Question raised in Lok Sabha on damage to crops, 28/07/2015. State Government is empowered to undertake necessary relief measures in the wake of natural calamities like, drought, hailstorm, pest attack & cold wave/frost from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily available with them. State Governments have been requested to take immediate steps to address the notified calamities by utilizing the funds available under SDRF.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on conservation and management of mangroves, 28/07/2015. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for Conservation and Management of Mangroves of India. Under the Scheme, the Ministry provides 100% Central Assistance to coastal States/Union Territories for ‘Core Activities’ and ‘Ancillary Activities’ in 80:20 ratio, who request for implementation of their approved Management Action Plans (MAPs).

Question raised in Lok Sabha on community forest management, 28/07/2015. The local communities are involved in the forest management through the Joint Forest Management (JFM) wherein the State forest department and the local communities enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly manage the forest area. The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change is implementing the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) Scheme for the eco-restoration of degraded forests and adjoining areas through people’s participation throughout the country.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on clearance of projects, 28/07/2015. National Board for Wildlife in its Standing Committee meetings cleared 81 projects in the past six months, i.e., from January 2015 till date. The details of the project state/UT wise are enclosed as Annexure. Out of the projects cleared 9 projects fall under the Tiger Reserves and 27 proposals are close to 10km area of wildlife sanctuaries. Out of the cleared projects 40 are public commercial/private projects. Projects are cleared with proper environmental safeguards. Details are provided in the Annexure.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on clearance for dams, 28/07/2015. The Ministry has received sixteen (16) proposals for construction of multipurpose, irrigations and flood control dams in the country during the last 3 years. Environmental clearance has been accorded to 12 projects. A list of these 12 projects is annexed.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on food safety, 24/07/2015. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has fixed safety standards under the ‘Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 as amended from time to time. The Maximum Residual Levels (MRLs) of pesticides in fruits and vegetables have been specified in these standards.

India ranks third among top 10 countries in the LEED Green Building rankings. These rankings highlight countries outside of the US that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on non-communicable diseases, 24/07/2015. State/UT wise estimates of prevalence, incidence and death due to cancer, as furnished by ICMR, for last three years are given in Annexure-I to III. Govt. of India launched a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio-vascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) in July, 2010 in 100 Districts in 21 States. From 2013-14, the programme has been brought under the umbrella of National Health Mission (NHM) and expanded to cover more districts in all States & UTs.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on health problems due to contaminated drinking water, 24/07/2015. Intake of Arsenic contaminated drinking water leads to various clinical complications at times causing death. These clinical complications may also arise because of other reasons as well. There are, therefore, obvious difficulties and data on morbidity and mortality due to Arsenic contamination is not maintained Centrally. As per information provided by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, 1800 habitations are affected by contamination due to Arsenic. The details are at Annexure I.

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on suicide by farmers due to burden of loan, 24/07/2015. Government is providing crop loan upto Rs.3.00 lakh at 4% per annum to such farmers who repay their loan as per the repayment schedule fixed by the bank. Farmers are indebted to both institutional and non-institutional sources of credit. However, borrowing from non-institutional sources is the major reason for debt related farmers’ distress which is one of the reported reasons for farmers’ suicide in the country.