Lok Sabha Question No. 5874 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-10
Subject: Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAJESH RANJAN  (PAPPU  YADAV), RANJEET RANJAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5874 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017

## Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

## †5874. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN:

## SHRIMATI RANJEET RANJAN:

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

(a) whether the Ministry along with the Ministries of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj have  agreed  to  integrate  schools  and  colleges  under  Unnat  Bharat  Abhiyan  which  aims  to accelerate development in villages and if so, the details thereof;

- (b) whether Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) Delhi has formulated this scheme and the first phase of scheme is already being implemented in the several districts of the country;
- (c) if  so,  the  details  about  the  methods  for  developing  villages  under  the  Unnat  Bharat Yojana and the time by which the scheme would be implemented in the entire country along with the total fund allocation made for the scheme;
- (d) the details of the roles of all the three ministries in the implementation of the scheme; and
- (e) whether the cooperation of the private sector has also been sought in this regard and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DR. MAHENDRA NATH PANDEY)

- (a) Yes,  Madam.  The  Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development  (MHRD)  along  with  the Ministries of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has agreed to link all Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) with rural development processes under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA). In this  regard,  a  Tripartite  Agreement  between  MHRD,  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  and Ministry  of  Panchayati  Raj  was  also  signed  on  12 th January,  2017  as  an  attempt  to  bring about substantial improvements in the formulation and delivery of developmental schemes in the rural areas. It is envisaged that representatives of Higher Education Institutions interact with local bodies and community in selected village clusters and provide knowledge inputs into the Gram Panchayat Development Plans.
- (b) MHRD, Department of Higher Education has formulated this scheme and first phase is under implementation in several parts of the country. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has been designated as the Coordinating Institute
- (c) The MHRD has advised all the HEIs which are funded by the Central /State Government and all  institutions  approved  by  the  regulatory  bodies,  to  adopt  clusters  of  backward  Gram Panchayats / villages in their vicinity and apply their knowledge and expertise to improve the infrastructure in the Gram Panchayats (GPs). HEIs in the districts are expected to carry out detailed field  study,  participate  in  conceptualising  &  preparation  of  community-level development  plans  along  with  the  Rural  Development  and  Panchayat  Raj  personnel  by providing technical, managerial inputs and by suggesting innovative solutions to the issues faced in the day-to-day lives of the households therein, in the areas of livelihoods, energy security,  environment  and  basic  living  amenities.    The  institutions  have  been  advised  to continue  their  engagement  with  chosen  Panchayats  and  offer  assistance  to  the  Rural Development and Panchayat Raj personnel.  The programme is to be implemented over the next two years, with additional clusters. No time frame can be assigned for coverage of all districts  in  the  country,  at  present.  Funds  (Budget  Estimate)  allocated  to  the  UBA  during 2016-17 is 10 Crore.
- (d) The role of the three Ministries are as follows:

Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development  to  oversee  that  selected  Higher  Educational Institutions (HEIs) adopt (5) panchayats each in consultation with the District Collectors and use  their  knowledge  base  to  find  solutions  for  the  issues  of  basic  amenities  &  livelihood opportunities faced by the rural communities and thereby help in bringing about a qualitative change in the economic change in the economic and living standards of the people. As per the  Tripartite  Agreement,  the  role  of  the  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  is  to  facilitate effective  participation  of  District  Collectors,  DRDAs  and  other  authorities  to  assist  the institutions in preparation of the Gram  Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) and convergence of plan resources wherever possible.  The role of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is to issue instructions to all State Governments and local bodies regarding the involvement of  knowledge  institutions  in  the  GPDP  process  to  operationalise  the  tie  up  between  the organizations in the interest of quality GPDP preparation in the selected clusters.

- (e) Yes,  Madam.  Few  leading  Private  Educational  Institutions  and  deemed  Universities  are involved in the programme.

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