Lok Sabha Question No. 3118 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-31
Subject: Tribal Schools in Forest Areas
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: VISHNU DAYAL RAM, HARI MANJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS) LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3118 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.12.2018

## TRIBAL SCHOOLS IN FOREST AREAS

## †3118. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM: SHRI HARI MANJHI:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the existing infrastructure of schools of tribal areas in the country, State/UT-wise including Jharkhand;
- (b) whether the Government has any proposal/proposes to develop school infrastructure in the tribal areas;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the UT/State-wise details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and released during each of the last three years for the said purpose;
- (d) whether the Forest Department has registered its objection against development/setting up of schools in forest areas; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JASWANTSINH BHABHOR)

(a):  Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) provides support under Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India to  the  State  Governments  for  setting  up  of  Eklavya  Model  Residential  Schools  (EMRSs)  in  tribal  populated  areas including Jharkhand with the capacity of 480 students in each school.  Besides, residential Ashram schools have been set  up  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  'Establishment  of  Ashram  Schools  in  Tribal  Sub  Plan  Areas'.  The objective of these interventions is to provide congenial environment and facilities to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students for their educational development. The setup of EMRS, as per existing Guidelines, envisages to include school building, hostels, staff quarters, provision for a playground, students computer lab, teacher resource room etc. Similarly, for the Ashram Schools, every State is expected to draw up attractive designs for the buildings complex having good ventilation and comfortable living space, compound, kitchen, vegetable garden and plantation (fruits and nutritional trees like moringa, citrus) areas. States are encouraged to use full saving or renewable energy technologies in the school.

(b): The approach of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) has been adopted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) for imparting quality education to ST children. An EMRS has the capacity of accommodating 480 students and is set up under Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India. Besides, residential Ashram schools have been set up under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Establishment of Ashram Schools in Tribal Sub Plan Areas'. As on 26.12.2018, a total of 284 EMRSs and 1205 Ashram Schools have been sanctioned by MoTA across the country. Funds are also provided by MoTA to the State Governments under Scheme 'Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS)' and under 'Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India', as per the demand of the State for the  following  activities  related  to  infrastructural  development  in  schools  in  tribal  areas  after  approval  of  Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) in the Ministry depending upon the availability of funds:

- (i) Addition to existing building infrastructure of Secondary / Sr Secondary School
- (ii) Construction of co-ed residential schools.
- (iii) Construction of Girls and Boys Hostels.
- (iv) Use of solar energy in residential schools and Hostels.
- (v) Vocational training centers in residential school.
- (vi) IT based education facilities / equipment.
- (vii) Any other activity suitable for better educational facilities.

Further, Government has decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons to have an EMRS on par with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas with special facilities for preserving local art and culture besides providing training in sports and skill development.

Details  of  funds  provided  to  the  States  for  overall  educational  development  under  the  Scheme  'Special  Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS)' and under 'Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India' during last three years is at Annexure .

Apart  from  above,  Government  through  Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development  is  implementing  various interventions  which  provides  for  opening  of  new  schools  and  additional  rooms  in  schools.  As  per  Unified  District Information  System  for  Education  (U-DISE),  developed  by  the  National  University  of  Educational  Planning  and Administration (NUEPA), 2015-16, total number of Schools functional in 177 Districts having  50% ST population including 14 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected Districts having ≥25% ST population is as under:

| Primary only                                               |   172643 |
|------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
| Primary with Upper Primary                                 |    54743 |
| Primary with Upper Primary and Secondary and Hr. Secondary |     4673 |
| Upper Primary Only                                         |    27719 |
| Upper Primary with Secondary and Hr. Secondary             |     2043 |
| Primary with Upper Primary and Secondary                   |     8583 |
| Upper Primary with Secondary                               |     6670 |
| Secondary only                                             |     6552 |
| Secondary with Higher Secondary                            |     4861 |
| Higher Secondary only                                      |     1890 |
| All Schools                                                |   290377 |

(d) & (e): Section 3(2)(a) of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 permits diversion of forest land for construction of schools which involve felling of trees not exceeding seventy-five trees per hectare, provided that such diversion requires less than one hectare forest land in each case and that the same is recommended by the Gram Sabha. No such reports regarding Forest Department registering reservation against development / establishment of schools in forest areas has come to the notice of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) & (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3118 for answer on 31.12.2018

Statement showing fund released for Education including Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) under the scheme Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS) and Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India

(Rs. in Lakh)

| S. N.   | State             |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |
|---------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh    |   4680    |   4311.55 |   6591.11 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh |   1970.8  |   2877.81 |   5955.32 |
| 3       | Assam             |   1200    |   3703.08 |      0    |
| 4       | Bihar             |   2800    |   2137.58 |   2144.83 |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh      |   8069.57 |  16830.1  |  22914.8  |
| 6       | Gujarat           |   6388.9  |   7053.26 |   9800.78 |
| 7       | Himachal Pradesh  |     88.2  |    630.2  |   1473.02 |
| 8       | Jammu &Kashmir    |   2900    |   3619.61 |   3283.27 |
| 9       | Jharkhand         |   5965    |  11521.2  |  15338.8  |
| 10      | Karnataka         |   3600    |   4975.72 |   4568.23 |
| 11      | Kerala            |    350    |    823.11 |   1144.02 |
| 12      | Madhya Pradesh    |   8008.88 |  19449.3  |  23208.5  |
| 13      | Maharashtra       |   6882.13 |   9112    |  12007.7  |
| 14      | Manipur           |    550    |   1619.4  |   2248.38 |
| 15      | Meghalaya         |      0    |   1460.3  |   1470.49 |
| 16      | Mizoram           |   2645.45 |    740.74 |   1983.97 |
| 17      | Nagaland          |   2050.34 |   1819.62 |   2647.98 |
| 18      | Odisha            |  13215    |   9939    |  15098.8  |
| 19      | Rajasthan         |   4391.8  |  11992.4  |   7939.47 |
| 20      | Sikkim            |   1210    |   1145    |    601    |
| 21      | Tamil Nadu        |    552.8  |   1216.36 |   1528.8  |
| 22      | Telangana         |   3957    |   1372.73 |   6887.07 |
| 23      | Tripura           |    390.2  |   2347.39 |   2267.1  |
| 24      | Uttar Pradesh     |   1539.69 |    689    |   1394.72 |
| 25      | Uttarakhand       |    398.87 |      0    |   2187.06 |
| 26      | West Bengal       |   3290.9  |   3999.16 |   4643.99 |
| Total   |                   |  87495.5  | 125386    | 159329    |