Parliament diary: 17 died in 29 train accidents in 2024-25

Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that 29 consequential train accidents occurred in 2024-25 due to derailments, collisions, fires and level-crossing errors, resulting in 17 deaths and 81 injuries. He highlighted a significant decline in overall consequential train accidents, from 135 in 2014-15 to 40 in 2023. Between 2004 and 2014, the annual average of such accidents was 1,711, which dropped to 678 annually between 2014 and 2024 — a 60 per cent reduction.

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Cancer cases rising

The estimated incidence of cancer in India has steadily increased, from 14,26,447 cases in 2021 to 14,61,427 in 2022 and 14,96,972 in 2023, according to Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar. The ICMR attributes the rise to factors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, poor physical activity, unhealthy diets and the intake of high salt, sugar and saturated fats.

166 seismic observatories in India

The National Centre for Seismology operates a network of 166 permanent seismic observatories across India, including eight in Uttarakhand, Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha. He clarified that no direct link exists between earthquakes and groundwater depletion in Uttarakhand, as earthquakes are primarily influenced by structural heterogeneities and the behaviour of seismogenic faults. However, he acknowledged that micro to moderate earthquakes can sometimes be triggered by fluid or water inducement.

1,421 domestic violence cases in 3 years, none in Punjab

Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur told MP Satnam Singh Sandhu that 1,421 domestic violence cases were registered in India between 2020 and 2022. She noted that the police and public order fall under state jurisdiction, and investigation and prosecution of such cases are handled by state governments. Interestingly, Punjab reported no domestic violence cases during this period, while Haryana reported four and Himachal Pradesh five. Kerala and Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest numbers of domestic violence cases in these three years.

BSNL reports operating profits

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced in the Lok Sabha that Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been generating operating profits since 2020-21, aided by government revival packages and revised business strategies. From June to October 2024, BSNL added 87 lakh new cellular subscribers, equivalent to about 10 per cent of its existing subscriber base. Scindia revealed that employee costs accounted for 39 per cent of BSNL’s revenue in 2023-24 while addressing concerns about the company’s operating expenses surpassing its revenue.

(Compiled by Aditi Tandon)