. This ensures that, the produced FR meets with the notified standards of FSSAI and helps to protect the public health objectives. The revised procedures also address the operational issues to enable smoother implementation for rice millers/rice shelling units. DE-LICENSED HALF SPECTRUM 1981. SHRI V. K. SREEKANDAN: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that the Government has de-licensed half the spectrum in 11.02.2026 676 the 6 gigahertz band for Wi-Fi and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is also true that the telecom firms have been demanding that it should be auctioned for use in future mobile telephony and if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether it is also true that the Government has considered the requests of tech firm while disagreeing with the requests of telecom firms and if so, the details thereof? THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS (DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR PEMMASANI): (a): Government has decided to delicense lower portion of the 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz) for use by Wireless Access Systems including Radio Local Area Network (Wi-Fi). The gazette notification No. GSR 47(E) has been published on 20th January 2026 in this regard. (b): Government has received requests from telecom firms for using the same lower 6 GHz band for licensed International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) services. However, as per the Radio Regulations of International Telecommunications Union (ITU-RR), this frequency band is not identified for IMT. On the other hand, ITU-RR has identified 6425-7025 MHz for IMT services in some countries. (c): The entire 6 GHz band (5925-7025 MHz) was sought by both telecom firms 11.02.2026 677 and tech firms. However, recognizing that both International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) and Wi-Fi are important for the digital growth of the country, and after considering factors such as international best practices and the need for equitable access to spectrum, the Government has decided to delicense 5925–6425 MHz band for Wi-Fi and to allocate 6425–7025 MHz band for IMT use. NATIONAL MISSION ON INTERDISCIPLINARY CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS (NM-ICPS) 1982. SHRI B. K. PARTHASARATHI:

वक्ता Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer

कब कहा 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z

किस वाद-विवाद में Papers laid on the Table of the house by Ministers/Members