Lok Sabha Question No. 248 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-05
Subject: Digital Gender Atlas
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: M. I. SHANAVAS

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.248 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2018

## Digital Gender Atlas

## 248.  SHRI M.I. SHANAVAS:

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

- (a)   whether the Government has prepared a Digital Gender Atlas to identify areas/pockets which are poor in girls education and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)   whether  the  Government  was  able  to  identify  such  areas/pockets  in  the  country  including  in  the State of Kerala and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)   the details of the remedial plan proposed to be undertaken in those areas/pockets to promote girls education?

## A N S W E R

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

(a): Yes Madam, Digital Gender Atlas has been developed to identify the low performing geographic pockets  for  girls,  particularly  from  marginalised  groups  such  as  scheduled  castes,  scheduled  tribes  and Muslim minorities, on specific gender related education indicators.

The  Atlas  is  designed  around  the  two  broad  areas  of  performance  of  girls'  education  and vulnerabilities visualized in the following five sections:

1. Comparative  Composite  Index  based  Quartile  Ranking  grouped  under  categories  of  access, infrastructure, teachers and outcome indicators and based on 25 indicators pertaining to primary, upper primary and secondary level which can be visualized at State, district and block level.
2. A Trend Analysis of the performance status of 25 individual indicators can be visualised at State, district and block levels over three years viz 2011-12, 2012-13 & 2013-14.
3. Spatial  Distribution  of  Special  Focus  Districts.  These  are  districts  with  a  population  of  25%  and above  of  people  belonging  to  Schedule  Tribes  (109  districts),  Schedule  Castes  (61  districts), Muslims    (88  districts  with  a  muslim  population  of  more  than  20%),  minority  community  (121 districts  as  identified  by Ministry of Minority Affairs under PM's 15 PPP), Left Wing Extremist affected  districts  (88  districts  identified  by  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs),  Beti  Bachao  Beti  Padhao (BBBP) districts (161 districts) and Educationally Backward Blocks (3479 blocks).
4. Vulnerability status of an area based on a composite index of 3 broad indicators (i) rural female literacy (ii) percentage girls/boys married below the legal age of marriage and (iii) working children

can  be  visualized.  Separate  visualisations  are  given  for  working  children  for  the  following  subindicators:  disaggregation by gender and age for the 5-9 years, 10-14 years and 15-19 years age groups as well as for marriage below the legal age. These maps are available up to the district level.

5. Children with Disabilities: The performance status of six individual indicators can be visualized at state and district level across three years i.e. 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. This Digital Gender Atlas can be accessed at website www.rmsaindia.gov.in  Gender Atlas.

(b): All the states including Kerala have been mapped in the Digital Gender Atlas. The states have been using it as a planning tool to come up with strategies for inputs for the state SSA and RMSA annual plans.

(c): Universal enrolment is the first goal of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a programme for universalisation of elementary education and all efforts are being made to bring all children including girls to school. SSA has provided 2.04 lakh primary and 1.59 upper primary schools for ensuring universal access.  SSA strategies for promotion of girls education include inter-alia, opening of schools in the neighbourhood to make access easier  for  girls,  appointment  of  additional  teachers  including  women  teachers,  free  textbooks,  free uniforms,  separate  toilets  for  girls,  teachers'  sensitization  programmes  to  promote  girls  participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials including textbooks. In addition, the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) have been opened in educationally backward blocks where the female rural literacy rate is below  the national average, to provide residential upper primary schools for girls  from SC/ST/OBC/Muslim and BPL families.

For children living in remote areas, sparsely populated areas, SSA provides for residential schools, hostels, transportation and escort facilities. All States undertake massive awareness generation campaigns and enrolment drives at the beginning of academic years. The focus is on areas with high concentration of Out of School Children.

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), is a programme for universalisation of secondary education  and  has  targeted  interventions  for  girls.  The  RMSA  provides  for  strengthening  of  secondary schools and opening of new schools, additional teachers, residential quarters for teachers in remote/hilly areas, girls  hostels  in  educationally  backward blocks, gender sensitization of teachers and separate toilet blocks for girls, girls activity room in schools etc. The National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) seeks to reduce drop-outs and promote enrolment of girls especially those belonging to  SC/ST  communities, by providing funds for a fixed deposit at class IX level. In addition,  exemption from paying tuition fee in Kendriya Vidyalayas, and 33% reservation for girls in Navodaya Vidyalayas, have also been implemented.

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