Lok Sabha Question No. 4723 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-22
Subject: Education in Tribal Areas
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Uday Pratap Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†4723

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2019

## EDUCATION IN TRIBAL AREAS

## †4723. SHRI UDAY PRATAP SINGH:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government have considered or proposes to consider the factors augmenting and interrupting the dissemination of education in the tribal areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the provision made to strengthen education as well as employment oriented education in the Scheduled Tribes (STs) dominated districts having low literacy rate;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the literacy rate/ percentage of STs in the country, State/ UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SMT. RENUKA SINGH SARUTA)

(a)& (b): Government  is  committed  to  provide  quality  education  to  all  citizens,  including tribal  people.  A large number of steps have been taken in this regard. Factors which hinder the pace  of  dissemination  of  education  among  STs  are  remoteness  of  their  location,  scattered habitations,  geographic  terrain,  language  barrier,  availability  of  trained  teachers  knowing  local dialects etc.

(c) &(d) Government  has  been  implementing  a  number  of  interventions  to  strengthen education including employment oriented education in the country :

- (i) Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) are set up with capacity of 480 students per school  to  provide  quality  middle,  Secondary  and  higher  secondary  education  to  ST students.
- (ii) Support is given to voluntary organisations running schools for ST students in areas where such facilities are not available.
- (iii) Funds are provided under Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS) and Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution are given to State Governments interalia for various educational initiatives including skill development and vocational training of tribal people.
- (iv) Language primers are developed for tribal children to bridge the language barrier.
- (v) Toilets for students especially girl students are funded.
- (vi) The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) provides free and compulsory elementary education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years including ST children.
- (vii) Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) scheme provides for residential schools for girls at upper primary level; seats reserved for minority, SC, ST and OBC girls.
- (viii) Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship, National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students and Scholarship for Studies Abroad are given to ST students by Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- (ix) 'Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan' of Ministry of Human Resource Development, is an integrated scheme  of  school  education  wherein  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  States/Union Territories for setting up residential schools / hostels. The scheme reaches out to girls and children belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), minority communities and transgender.
- (x) Navodaya Vidyalayas are residential schools that impart good quality modern education to rural  talented  children  irrespective  of  their  socio-economic  background  including  ST children.
- (xi) University Grants Commission (UGC) contributes towards employment oriented education among STs by the way of coaching schemes in Universities and Colleges such as coaching for NET / SET, coaching classes for entry in services and remedial coaching schemes.
- (xii) Scope  of  education  for  all  children  including  tribal  children  is  constantly  reviewed  and expanded  to  include  sports,  physical  education,  work  education,  vocational  education, Tribal Art, crafts etc. to make the school education useful, relevant and interesting for the children and tribal communities.

The details of the funds released to the State Governments / implementing agencies under various schemes  of  the  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  and  Scheduled  Tribe  Component(STC)  funds  of Department of Higher Education and Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development is at Annexure- 1 .

- (e) The State-wise literacy rate of STs in the country is at Annexure - 2.

*****

Annexure - 1 referred to in reply to part (c) & (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. †4723 for answer on 22.7.2019.

(Rs. in lakh)

| S.No.   | Name of Scheme                                                                                            |   2016-17 |   2017-18 | 2018-19   |
|---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1.      | Grants under Article 275(1) and Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS)              | 125386    | 159329    | 141135.80 |
| 2.      | Post Matric Scholarship for ST students                                                                   | 155567    | 146387    | 164698.00 |
| 3.      | Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students                                                                    |   8416.64 |  29408    | 31150.00  |
| 4.      | National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST Students                                   |   8000    |   9973    | 9998.00   |
| 5.      | National Overseas scholarship (NOS) for ST students                                                       |     39    |    100    | 200.00    |
| 6.      | Vocational Training in Tribal Areas funded through Voluntary Organizations working for the welfare of STs |    148.68 |    446.66 | 217.62    |
| 7.      | Scheme of Strengthening Education among ST Girls in Low Literacy                                          |   6544.88 |   4628.76 | 2265.18   |
| 8.      | Scheme for Construction of Hostels for ST Girls and Boys                                                  |   2000    |    700    | -         |
| 9.      | Scheme of Ashram Schools                                                                                  |      0    |    700    | -         |
| Total   | Total                                                                                                     | 306102    | 351672    | 349664.6  |

Ministry of Human Resource & Development has made the following expenditure under the ST Component during the last 3 years:

( Rs. in crore )

| Department / Ministry                    |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |
|------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Department of Higher Education           |   1231.12 |   1379.6  |   1251.48 |
| Department of School Education &Literacy |   4343.98 |   4901.86 |   4924.65 |
| Total:                                   |   5576.03 |   6281.46 |   6176.13 |

Annexure - 2 referred to in reply to part (e) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. †4723 for answer on 22.7.2019.

| Sl. No.   | State / UT          |   Literacy Rate |
|-----------|---------------------|-----------------|
|           | INDIA               |            59   |
| 1         | Jammu &Kashmir      |            50.6 |
| 2         | Himachal Pradesh    |            73.6 |
| 3         | Uttarakhand         |            73.9 |
| 4         | Rajasthan           |            52.8 |
| 5         | Uttar Pradesh       |            55.7 |
| 6         | Bihar               |            51.1 |
| 7         | Sikkim              |            79.7 |
| 8         | Arunachal Pradesh   |            64.6 |
| 9         | Nagaland            |            80   |
| 10        | Manipur             |            72.6 |
| 11        | Mizoram             |            91.5 |
| 12        | Tripura             |            79.1 |
| 13        | Meghalaya           |            74.5 |
| 14        | Assam               |            72.1 |
| 15        | West Bengal         |            57.9 |
| 16        | Jharkhand           |            57.1 |
| 17        | Odisha              |            52.2 |
| 18        | Chhattisgarh        |            59.1 |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh      |            50.6 |
| 20        | Gujarat             |            62.5 |
| 21        | Daman &Diu          |            78.8 |
| 22        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli |            61.9 |
| 23        | Maharashtra         |            65.7 |
| 24        | Telangana           |            49.5 |
| 25        | Andhra Pradesh      |            48.8 |
| 26        | Karnataka           |            62.1 |
| 27        | Goa                 |            79.1 |
| 28        | Lakshadweep         |            91.7 |
| 29        | Kerala              |            75.8 |
| 30        | Tamil Nadu          |            54.3 |
| 31        | A &NIslands         |            75.6 |