Lok Sabha Question No. 1248 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-11
Subject: Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: ASADUDDIN OWAISI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1248 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2019

## EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT

## 1248.SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

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

- (a) the date on which the'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' scheme was launched by the Government;
- (b) the main idea behind launching the said scheme;
- (c) whether all the stake holders like Union Government/States educational institutions and general public are part of the scheme;
- (d) if so, whether all the States have shown interest and are participating actively in the scheme;
- (e) if so, the nature and number of activities held so far under the scheme in different States and total fund made available by the Union Government to States, educational institutions in conducting events; and
- (f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government in consultation with all the stakeholders to make the scheme widely acceptable?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (Dr. SATYA PAL SINGH)

(a) to (f) 'The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB)'programme was announced by the Prime Minister on 31 st October, 2015 during the RashtriyaEkta Divas on the occasion of birth anniversary of SardarVallabhbhai Patel to promote engagement amongst the people of State/ UTs in the country so as to enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people of diverse cultures, thereby securing stronger unity & integrity of India. The Government of India had launched the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) Scheme to foster national integration by a co-ordinated mutual engagement process between States, Union Territories,  Central  Ministries,  Educational  Institutions  and  general  public  through  linguistic,  literary, cultural, sports, tourism and other forms of people-to-people exchanges.

Nodal officers have been appointed in each participating Ministry/Department of Government of India as well as the States and Union Territories. States have responded keenly to the EBSB scheme. The  States/Union  Territories(UTs)  have  been  grouped  into  16  pairs  and  have  signed  MoUs  with  their paired  States/  UTs  and  have  been  conducting  various  events  in  the  educational,  cultural,  geographical, social,  tourism,  sports,  youth-related  gamut  of  activities  in  an  exchange  mode.  They  also  share  best practices, encompassing a wide range of subjects under the programme with an integrative content relating to their paired States/UTs. Various States/UTs have organized more than a hundred Cultural and Literal Exchange  programmes  involving  people  and  artistes  of  the  paired  States,  organized  a  large  number  of Food  Festivals,  programmes  such  as  National  Integration  Day,  Run  for  Unity,  Hornbill  Festival,  Kabir Festival, Gir Monsoon Festival, BastarMahotsav, Tawang Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival, Bathkamma festival and several joint celebrations of the festivals of their paired States.  The joint activities by States and UTs have witnessed the participation of more than 3 lakh persons across the country.

The Department of Higher Education, through NFDC, got a video clip prepared where noted sand artist Padma Sri SudarsanPattnaik created the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat theme through his sand art. More  than  200  Higher  Educational  Institutions,  above  250  schools  under  CBSE,  more  than  100 JawaharNavodayaVidyalayas and 40 plus Sainik schools and schools under KendriyaVidyalayaSangathan have  organized  more  than  1000  or  more  programmes  under  EBSB  where  more  than  2  lakh  children participated. An important feature of the programme has been that students have been learning to speak the languages  of  their  paired  States  in  an  interested  manner,  which  promoted  much  mutual  understanding. Numerous students exchanges have taken place between States of diverse cultures like J&K, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh where groups of studentsmingled and learnt the language, folk arts, music and culinary aspects of the paired States.

Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy  has  initiated  BhashaSangam,  a  celebration  of Linguistic Diversity which marks the appreciation of the unique symphony of languages of our country from  20 th November  to  21 st December,  2018.    Ministry  of  Tourism  has  organized  Bharat  Parv  and ParyatanParv involving the various State Governments. Other Ministries like Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Railways have also  been  conducting  a  large  number  of  programmes.  Ministry  of  I&B  has  been  telecasting  translated versions of films of one State in their paired States and also translation of several literary works. Details of the activities are available at www.ekbharat.gov.in. No separate budget allocation has been made for the Scheme. States/ UTs as well as Ministries/Departments concerned expend funds from their own budget.

A Group of Ministers headed by Minister of Human Resource Development periodically reviews the steps  taken  by  the  States/UTs  and  concerned  Ministries/Departments  to  make  the  Scheme  widely acceptable  by  bridging  the  cultural  gap  in  the  country  and  enhancing  interaction  between  people  in different States.