Lok Sabha Question No. 2503 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-13
Subject: Literacy Rate of Tribal Women
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: D. Ravikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2503 TO BE ANSWERED ON-13/12/2021

## LITERACY RATE OF TRIBAL WOMEN

## 2503. SHRI RAVIKUMAR D.:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to increase the literacy rate of tribal women;
- (b) the details of the State-wise data of ST literacy in 2020;
- (c) the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of STs in both school education and higher education;
- (d) whether the Government is taking any special efforts to increase the GER; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a):  Ministry  of  Education  was  implementing  the  scheme  of  'Saakshar  Bharat'  in  order  to improve  literacy  rate  with  special  focus  on  women  and  other  disadvantaged  groups,  since October  2009.  The  scheme  was  extended  upto  31.03.2019.  Thereafter,  a  new  Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Adult Education "Padhna Likhna Abhiyaan" is being implemented in rural and urban areas of 33 States/ UTs from the financial year 2020-21, which will include tribal women.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is assisting NGOs/VOs to run projects for strengthening education among ST girls in low literacy districts in the country for enhancing the literacy rate of tribal girls.

(b): As per Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report (July 2019 - June 2020), published by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), literacy rate for Scheduled Tribes in India is 70.6%. However, State-wise details of literacy rates are not available in PLFS report. The State-wise literacy rate for total and literacy rate for female population in respect of Scheduled Tribes as per Census 2011 is given at Annexure .

- (c): The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of Scheduled Tribe Students in school education and higher education is as given below:

| Level/Year   |   Primary (I-V) 6-10 years |   Upper Primary (VI-VIII) 11-13 years |   Secondary (IX-X) 14-15 years |   Higher Education 18-23 years |
|--------------|----------------------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 2019-20      |                     107.11 |                                 93.48 |                          76.72 |                             18 |

## Source:

For  School  Education:  Unified  District  Information  System  for  Education  Plus  (UDISE+), Ministry of Education

For Higher Education: All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) Report

(d) & (e): The schemes being implemented by Ministry of Tribal Affairs to promote education including increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) among STs of the country are as under:

-  Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs)
-  Grant-in-aid to Voluntary Organizations working for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes
-  Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class IX and X)
-  Post-Matric Scholarship for ST students (Class XI onwards)
-  National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education for ST students.
-  National Overseas Scholarship for ST students

Further, funds are provided by the Ministry inter-alia for activities related to education sector like  addition  to  existing  building  infrastructure,  construction  of  coed-residential  schools, construction of Girls and Boys Hostels, construction of Ashram schools, vocational training centres in residential schools; IT based education facilities / equipment etc. under the Scheme of 'Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Scheme (SCA to TSS) and 'Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India'.

The schemes/programmes being implemented by other Ministries / Departments in this regard include the following:

-  Samagra Shiksha
-  National Programme of Mid Day Meal in Schools
-  Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs)
-  National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme
-  Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)
-  Scholarship for College and University students

## Statement referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2503 for 13.12.2021 by SHRI RAVIKUMAR D regarding 'Literacy Rate of Tribal Women'

## Literacy Rate of ST Population: Census 2011

| Sl. No   |                     | Literacy Rates   | Literacy Rates   |
|----------|---------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Sl. No   | State / UT          | Total            | Female           |
|          | INDIA               | 59               | 49.4             |
| 1        | Jammu &Kashmir      | 50.6             | 39.7             |
| 2        | Himachal Pradesh    | 73.6             | 64.2             |
| 3        | Uttarakhand         | 73.9             | 63.9             |
| 4        | Rajasthan           | 52.8             | 37.3             |
| 5        | Uttar Pradesh       | 55.7             | 43.7             |
| 6        | Bihar               | 51.1             | 40.4             |
| 7        | Sikkim              | 79.7             | 74.3             |
| 8        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 64.6             | 58               |
| 9        | Nagaland            | 80               | 76.9             |
| 10       | Manipur             | 72.6             | 67.8             |
| 11       | Mizoram             | 91.5             | 89.5             |
| 12       | Tripura             | 79.1             | 71.6             |
| 13       | Meghalaya           | 74.5             | 73.5             |
| 14       | Assam               | 72.1             | 65.1             |
| 15       | West Bengal         | 57.9             | 47.7             |
| 16       | Jharkhand           | 57.1             | 46.2             |
| 17       | Odisha              | 52.2             | 41.2             |
| 18       | Chhattisgarh        | 59.1             | 48.8             |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh      | 50.6             | 41.5             |
| 20       | Gujarat             | 62.5             | 53.2             |
| 21       | Daman &Diu          | 78.8             | 71.2             |
| 22       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 61.9             | 50.3             |
| 23       | Maharashtra         | 65.7             | 57               |
| 24       | Telangana           | 49.5             | 39.4             |
| 25       | Andhra Pradesh      | 48.8             | 40.9             |
| 26       | Karnataka           | 62.1             | 53               |
| 27       | Goa                 | 79.1             | 71.5             |
| 28       | Lakshadweep         | 91.7             | 87.8             |
| 29       | Kerala              | 75.8             | 71.1             |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu          | 54.3             | 46.8             |
| 31       | A &NIslands         | 75.6             | 69.9             |

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