Lok Sabha Question No. 1224 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-24
Subject: Educationally Backward States
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: K. KAMARAAJ

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1224 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2017

## Educationally Backward States

## 1224. DR. K. KAMARAJ:

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

- (a) whether the Government has identified educationally backward States and districts in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  develop  the  educationally  backward  States  and districts by setting up model schools and colleges; and
- (d) if so the details thereof along with the allocation made and expenditure incurred during the Thirteenth Five Year Plan, State-wise?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) & (b): Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development  has  not  classified  any  state  as educationally Backward State in the country. However, in order to focus on the areas where the literacy levels are low, under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme (SSA) the Department of School Education & Literacy (SE&L) has identified Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs). Initially 3073 EBBs were identified on the basis of the twin criteria of Female Literacy Rate being below the national average of 46.13% and Gender Gap in Literacy being above the national average of 21.59%. Both these criteria had been earmarked by the Registrar General of India (RGI).

A  further  406  more  blocks  were  included,  out  of  which  404  blocks  had  rural  Female Literacy Rate of less than 45% irrespective of the Gender Gap. In addition, one Block from West Bengal with Scheduled Casterural Female Literacy Rate of 19.81% and one block in Orissa with Scheduled  Tribe  rural  Female  Literacy  Rate  of  9.47%  were  also  included,  taking  the  total number of EBBs to 3479 in the country.

(c) & (d): Under  Rashtriya  Madhyamik  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RMSA),  the  Model  School Scheme has been delinked from Central Support with w.e.f. 01.04.2015.

374  Districts  in  the  country  have  been  identified  as  Educationally  Backward  Districts (EBDs) where Cross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education was less than the National average of 12.4% based on 2001 census data.

In the year 2010, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) was launched to set up one Model Degree  College  (MCD)  in  each  of  the  identified  374  EBDs  to  increase  access  to  Higher Education. In 2013, this scheme was subsumed under the CSS of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) which is aimed at improving access and equity in Higher Education, especially in  unserved  and  underserved  areas  by  setting  up  quality  Higher  Educational  institutions  and upgrading  existing  ones.  Under  RUSA,  after  appraisal  of  proposals  received  from  State Governments, the Project Approval Board (PAB) of RUSA has approved central assistance to 72 MDCs. Following is the State-wise status of allocation and releases upto 31 st March, 2017.

|   S. No. | State            |   Total Approval 12th Plan (In Rs Crore) |   Central Share Approved (Rs Crore) |   Total Central Funds Released |
|----------|------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh   |                                   69.32  |                             41.592  |                       23.42    |
|        2 | A&N Islands      |                                   12     |                             12      |                        5.85    |
|        3 | Bihar            |                                   84     |                             50.4    |                        0       |
|        4 | Chhattisgarh     |                                   60     |                             36      |                        0       |
|        5 | Himachal Pradesh |                                   24     |                             21.6    |                        5.4     |
|        6 | Madhya Pradesh   |                                   60     |                             36      |                        7.2     |
|        7 | Nagaland         |                                   12     |                             10.8    |                        6.075   |
|        8 | Odisha           |                                   96     |                             57.6    |                       31.2     |
|        9 | Punjab           |                                   24     |                             14.4    |                       10.8     |
|       10 | Telangana        |                                   48     |                             28.8    |                       19.74    |
|       11 | Tripura          |                                   45.399 |                             40.8591 |                       19.249   |
|       12 | Uttar Pradesh    |                                  312     |                            187.2    |                      140.4     |
|       13 | Uttarakhand      |                                   10.29  |                              9.261  |                        5.15955 |

Details of expenditure incurred are not being maintained centrally. The information on the MDCs under RUSA in the Educationally Backward District for the year 2017-22 (Thirteenth Five Year Plan) is Nil.

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