Questions asked by Mr. Abdul Wahab Peevee during Rajya Sabha session Nov-Dec 2009

    No. of questions found : 7

    Q No: 3383

    Dated:
    18/12/2009

    Ministry: RAILWAYS

    Subject: PENDING AND ON GOING RAIL PROJECTS IN
    KERALA .

    Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:-
    he details of pending and on-going projects of railways pertaining to Kerala particularly status of proposed rail coach factory in the State?
    Answer
    MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

    (SHRI E. AHAMED )

    A Statement is attached.

    STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3383 BY SHRI ABDUL WAHAB PEEVEE TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 18.12.2009 REGARDING PENDING AND ON-GOING RAIL PROJECTS IN KERALA. Details of the ongoing new line, gauge conversion and doubling projects falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala with target date for completion, wherever fixed, are given as under:-

    S.
    No. Name of Project Status & Target date for completion wherever fixed

    NEW LINE

    1. Tirunavaya-Guruvayur (35 km) Local people are objecting to the alignment being fixed for this new line. Final location survey held up due to public protest.

    2. Angamali-Sabarimala (116 km) State Government is yet to hand over required land to Railways. Hon’ble High Court of Kerala has directed Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Environment & Forest to examine the representations received from local people.
    GAUGE CONVERSION

    1. Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Podanur-Coimbatore (224.88 Km) Work on Podanur-Coimbatore (6 Km) section has been completed and work on Pollachi-Palghat (58 Km) & Dindigul-Pollachi (141 Km) sections have been taken up.

    2. Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur & Tenkasi-Virudhunagar (357 Km) Virudhunagar-Tenkasi-Sengottai (131 Km) and Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur (61 Km) sections completed. Work on Quilon-Punalur (45 Km) section is targeted for completion during 2009-10.

    DOUBLING

    1. Mulanturutti-Kuruppantara (24 km) State Government is yet to hand over required land to Railways. Bridge works taken up.

    2. Kuruppantara-Chingavanam (26.54 km) Final location survey completed. Requisition for 30 hectare of land has been submitted to State Government. No land is handed over.

    3. Chengannur-Chingavanam (26.5 km) Requisition for 18.88 hectare of land has been submitted to State Government. No land is handed over.

    4. Mavelikara-Chengannur (12.3 km) Work is slow due to frequent stoppages of earthmoving vehicles by local people and State Authorities. Work is targeted for completion during 2009-10.

    5. Cheppad-Kayankulam ( 7.76 km) Contracts for all works have been finalised. Work is affected due to frequent interruption by local people. Work is targeted for completion during 2009-10.
    6. Cheppad-Haripad (5.28 km) Work is slow due to frequent stoppage of earth moving vehicles by locals and failure of contracts. New contracts have been processed. Work is targeted for completion during 2009-10.

    7 Ambalapuzha-Haripad (18.13 Km) Requisition for 16 hectare of land has been submitted to State Government. No land is handed over.

    RAIL COACH FACTORY KERALA

    During the Railway Budget 2008-09, setting up of Rail Coach Factory in Kerala was announced, on land to be provided free of cost by the Government of Kerala. Necessary action to obtain requisite clearances of the Government has also been initiated. Project execution can commence only after full and unencumbered availability of land and requisite approvals are in place.

    Q No: 3319

    Dated:
    18/12/2009

    Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

    Subject: OUT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ABSENCE OF
    CRECHE FACILITIES

    Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:-

    (a) whether it is a fact that a large number of children in the age group of 6-14 years for whom education has been made a Fundamental Right are still out of school, particularly in the slum areas in metropolitan cities;

    (b) if so, whether any survey has recently been conducted to assess their number, if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and

    (c) the manner in which this problem, particularly of children in this age group, in metropolitan cities and areas around them, whose parents are unable to send them to school as there are no creche facilities for their younger siblings and their parents are out for work during the day, is proposed to be tackled?
    Answer
    MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

    (SHRIMATI D. PURANDESWARI)

    (a) & (b) As per independent sample survey commissioned by Ministry of Human Resource Development, the estimated number of out of school children is 81.5 lakh, of which 1.36 lakh children were out of school in slums of urban areas. A statement indicating the total estimated State wise number of out of school children in the age group 6-14 years, and out of school children in slum areas is given in the Annexure.

    (c) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) follows a holistic approach for universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in Education and improving the quality of education for all children, including children in slum areas in urban and metropolitan cities. The interests of out of school children in urban slums are addressed through Education Guarantee Centres (EGS), Residential Bridge Courses and Non-Residential Bridge Courses. Early Child Care and Education (ECCE) is a critical and essential input for freeing girls from sibling care responsibilities. SSA emphasizes the importance of strengthening convergence with the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

    Q No: 3130

    Dated:
    17/12/2009

    Ministry: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

    Subject: NEXT CHANCE TO HAJIS .

    Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

    (a) whether Government is considering any proposal that people left out of this year’s Haj due to the swine flu scare would be accommodated in the next years pilgrimage; and

    (b) if so, the details thereof?
    Answer
    THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

    (DR. SHASHI THAROOR)

    (a) No. No Indian pilgrim was specifically left out of this year’s Haj due to the swine flu scare.

    (b) Does not arise.

    Q No: 3017

    Dated:
    16/12/2009

    Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS

    Subject: WOMEN INMATES LODGED IN PRISONS .

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

    (a) the names of States where women inmates are housed in prisons exclusively built for them;

    (b) whether Centre has given any directions to the States in this regard; and

    (c) if so, the details thereof?
    Answer

    MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

    (SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN)

    (a): As per the statistics complied by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), as on 31.12.2007, there were 12 states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi where women inmates are housed in prisons exclusively built for them.

    (b) & (c): “Prisons” is a state subject under List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and Prison Administration is primarily the responsibility of the respective State Governments. However, the Union Government from time to time has been advising the State Governments and Union Territories for the betterment of women prisoners during their custody in terms of their special needs and to maintain their human dignity. It has also been advised to have separate prison for women offenders wherever feasible. At other places, the women prisoners shall be kept in a strictly secluded female enclosures/wards.

    Q No: 398

    Dated:
    16/12/2009

    Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS

    Subject: BAN ON ONLINE LOTTERIES

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

    (a) whether Kerala Government has sought a ban on online lotteries;

    (b) if so, the details thereof; and

    (c) the action taken thereon?
    Answer

    MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

    (SHRI AJAY MAKEN)

    (a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

    STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.398 FOR 16.12.2009 REGARDING “BAN ON ONLINE LOTTERIES”

    (a) & (b): Yes, Sir. The Government of Kerala has represented that there should be a ban on online lottery. They have also represented that a law should be made for online lottery with freedom to State Government to ban it, if Government of India does not desire to ban it nationally.

    (c): The Government of India had on 23.12.1999 introduced Lotteries (Prohibition) Bill, 1999 in Rajya Sabha, which seeks to prohibit the organization, conduct and promotion of lotteries falling under Entry 40 of List-I – Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The Bill was referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs for examination and report. The Committee in its report suggested that the Government may take up the issue of banning the lotteries at the political level and explore possibilities of evolving a larger consensus in the matter.
    In a bid to evolve political consensus on the Lotteries (Prohibition) Bill, 1999, various efforts were made by the Ministry and finally the overwhelming view which emerged was that “the lotteries should not be prohibited, but there should be stronger and more effective regulation of lotteries”.
    Consequently, the Central Government decided to withdraw the Lotteries (Prohibition) Bill, 1999. The matter for withdrawal of the Bill was discussed in the Rajya Sabha on 24.11.2009, but the Motion to withdraw the Bill was deferred.

    Q No: 2912

    Dated:
    15/12/2009

    Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT

    Subject: EVALUATION OF RURAL JOB SCHEMES.

    Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:-

    (a) whether Government has decided to carry out an independent evaluation of the rural job schemes; and

    (b) if so, the follow up action taken in this regard ?
    Answer
    MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

    (SHRI PRADEEP JAIN `ADITYA`)

    (a) &(b): The Ministry of Rural Development through State Governments and Union Territory Administrations is implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) as wage employment programme and Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) as self employment programme in all the rural areas of the country. Evaluation of every rural development programme, including the employment generation schemes are done periodically through independent agencies. The Ministry has engaged Professional Institutions like Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Agricultural Universities and other Social Sector Institutions for independent evaluation and impact assessment of NREGA.

    Q No: 2718

    Dated:
    14/12/2009

    Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS

    Subject: RESERVATION IN EDUCATION AND JOBS FOR
    MUSLIMS .

    Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

    (a) the number of Muslim groups in the Central list of other backward classes who get 27 per cent reservation in education and jobs;

    (b) whether Government proposes to add more backward Muslims for the purpose; and

    (c) if so, the details thereof?
    Answer

    MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

    (SALMAN KHURSHID)

    (a),(b) & (c) The information is being collected and will be laid on the table of the house.