New rules of Railways, it is mandatory to display food prices and menus in trains, Railway Minister gave information in Lok Sabha.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that it is mandatory to display the menu and price list of food items served to passengers in trains. In a written reply, he said that the menu and rates of all food items are available on the IRCTC website for the information of the passengers. Printed menu cards with all the details are made available to the waiters and are given to the passengers on demand.

SMS started to be sent to passengers

He said that the rate list has also been displayed in pantry cars. Apart from this, to make passengers aware about the menu and charges of catering services in Indian Railways, SMS has been started to be sent to passengers with links to the menu and charges.

Report of Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new railway line ready

Responding to another question, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the estimated cost of the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new railway line is Rs 1,31,000 crore, which will provide connectivity to Kargil. The detailed project report of the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line has been prepared. He said the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new line, which partly falls in the Union Territory of Ladakh, has been identified as a strategic line by the Ministry of Defence.

Rs 2.01 crore compensation given in New Delhi station stampede case

Responding to another question, Ashwini Vaishnav said a total compensation of Rs 2.01 crore has been given to 33 families who were killed or injured in the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15.

In this case, an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh has been given to the family of each deceased, Rs 2.50 lakh to the seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh each to the general injured. The stampede took place at the New Delhi Railway Station when a huge crowd of devotees was gathering for the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

Data of triple talaq cases is not kept with the Centre: Government.

The government told the Lok Sabha that no data of cases registered under the anti-triple talaq law is kept at the Centre level as law and order is a state subject. Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju gave this information in a written reply to the question of Lok Sabha member Deepak Adhikari. The member had sought details of the number of cases registered since the passing of the Triple Talaq law in the country.

In response, the minister said that no such data is kept at the central level. Apart from this, police and law and order are state subjects. According to him, settlement in cases of crimes under the 'Muslim Women (Protection of Marriage Rights) Act' is done at the level of state governments.

BSNL, MTNL raised Rs 12,984 crore from asset monetization

Public sector telecom companies BSNL and MTNL have earned a total of Rs 12,984.86 crore from monetization of land, buildings, towers and fiber since 2019.

According to data shared in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, BSNL has earned Rs 2,387.82 crore and MTNL Rs 2,134.61 crore from the monetisation of land and buildings till January 2025. Shekhar said in a written reply that BSNL and MTNL are only monetizing those land and building assets that are not required for their use shortly.

High uranium content in Tummalapalle water due to natural reserves

The government told the Lok Sabha that the presence of uranium in the water at Tummalapalle in Andhra Pradesh is due to natural reserves of the radioactive mineral in the area. In a written reply to a question, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that various agencies like Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, IIT-Chennai, and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre conducted extensive and in-depth hydro-geological investigations to investigate claims of uranium contamination in water in the area. The agencies also probed whether the mining project of Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) played any role in such contamination.

Minorities were given concessional loans of Rs 2,347 crore in three years.

The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) has disbursed concessional loans worth Rs 2,347.15 crore during the last three years, benefiting over 5.50 lakh eligible persons from minority communities.

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju gave this information in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. Rijiju said the NMDFC eligibility criteria for concessional loans states that the individuals should belong to a notified national minority, particularly Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims, Parsis and Sikhs.