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New Delhi : The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is one of the vital Ministries that represent the face of the government in reaching out to the masses. The Ministry is entrusted with the task of disseminating information about government policies, schemes and programmes through the different mediums of communication.

The Ministry took several key initiatives in the year 2018 to meet these objectives, a snapshot of which is presented below.

Information Sector

·         Bureau of Outreach and Communication formed through integration of Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP) and Song & Drama Division (S&DD) for ensuring synergy between the media units which were otherwise working in silos.

·         Reference Annual India 2018 and भारत 2018released – the flagship publications brought out by Publications Division. The two Reference Annuals were also made available as e-book in the most commonly used  e-PUB format so that they could be easily accessed on a variety of devices such as tablets, computers, e-readers and smartphones.

·         Reconstitution of Committee on Journalist Welfare Scheme – for the first time, journalists were also made members of the Committee. It was also made leaner with only Secretary (I&B), Joint Secretary (P&A), Principal Director General, PIB as official members.

·         DeenDayalUpadhyay Scholarship announced for people of Indian Origin who have done exemplary work in the field of development journalism.

·         Special Yojana issue on ‘employment and self-employment’ released – covered wide ranging issues including those related to livelihood opportunities, entrepreneurship, employment data; also featured success stories of programmes like MUDRA Yojana

·         Multimedia Exhibition on 150 years of Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary organized by Bureau of Outreach and Communication. The Exhibition had many engaging features like Quiz on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, interactive timeline depicting life of Mahatma Gandhi, Photo Booth with various backgrounds to choose from, 3D Video Wall, etc. It also showcased several books on the Life of Mahatma Gandhi.

·         “The Republican Ethic” and “LoktantraKeSwar” book released – selected speeches of President Shri Ram NathKovind, brought out by Directorate of Publications Division.

Broadcast Sector

·         15th Asia Media Summit organized in Delhi with the theme, ‘Telling Our Stories – Asia and More’; it encouraged dialogue and cooperation in Media Sector in the Region

·          All India Radio streaming services launched on Amazon Alexa Smart Speakers – a synergy of the old and modern forms of communication. The initiative will also benefit Indian diaspora since now anyone from any part of the world can listen to the programmes in All India Radio through Alexa.

·         9 DSNG vans of Doordarshan flagged off – with 4 of these 9 DSNGs meant for Gangtok, Kohima, Imphal and Agartala, the development stories of the people of North-East will further reach out to people.

Films Sector

·         Agreement on Film Co-production between India and Israel signed – to facilitate mutual exchange of art and culture, create goodwill and better understanding among the people of both the countries as well as various aspects of film making. The Agreement will also help in generation of employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel.

·         65th National Film Awardsorganized – Late veteran Actor Shri Vinod Khanna awarded DadasahebPhalke Award; Late eminent Actress, Sridevi awarded Best Actress for the Hindi movie Mom; Riddhi Sen given Best Actor award for Nagarkirtan; Assamese movie Village Rockstars awarded Best Feature Film and Baahubali – The Conclusion awarded as Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment; Jayaraj given Best Direction Award for Malayalam movie Bhayanakam.

·         ASEAN India Film Festival organized in Delhi – the festival acts as a vehicle of cultural exchange and facilitates people to people contact in member countries, especially amongst youth.

·         Dedicated web portallaunched by Film Facilitation Office to disseminate information on filming locations and the facilities available in India for film production/post production and to allow foreign film makers to make online application for permission of shooting of feature films, reality TV shows and commercial TV series in India.

·         India Pavilion was organized at Cannes Film Festival 2018, along with exploration of co-production opportunities between India and France in May 2018. India Pavilion was also set up in Berlin Film Festival (Feb 2018) and Toronto International Film Festival (Sep 2018).

·         India hosts European Union Film Festival – 24 latest European films from 23 EU Member States screened. The festival traversed through 11 cities in India including New Delhi, Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa from 18th June till 31st August 2018.

·          India Pavilion organized at Videocittà 2018 in Rome Film Festival. India was the partner country at Videocittà 2018, an event focussing on Virtual Reality, Video gaming, Animation, Film Making, etc. India Pavilion atVideocittà 2018 showcased Indian films’ heritage, ease of film shooting in India, promoted film shooting locations in India, International Film Festival of India, Indian Cinema from different regions and Audio Visual Co Production between India and Italy.

        49th International Film Festival of India organized in Goa. Israel was the country in focus and Jharkhand was the state in focus during the Festival. The Festival opened with the world premiere of ‘The AspernPapers’. ‘Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the coveted Golden Peacock; Lijo Jose Pellissery was conferred Best Director Award for ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’; Chemban Vinod was declared the  Best Actor (Male) and AnastasiiaPustovit got Best Actor (Female) Award. Dan Wolman was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Master Scriptwriter Salim Khan was presented with IFFI Special Award at IFFI 2018 Closing Ceremony, for his Lifetime Contribution to Cinema.***

AP/(Release ID: 1556631) / Ministry of Information & Broadcasting/CG-bb/

2.    Year End Review-2018: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Swachh Bharat Mission

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on 2^nd October, 2014 to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage in India and promote access to safe sanitation in India. The SBM aims at achieving an Open Defecation Free (ODF) nation by 2^nd October, 2019,a befitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150^th birth anniversary.The SBM identifies behaviour change as the primary and fundamental tool for the achievement of ODF outcomes.

As a result, rural sanitation coverage has increased significantly from 38.7%at the launch of SBM(G) in 2014 to 96.88%, as on 5^thDecember 2018.

SBM (G) at a glance
8.95IHHLs built (in crores)since 2ndOct 2014	58.18% increase insanitation coverage since 2ndOct 2014
534No. of ODF Districts	4470ODF villages inNamamiGange
25ODF States/UTs	5,33,911No. of ODF Villages

Making Swachhata Everyone’s Business

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation,besides its allocated charge of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), convenes and coordinates all activities and initiatives towards the achievement of a Swachh Bharat across sectors. To this end, the Ministry constantly works with all other Union Ministries, the State governments, local institutions, NGOs, faith organizations, media and the other stakeholders. This approach is based on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call to make Swachhata everyone’s business, and not only that of sanitation departments. A host of special initiatives and projects have been undertaken by various Ministries and are coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in this regard:

Swachhata Pakhwada

Launched in April 2016, Swachhata Pakhwada is inspired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to engage all Union Ministries and Departments in Swachhata-related activities. The respective fortnightsplace intense focus on the issues and practices of Swachhata. An annual calendar is pre-circulated among the Ministries to help them plan for the Pakhwada activities. Swachhata Pakhwadayearbooks for the years 2016 and 2017 have been released by MDWS in 2018.

NamamiGange

The NamamiGangeProgramme is an initiative of Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR). As an inter-ministerial initiative, making villages on the bank of river Ganga ODF and interventions dealing with solid and liquid waste management (SLWM) are being implemented by MDWS.

All 4470 villages located across 52 districts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have been declared ODF with active help of state governments. Now the Ministry has taken up 25 villages on the bank of River Ganga to transform them as Ganga Grams in coordination with NMCG. MDWS has sanctioned Rs. 67 Crore to five Ganga States to take up tree plantation and related preparatory activities on the revenue land in Ganga Bank villages. In 2018, 5 Ganga Gram Swachhata Sammelanswere organized by MDWS in four Ganga States to generate awareness about the Ganga Gram Swachhata concept.

Swachhata Action Plan (SAP)

A first of its kind, inter-ministerial programme for Swachhata, Swachhata Action Plan is led by all Union Ministries in order to ensure annual planning and implementation of sanitation related activities. All Union Ministries/Departments have begun work for its realization in a significant manner with appropriate budget provisions. A separate budget head 96 has been created for this by the Ministry of Finance. During the financial year 2017-18, 74 Ministries/Departments committed funds worth Rs. 18154.82 Cr. for their SAPs. For the year 2018-19, 72 Ministries/Departments have committed Rs. 17077.81 Cr.

Swachh Iconic Places (SIP)

Under the inspiration of Hon’ble Prime Minister, MDWS has undertaken a multi-stakeholder initiative focusing on cleanliness in 100 locations across the country, which are “iconic” due to their heritage, religious and/or cultural significance.

The goal of the initiative is to improve the cleanliness conditions at these locationsto a distinctly higher level. This initiative is in partnership with Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Tourism and Culture with MDWS as the nodal ministry. So far, in the first three phases, 30 iconic places have been identified. Mostof these SIPs have also received financial and technical support from PSUs and corporates.

Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha campaign(3^rd to 10^th April, 2018)

The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, in coordination with the Government of Bihar, organized a week long campaign“Satyagraha Se Swachhagraha” from 3^rd to 10^th April, 2018, in Bihar, culminating in East Champaran on 10^th April, 2018, where over 20,000 Swachhagrahis came together and to “trigger” Bihar.  The culminating event was addressed by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, Hon’ble Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation,Sushri Uma Bharti, and otherUnion and State Ministers, MPs and MLAs attended the event. The Prime Minister have also felicitated the 10 best performingSwachhagrahis in an award giving ceremony.

GOBARdhan scheme

MDWS launched the Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resource dhan or “GOBARdhan” scheme on 30^th April 2018, at Karnal, Haryana. The scheme is aimed at keeping villages clean while increasing the income of farmers and cattle owners by promoting local entrepreneurs to convert cattle dung, and other organic resources, to biogas and organic manure.

Swachh Bharat Summer Internship 2018

MDWS, in association with the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI) 2018’ aimed at engaging college students and NYKS youth with Swachhata work in villages during the summer vacation.

The SBSI engaged lakhs of educated youth across the country, helped develop their skills and orientation for the sanitation sector and amplified the mass awareness aspect of Swachh Bharat Mission. As part of the internship, candidates were required to undertake 100 hours of sanitation related activities including shramdaan, creation of sanitation infrastructure, system building, behaviour change campaigns and other IEC initiatives in and around nearby villages.Over 3.8 lakh students registered for SBSI 2018.

Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), (15^th September 2018 to 2^nd October 2018)

The Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the second edition of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign on 15^thSeptember 2018 through a video conference interaction with 17 locations, in order to re-intensify the people’s movement in the run up to 2^nd October 2018.  Post the launch, shramdaan activities were undertaken by dignitaries like Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Shri Ratan Tata, Sadguru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandmayi, and others. The campaign mobilised people between 15th September and 2nd October 2018 reigniting the “jan-andolan” for sanitation. Union Ministers, MLAs, MPs, iconic celebrities of India, sports stars, inter-faith leaders, corporates, etc., participated and appealed to others to join in this campaign towards swachhata.

Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC) (29^th September to 2^nd October 2018)

The Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC) brought together Ministers of sanitation and sector specialists from around the world. Approximately 200 delegates from 67 countries attended the Convention, which was inaugurated by Hon’ble President of India on 29^th September 2018 at PravasiBhartiya Kendra, New Delhi. The participating countries shared sanitation success stories and best practices, along with learning from the experience of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The 4-day Convention included a field visit, Plenary sessions, Parallel Technical sessions and Ministerial Dialogues. A parallel exhibition of sanitation innovations was also organized. The MGISC culminated on October 2nd, 2018, with the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year celebrations, as SBM entered its fifth and final year of implementation. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India addressed the nation on 2^nd October 2018 from the platform of the convention.

Swajal

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation launched Swajal, a community demand driven, decentralized, single village, preferably solar powered, mini PWS programme for the 117 aspirational districts identified by NITI Aayog. Gram Panchayats in partnership with rural communities and State sectoral agencies would be involved in the execution of the scheme and also operate and maintain the scheme. The programme would also sustain ODF status.

In order build the capacity of district level officials who are at the cutting edge level of implementation, Training of Trainers (ToTs) programmes were organized by MDWS.  During the period of three months from September to November, ToTprogrammes were completed at five locations in Bhopal, Pune, Ranchi, Raipur and Guwahati, respectively.

An exclusive ToTs module covering major aspects of Swajal was launched in a National Workshop held at Nainital, Uttarakhand, on 30^th November 2018, along with a separate Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) to monitor the programme.

The Hon’ble Vice President laid the foundation for the scheme at Jharkhand on 27.9.2018 and the first scheme was inaugurated at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand on World Toilet Day, 19^th November, 2018.

*******

AR/SNC/SD/(Release ID: 1556628) / Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation/CG-bb/

3.    Year end Review-2018: Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

1. National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG):
2.  
   1. Ganga Rejuvenation:-

·         Under Namami Gange programme, a total of 254 projects worth Rs.24,672 crore have been sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats & crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.

·         131 projects out of 254 were sanctioned for creation of 3076 MLD new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of 887 MLD of existing STPs and laying/ rehabilitation of 4942 km sewer network for abatement of pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna.

·         In a paradigm shift in sewage sector in the past one year, works on six STP projects (50 MLD in Varanasi, 82 MLD in Haridwar, 30 MLD at Mathura, 50 MLD at Kanpur, Unnao & Shuklaganj, 35 MLD at Farrukhabad and 72 MLD at Allahabad-Jhushi, Naini & Phaphamau) have been started under Hybrid Annuity PPP mode (HAM). Other projects sanctioned under HAM are Mirzapur Gazipur and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh; Digha, Kankarbagh and Bhagalpur in Bihar; Kolkata, Howrah, Bally, Kamarhati and Baranagar in West Bengal.

·         For River Front Development, works at 145 ghats and 53 crematoria are in progress and expected to be completed by March 2019.

·         For river surface cleaning, 11 trash skimmers have been deployed at Haridwar, Garh Mukhteshwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna, Sahibganj, Nabadwip, Howrah Delhi and Mathura-Vrindavan.

·         On rural sanitation front, all 4465 villages on the bank of river Ganga have been made Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 10,83,688 Individual Household Toilets have been constructed by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS). NMCG has released Rs. 829.0 crore to MoDWS for this.

·         Total 6 no. of projects on biodiversity conservation and restoration of aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga including Dolphin, Ghariyal, Otter, water birds and fish & fisheries have been taken up, out of which 2 projects have been completed.

Rs. 190.3 crores has been sanctioned to the State Forest Departments of Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West-Bengal for the year 2018-19, as a part of the afforestation program in the Ganga basin.

·         Five State Ganga Committees and 48 District Ganga Committees constituted for effective monitoring of projects and activities in the five Ganga states.

·         Participation of corporates in Namami Gange grew stronger after successful completion of two road shows in London and Mumbai. Corporates have shown their interest and commitment towards cleaning of Ganga. Countries like Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Israel have shown keen interest in collaborating with the Indian government for river Ganga cleaning.

·         During the financial year 2018-19 (till 30.11.2018), National Mission for Clean Ganga has released Rs.1532.59 crore to the states, Central Public Sector Undertakings for the implementation of the programme, including expenditure incurred for establishment.

1.2 E-flow notification

·         The Central Government on October 10^th 2018 notified the minimum environmental flows for River Ganga that has to be maintained at various locations on the river. Environmental flows are the acceptable flow regimes that are required to maintain a river in the desired environmental state or predetermined state. The notification issued by the Government will ensure that the river has at least the minimum required environmental flow of water even after the river flow gets diverted by projects and structures for purposes like irrigation, hydropower, domestic and industrial use etc. This was an important step taken towards maintaining the uninterrupted or Aviral flow of the river.

1.3 Sisamau drain interception

·         One of the major achievements in the state has been the recent interception and diversion of Sisamau Nala in Kanpur, the worst pollutant for river Ganga that emptied waste water from the tanneries into the river. 140 MLD water from this drain has been intercepted and is being diverted to an STP for treatment.

1.4 Industrial Pollution Management

·         961 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) have been identified on main stem of river Ganga after reinventorisation exercise carried out by CPCB (2017-18).

·         As on November, 2018, out of 961 GPIs, 795 units have connected to Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) to CPCB server.

·         Out of 961 GPIs inspected, 474 are found complying, 209 are found non-complying, 256 are found temporarily closed and 22 are found permanently closed.

·         Action has been taken against 209 Non-Complying units wherein 199 units have been issued Show Cause Notice and 10 units have been issued closure directions.

·         Zero Liquid Discharge achieved in 32 molasses based Distilleries. Due to adoption of advanced process technology, Spent wash generation in Distilleries reduced from 12-15 KL/KL to 8 KL/KL of alcohol production.

·         For Sugar industry, Charter prepared and issued for the up gradation of the manufacturing process technology, ETP system and best practises and waste minimization practises.

·         In Pulp & Paper, disposal of black liquor from agro-based industries has been prohibited and are permitted to operate with Chemical Recovery Plants (CRPs) to achieve zero black liquor discharge.

·         Estimated reduction in fresh water consumption and effluent generation are about 45%-50% as compared to the pollution level estimated in 2012, in spite of expansion in production capacity and number of units in Pulp & Paper Sector.

·         Proposal for construction of 20 MLD CETP, Collection and Conveyance system, Pilot-scale 200 KLD ZLD plant and 900 KLD Common Chrome Recovery unit at Jajmau tannery Cluster, Kanpur has been sanctioned amounting Rs.554 crores with certain financial conditions.

·         Proposal for up-gradation of existing CETP at Mathura Textile cluster has been sanctioned amounting Rs.13.87 crores with a condition that industry has to contribute 25% of project cost and 100 % O&M.

1.5 Water Quality Monitoring

·         36 Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Station (RTWQMS) are operational under Namami Gange programme.

·         Water quality monitoring is carried out 130 locations. Dissolved Oxygen levels improved at 39 locations, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) decreased at 42 locations and coliform bacteria count decreased at 47 locations (2017 vs 2018 data).

·         Bio-monitoring of river Ganga at various locations (Haridwar to Diamond Harbour in West Bengal) has been carried out to study the Benthic Macro Invertebrates, which reflects the biological health of river.  It has been observed that water quality of Ganga supports diversified community structure and the river stretches shows slight to moderate level of pollution with respect to Biological Water Quality Criteria (BWQC) which is a suggestive criteria considered by CPCB. There has been improving trend in the biological water quality at some of the locations.

1. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY):

PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating ongoing schemes viz. Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development& Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR) and the On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC). Under PMKSY, Ninety Nine (99) ongoing Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) Major/Medium projects along with their Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM) work shaving potential of 76.03 lakh ha. and estimated cost of Rs. 77595 cr. have been identified in consultation with States, for completion in phases up to December, 2019. Funding mechanism through NABARD has been made by the Government for both central and state share for timely completion of 99 prioritized projects.

Status of Fund released during 2017-18 & 2018-19 (up to 10.12.2018):

Sl. No.	Item	Funds Released (Rs. In cr.)
2017-18	2018-19
1.	CA for 99 priority Project( AIBP )	3593.6	1390.26
2.	Polavaram Project	2000	1400
3	State Share from LTIF	4717.3	4213.53

Out of 99 Prioritized AIBP Projects which were identified for completion in mission mode by December, 2019, State Governments have informed that CADWM works are either not required or deemed completed in respect of 9 such projects.  Out of the remaining 90 projects, 86 projects have been included under the CADWM programme of PMKSY.  The balance CCA in respect of these 86 included projects is about 42  lakh ha and the target CA is Rs.8176 crore while the total cost of these 86 projects is estimated as Rs.17,800 crore.

Fund Released for CADWM component during 2016-17 & 2017-18 (up to 31.3.2018):

Item	Fund released (Rs.in crore)
2016-17	2017-18
CADWM	854	933

Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme:

   Total Central Assistance (CA) released to State Government under Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) scheme was Rs. 665.35 crores during FY 2017-18 and Rs. 527.90 crores during FY 2018-19 (till 30.11.2018).

              Total Central Assistance (CA) released to State Government under Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies scheme was Rs 79.65 crores during FY 2017-18 and Rs. 22.10 crores during FY 2018-19 (till 30.11.2018).

1. Shahpur Kandi Dam Project:  An agreement was reached between Punjab and J&K states under the aegis of MoWR, RD&GR at New Delhi on 8^th September, 2018 to resume works of Shahpur Kandi Dam project in Punjab on river Ravi. The work on the project has been suspended since 30.08.2014 following a dispute between the state of J&K and Punjab.  Work has been resumed w.e.f. 1st November, 2018.

This project had been declared as a National Project. The Union Cabinet on 6^th December, 2018 has approved the proposal of this Ministry for extending a Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore (for irrigation component) for implementation of this project. The project would be completed by June 2022.

This project will help in creation of additional Irrigation Potential of 5000 ha in Punjab State and 32173 ha in J&K State and also efficient management of 1.18 Lac ha area under UBDC system in Punjab. Consequently, this project would help minimising some of the water of the River Ravi which at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream to Pakistan.

1. Flood Management Programme (FMP):- The subject of Flood Management including erosion control falls within the purview of the States. The flood management & anti-erosion schemes are planned, investigated and implemented by the State Governments with own resources as per priority within the State. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by way of technical guidance and promotional financial assistance in critical areas. Government of India launched a Flood Management Programme (FMP) during XI Plan for providing central assistance to the State Governments for taking up works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, flood proofing works, restoration of damaged flood management works and anti-sea erosion works. Under this Programme, a central assistance of Rs.5435.74 crore has been provided up to 31.03.2018 to the various States/UTs.

 “Flood Management Programme (FMP)” and “River Management Activities & Works related to Border Areas (RMBA)” schemes have now been merged into single scheme “Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP)” for three year period from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Till November, 2018 an amount of Rs. 367.94 crore has been released to States as grant-in-aid under FMBAP.

1. Farakka Barrage Project: The Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) was commissioned in 1975 for preservation & maintenance of the Kolkata Port and for increasing the navigational depth of the Bhagirathi – Hooghly waterway. Since the Gates of FBP have outlived their economic life and serviceability, phase wise replacement of all the gates of main barrage and Head Regulator, remote control system, etc. have been under taken by FBP. So far 42 gates of the Farakka Barrage have been replaced with new gates and the work of replacement of remaining gates has been taken up by FBP in phased manner. The work for Special Repair and maintenance of PSC Road Bridge over Farakka Barage has been awarded by FBP and work is underway.
2. Lakhwar project: A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 28^th August 2018 between Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport & Highways and Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh for the construction of Rs. 3966.51 crore Lakhwar Multi-Purpose project in the Upper Yamuna Basin. The Lakhwar project was initially approved in 1976 but work on the project was suspended in 1992. The Lakhwar project envisages construction of a 204 m high concrete dam across river Yamuna near Lohari village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand with a live storage capacity of 330.66 MCM. This storage will provide irrigation for 33,780 hectares land and availability of 78.83 MCM water for domestic, drinking and industrial use in the six basin states. The project will also generate 300 MW of power. The project is to be executed by M/s Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL).
3. Interlinking of Rivers (ILRs):
4. National Perspective Plan (NPP) proposals:

Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of three priority links have been completed viz. Ken-Betwa link project (Phase-I&II), Damanganga-Pinjal link project and Par-Tapi-Narmada link project. Various Statutory/other Clearances viz., Environmental clearance, Stage-I forest land diversion clearance, Wildlife, MoTA, techno-economic and investment clearances have been accorded/obtained by/from concerned Ministries/Departments for KBLP Phase-I and the project report is ready for implementation. Environmental clearance, Forest Land Diversion clearance for Lower Orr dam has been recommended by EAC and FAC of MoEF&CC. MoTA has accorded clearance for R&R plan of PAFs of Lower Orr dam subject to certain conditions. Environmental clearance and Forest clearance for Bina complex projects were accorded by MoEF&CC. Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD & GR) has discussed KBLP with Chief Ministers of UP and MP and MoU for water sharing and implementation is expected to be signed shortly. Further, Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD & GR) has discussed Damanganga-Pinjal link and Par-Tapi-Narmada link projects with Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Maharashtra and shortly the MoU for water sharing is expected to be signed in this regard. Hon’ble Minister(WR,RD&GR) held discussions with Hon’ble Minister for Water Resources of Chhattisgarh about the alternate study of diversion of unutilized flood flows of Chhattisgarh in Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin(as per GWDT Award) through Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project. The DPR of this alternate study is under progress.

1.  Intra-State link proposals:

DPRs of four intra-state link projects viz., Burhi Gandak-Noon-Baya-Ganga link and Kosi-Mechi link of Bihar State, Ponnaiyar-Palar link of Tamil Nadu and Wainganga (Gosikhurd)-Nalganga(Purna/Tapi) link project of Maharashtra have been completed and sent to respective States. Preparation of DPRs of Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari and Damanganga(Vagh/Val)-Vaitarna-Godavari (Kadva Dev) link projects of Maharashtra are under progress.

1. Completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand:

The Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR has taken up the work on completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand which was halted in 1993. The Union Cabinet in August 2017 has approved the proposal at an estimated cost of Rs 1622.27 crore during three financial years from the start of the project. The cabinet also approved execution of balance works of the project on turnkey basis by M/s WAPCOS Ltd., as Project Management Consultant (PMC).The Government of India will provide assistance as central share of Rs. 1378.61 crore and State Government of Bihar and Jharkhand will arrange Rs.212.43 crores and Rs.31.23 crore respectively.

The project aims to provide additional irrigation to 39,801 hectares of land annually in the drought prone areas of Aurangabad & Gaya districts of Bihar, Palamu & Garhwa districts of Jharkhand.

The works on the Mohammadganj barrage and Left Main Canal of the project are underway. Stage-II forest clearance has been accorded by MoEF&CC, Govt. of India.

Central assistance of Rs. 582.70 crore has been released for the implementation of the project during the year 2018-19.

1. Minor Irrigation Census :

              Ministry conducts Minor Irrigation (MI) Census in order to create a sound and reliable database on ground water and surface water Minor Irrigation Schemes in the country. Ministry provides 100% financial assistance and technical guidance to States/UTs for conduct of the Census.

6th Minor Irrigation Census& Census of Water Bodies

       i. Ministry initiated the process of conduct of Census of Water Bodies for the first time in convergence with 6th MI Census in order to build up a database on Water Bodies.

       ii. Preparatory work like drafting of schedules, instruction manual, operational guidelines etc. has been completed duly approved by the Steering Committee in January, 2018.

       iii. All India Training workshops for 6th MI Census & Census of Water Bodies was organized on 16th March, 2018. Representatives from most of the States/UTs attended the training workshop.

                   iv. Census material for the 6^th MI Census and Census of Water Bodies, viz. final Schedules, instructions and table scrutiny points etc. was sent to States/UTs for taking further action.

                   v. Six two days Regional Training workshops for 6th Minor Irrigation and census of water bodies during the month of June, 2018 to August, 2018were completed. Continuous monitoring is being done for completion of various pre-field work activities viz. training by States, printing of schedules, purchase of mobile device etc.

                  vi. Process of development of software for data entry portal with built in monitoring mechanism and mobile app for geo tagging for water bodies is near completion.

1. National Aquifer Management (NAQUIM):  

The NAQUIM programme for mapping of water bearing aquifers has been planned with an aim to enhance the capacity of states in Ground Water Management and Development. Total targeted area for National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme is 12.91  lakh Sq. Km upto March, 2020 against ~24 Lakh Sq.Km area identified for mapping in the country. By the end of October 2018, aquifer maps and management plans have been developed for an area of 8.91 lakh Sq. Km,  which is shared/would be shared with the respective State Governments agencies.

1.  Development of Water Resources Information System (DWRIS) :

DWRIS Scheme is a continuing scheme of XII five year plan which is under implementation for creation of reliable and sound database for planning and policy formulation for Water Resources Projects, timely dissemination of flood forecast, etc.

Achievements under DWRIS during 2018:

 i. 319 new Hydrological Observation sites fully operationalized

 ii. 23 new flood forecasting stations opened

 iii. Telemetry installed on 87 sites for automatic data acquisition and satellite based data   transmission system

 iv. Telemetry systems upgraded on 85 sites

 v. Inflow models for Ranjitsagar Dam have been developed and models for 271 previously developed improved during data collected in monsoon season.

 vi. Inundation models for Brahmaputra River have been developed.

 vii. 6791 flood forecasts bulletins issued during 2018-19 monsoon season.

Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018

Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018 has been formulated by this Ministry which deals with the issue of dissemination of hydro-meteorological data collected by CWC and CGWB, classification of hydro-meteorological data, Data User Categories, custodian of hydro-meteorological data and procedure for release of classified & unclassified hydro-meteorological data.

A copy of Hydro-Meteorological Data Dissemination Policy, 2018 is available on Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation website at http://mowr.gov.in/hydro-meteorological-data-dissemination-policy-2018.

1. Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP):

Targets & Progress:

1. In the year 2018-19 Dam Break Analysis were conducted on 38 Dams for preparation of Inundation maps. The 57 draft Emergency Action Plan (EAPs) prepared by State Implementing Agencies(IAs) have been reviewed and commented upon by the Central Project Monitoring Unit(CPMU) out of 64 submitted.
2. Total of 81 Notice Inviting Tenders (NITs) worth Rs. 126 Cr. were issued in the year 2018-19 and works of 76 packages worth Rs. 744 Cr. were awarded till date. During this period, an expenditure of Rs. 1050.7 Cr. was incurred.
3.  DHARMA, a web based dam inventory management software has been completed.

Preparation of Guidelines & Manual:

1. 2 Guidelines on various aspects of dam safety have been prepared under the project and released during the conference.
2. 2 model Operation and Maintenance Manual for Almatti Dam, Karnataka WRD and Maithon dam, DVC have been prepared as a reference document for guiding DRIP Implementing Agencies for preparing O & M Manual for other DRIP dams.
3.  Model EAP of Hirakud Dam has been prepared and shared with all IAs for replicating these protocols for other DRIP dams.

DRIP-II:

In order to cover more States of India under the umbrella of DRIP, CWC has submitted a proposal for new DRIP (i.e. DRIP-II), which is under consideration of the Ministry. So far 18 States and 2 Central Agencies viz. CWC and BBMP have submitted the proposal. The overall cost of DRIP-II as received from all States / Central Agencies is Rs.11487 Cr. with 733 dams. The DRIP-II is proposed to be a Scheme of 10 years, to be implementing on two phases i.e. Phase-II and Phase-III, each of six years duration.

1. Polavaram Project Authority (PPA):

             The Project is in advance stage of progress. The Status of Physical progress of Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) as submitted by Water Resources Department, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) is as follows:

Sr.No.	Decription	% of progress(up to Nov.,2018)
1.	Head works	50.54
2.	Right main canal	90.00
3.	Left main canal	66.02
Overall Project	61.81

The amount of ₹ 2398.20 Cr. is released to GoAP for execution of PIP during the year 2018.

1. Brahmputra Board:
2. The following anti-erosion and flood protection schemes were completed during the year:

·         Phase-II and III  works of the scheme “Protection of Majuli Island” in Assam

·         Protection of Masalabari International Border area in the district of Dhubri, Assam

·         Jengrai drainage development scheme

·         Jakaichuk drainage development scheme

1. 3 Sub-basin Master Plans viz. Jaldhaka, Simsang and Torsa were approved by Government of India (GoI).
2.  A  Seminar inaugurated by Secretary, MoWR, RD & GR on “Synergy among organizations working in Water Resources Sector in North Eastern Region” was held on 27.09.2018 wherein 79 delegates of 37 Central as well as State Government Departments/ Organizations/ Academic Institutes participated. On agreement of participants, Brahmputra Board is taking up to create a Data Sharing Centre where data can be shared safely by the organizations.
3.  During the year 2018 under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (SBA), Brahmputra Board organized the following programmes-

·         Art and Essay writing Competitions amongst school students.

·         Cleanliness drive through ‘Shramdaan ’at public places, schools and offices.

1. Brahmputra Board has taken up two Ghats for development in Majuli Island viz., Kamalabari and Aphalamukh and to provide necessary sanitation facilities and other safe access facilities to Commuters to Majuli Island from Neamatighat under SBA.
2. National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC):

NPCC was established on 9^th January 1957 as a premier construction company to create necessary infrastructure for economic development of the country.

Mini Ratna Status:

“Miniratna – Category -I” status awarded to NPCC Limited by Ministry of Water Resources  RD & GR on 05-11-2018.

NPCC is an ISO 9001-2015 Organization with Pan India presence.

Major Works Secured during 2018-19

·         Construction of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Various locations across Country.

·         Construction for Up gradation of ITI at Jabalpur, Rew Sagar & Shadol for MP Housing Board.

·         Bone & Joint Hospital Srinagar.

·         Establishment of Industrial Biotech Parks(ITBP) at 02 locations in J&K Region for CSIR.

·         Building Works in CGWB (MOWR, RD & GR) Ahmadabad, Ambala and  Jammu.

·         Indoor Sports Complex and Food Court of IIT Kharagpur in West Bengal.

·         Construction of LS, US Quarter & Site Development of Police Line Campus at Pakur, Jharkhand.

·         Development of Mandiri Nala  under Patna Smart  City Mission at Patna.

Major Works Completed during 2018-19

·         PMGSY Road Works in Paschim Medinipur.

·         PMGSY Roads at different locations in Jharkhand.

·         Construction of Toilets at schools in different dist. Of Odisha (SVA) MCL.

·         Construction of various buildings for Assam Riffles.

·         Construction of BOP, Roads & Fencing Works for MHA.

·         Construction of flood lighting works for MHA.

·         Dolaithabi Barrage, Manipur.

·         PMGSY Roads (640 in No.) in 6 districts of Bihar i.e Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Patna, Nalanda.

·         Development and Construction of various buildings for Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Campus at Amarkanthak (M.P).

Proposed Schemes which are under consideration in the Ministry:

1. Incentivisation Scheme for Bridging Irrigation Gap (ISBIG) :- The Expenditure Finance Committee has approved the EFC memo of ISBIG Scheme for a restricted CCA of 50 lakh ha at an estimated cost of Rs.30,485 crore.  CCEA note has been submitted and the Scheme is under consideration of the Government.  After obtaining approval of the Cabinet, the Scheme shall become operational.
2. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)- Har Khet ko Pani (HKKP) –Ground Water

·         The scheme of PMKSY approved in 2015 envisaged ground water development through tube well/ dug well etc. to cover 2.5 lakh hectare during 2015-16 to 2019-20.

·         The guidelines of the scheme has been revised for already approved scheme for 2015-20 and circulated to all the States and UTs for submitting proposals/ DPRs in accordance with the revised operating guidelines.

·         Under the scheme irrigation facilities will be created through tube wells, dug wells, bore wells and Dug cum Bore wells etc in SAFE assessment units characterised by

o    Less than 60 per cent of Stage of Ground Water Development and there is scope for further groundwater development without endangering groundwater sustainability.

o    Average annual rainfall of more than 750 mm and

o    Groundwater levels are less than 15 m bgl.

·         Possibilities of convergence with PMKSY-Watershed Component, MGNREGA or any other similar scheme of Central/ State for supporting water harvesting and groundwater recharge interventions for sustaining long term groundwater development to be undertaken .

·         Under the scheme following components are proposed to be funded:

o    Construction cost of well with material

o    Cost of Pump (Electric and Solar) 

o    Cost of 200 m canvas pipe for water distribution

o    Cost of investigation for site selection.

·          Provision of 75% Electric ad 25% solar pumps have been kept in a cluster/proposal.  

·         A provision of Rs 200 crore has been kept towards the Central Assistance for the FY 2019-20 for Ground water irrigation under PMKSY-HKKP.

1.  Proposal of Maharashtra for special package to drought prone districts:

Cabinet has approved the inclusion of 83 Surface Minor Irrigation and 8 Major / Medium Irrigation projects in the Special Package for Maharashtra during the meeting of the CCEA held on 18.07.2018.Under the Special Package, the Central Government will provide Central Assistance (CA) @ 25% of the balance cost of these 91 projects as on 1.4.18 as well as 25% reimbursement for the expenditure incurred during 2017-18 keeping in view that funding of these projects is under consideration since 2017-18.The overall balance cost of the said projects as on 1.4.2018 is estimated to be Rs.13651.61 crore. 

1.  Relining of Sirhind Feeder (SF) from RD 119700 to 447927 and Rajasthan Feeder (RF) from RD 179000 to 496000 of Punjab :

Cabinet has approved the funding of Relining of Sirhind Feeder and relining of Rajasthan Feeder of Punjab etc vide its meeting dated 26.09.2018. The approved cost of relining of Sirhind Feeder Canal is Rs. 671.478 Cr and that of relining of Rajasthan Feeder Canal is Rs. 1305.267 Cr, of the total estimated cost, Rs. 826.168 Cr would be provided as Central Assistance (Rs. 205.758 Cr for Sirhind Feeder and Rs. 620.41 Cr for Rajasthan Feeder) in addition to Rs 156 crore of central assistance earlier released for these projects.               

The project would be completed in 3 working seasons (March to June) of 70 days each starting from March-June, 2019 and ending March-June, 2021.

1. Proposal for Diversion of Godavari waters upto Cauvery basin:  

·         As per the Planning of the Peninsular Component of the National Perspective Plan (NPP) about 20,796 MCM of water from Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is to be transferred through the nine link system namely (i) Mahanadi – Godavari link (ii) Inchampalli – Nagarjunasagar link (iii) Inchampalli – Pulichintala link (iv) Polavaram – Vijayawada link (implemented by Government of Andhra Pradesh) (v) Almatti – Pennar link (vi) Srisailam – Pennar Link (vii) Nagarjunasagar – Somasila link (viii) Somasila – Grand Anicut link and (ix) Cauvery – Vaigai – Gundar link to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins.

·         Pending consensus on Manibhadra dam across Mahanadi and Inchampalli dam across Godavari due to large submergence involved and quantity of water diversion from these basins, alternative studies to divert unutilized water share of Chhattisgarh State in Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin (as per GWDT Award) to Cauvery river through Godavari-Cauvery link project have been carried out. The Technical Feasibility Note of the Godavari (Akinepalli)-Cauvery(Grand Anicut) link project has been submitted to party States during December 2017. Draft MoA for preparation of DPR has also been sent to party States during February 2018. The proposal was discussed in the Regional Conferences on Water Resources held at Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

·         Hon’ble Minister (WR, RD&GR) held discussions with Hon’ble Minister for Water Resources of Chhattisgarh about this alternate study of Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project. The DPR of this alternate study is under progress.

·         Once the Mahanadi-Godavari link materialises, the remaining links of the nine link system will be taken up.

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NP/SKP/IA/(Release ID: 1556633)/ Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation/CG-bb/

11.                       Promotion on Public Rating

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

The Government has no proposal under consideration to promote the Government officials based on public rating/feedback.

Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has informed that an “Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate (DLC)” for pensioners was launched on 10^th November, 2014.

Aadhaar is used for authentication of pensioners.  As a result of this facility the pensioner is not required to present himself before his pension disbursing agency or produce other documents that he is alive. 

After generation of the DLC, the pension disbursing agencies integrated with the system will get access to the submitted DLC for processing and release of pension there after.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has informed that it has a well-designed, multi-layered robust security system in place to maintain the highest level of data security and integrity in accordance with the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and the Regulations notified under the Act. Some of the security measures include provision of secure channel, implementation of Aadhaar Data Vault, Hardware Security Module, Registered Devices, Virtual ID-UID Token, biometric locking etc.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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BB/NK/PP/(Release ID: 1556639) / Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions/CG-bb/

12.                       RTI Applications

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

Central Information Commission (CIC) data shows that 26,504 appeals/complaints cases were pending with CIC, as on 17.12.2018. However, no such State-wise data on applications under the RTI Act is maintained centrally.

          Subject to the provisions of the Act, Indian citizen can file online application under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Currently, systems of 2,199 Public Authorities have been aligned to receive, process and reply to Online RTIs from the applicants.

          Any applicant can visit the portal www.rtionline.gov.in and select the desired Ministry or Department under Central Government and file an Online RTI Application. A detailed user manual and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available on the website to help in filing the application. Applicant can pay the requisite fee through Online Payment in this portal and submit the RTI application.

All the States have been requested vide this Department’s letter dated 3rd December, 2013 to explore the feasibility of implementing online RTI in their respective States. National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been requested to provide technical support, such as software, and source code to the State Governments which desire to replicate the web portal for online filing of RTI applications at state level.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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BB/NK/PP/(Release ID: 1556640) / Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions/CG-bb/

13.                       Senior Citizen Entitlement of Employees

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

Department of Social Justice & Empowerment has informed that there is at present no proposal in that Department for lowering the age of senior citizen. Government employees become entitle to pension on retirement. There is also no proposal to increase or decrease the age of retirement of Central Government Employees.

The salient features of the pension entitlements of employees retiring from the Central Government are as under:

1. A Government servant retiring in accordance with the rules, after completing a qualifying service of not less than 10 years, is entitled to a pension @ 50% of his last pay or 50% of average emoluments for the last 10 months, whichever is more beneficial to him/her.
2. After completion of 80 years of age or above, additional pension @ 20% to 100% is payable to the retired Government servant.
3. A retired/retiring Government servant is entitled to, at his/her option, a lump sum payment, by commutation of a maximum of 40% of his/her pension.
4. On retirement, a Government employee is entitled to a retirement gratuity based on his/her emoluments and length of qualifying service.
5. On death of a Central Government pensioner, the family is entitled to a family pension the amount of which is 50% of the last pay for a period of seven years, or for a period up to the date on which the retired deceased Government servant would have attained the age of 67 years had he/she survived, whichever is earlier. Thereafter, the amount of family pension is 30% of his last pay.  The amount of family pension is also increased by 20% to 100% after the family pensioner attains the age of 80 years and above.

Vi.    The family of a Government servant, who dies while in service after having rendered not less than seven years’ continuous service, is entitled to a family pension 50% of the last pay for a period of ten years. Thereafter, the amount of family pension is 30% of his/her last pay.

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

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BB/NK/PP/(Release ID: 1556641) / Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions/CG-bb/

14.                       Redresasal of Public Grievances

New Delhi, December 19, 2018.

As per the data available on the online Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), the year-wise number of grievances received and disposed off during the period from 1.1.2014 to 13.12.2018 in respect of Ministries/Departments of Government of India is as under:

Year	Received	Disposed
2014	270413	263562
2015	879230	769633
2016	1194931	1187111
2017	1417891	1493567
2018 (Till 13.12.2018)	1065727	1074784

          There has been about fivefold increase in the number of grievances received in CPGRAMS from 2014 to 2017.  The rate of disposal has also kept pace with the number of grievances received during the period.  High rate of disposal has been achieved since the Government has taken every possible step to put in place a strong Grievance Redress Mechanism.

          Government has taken several steps to make the Grievance Redressal Mechanism effective for quick disposal of public grievances which are as under:

(i)    Review of Grievances of identified Ministry/Department is undertaken every month during meetings conducted on PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform. 

(ii)   For effective monitoring of grievances at Secretary level, an electronic Dashboard has been created showing the consolidated status of grievances disposed and pending, on CPGRAMS. Weekly reminders through SMS are also being sent for pending grievances. 

(iii)  A Grievance Analysis Study in respect of  top 20 grievance receiving Ministries/ Departments/ Organizations listed on CPGRAMS for identifying grievance prone areas, their root cause analysis and suggested systemic reforms for reducing such grievances, has been carried out by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. Several suggested systemic reforms have been implemented by the concerned Ministries/Departments.  Some of these reforms are: automatic refunds on cancellation of Railway Tickets, Single Window Pension through disbursing Banks, intensive mechanized cleaning of coaches, e-verification of Income Tax Returns, expeditious Income Tax Returns upto Rs.50,000/-,  etc.

(iv) In continuation of the Grievance Analysis Study in respect of top 20 Ministries/ Departments receiving maximum grievances on CPGRAMS, another Grievance Analysis Study for next 20 Ministries/ Departments receiving bulk of the grievances has also been carried out by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

(v)    A Public Grievances Call Centre has been set up for reminding the concerned officials of top 40 Ministries/Departments/Organizations for expeditious disposal of grievances pending for more than 2 months. 

(vi)   An Award Scheme has been launched for recognising outstanding performance with respect to disposal of grievances on CPGRAMS on a quarterly basis through issue of Certificate of Appreciation.

(vii)  Review meetings are being taken on regular basis with the representatives of Central   Ministries/ Departments for monitoring pendency of public grievances.

(viii) Training on CPGRAMS is conducted on regular basis.       

(ix)  A new Mobile App which is more user-friendly for lodging of public grievances has been developed.  The Grievance Action Status can also be viewed on the mobile itself.  This has been integrated with Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG).  This initiative also facilitates lodging of grievance anywhere anytime. 

This was stated by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.