Lok Sabha Question No. 2112 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-09
Subject: Identified Educationally Backward Districts
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri P V Midhun Reddy, Shri Eswarasamy K

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2112 ANSWERED ON 09.12.2024

## Identified Educationally Backward Districts

## 2112.   Shri Eswarasamy K:

Shri P V Midhun Reddy:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number and names of districts categorized as educationally backward across the country during the last five years;
- (b) the percentage of SC and ST population in these districts as per the latest census or survey;
- (c) whether the Government has identified educationally backward districts  in  Tamil  Nadu, especially in SC/ST dominated areas of the State, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the  details  of  schemes/initiatives  introduced  by  the  Government  to  improve  educational outcomes in these districts like special funding, scholarships programs and infrastructure development etc. during the last five years and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the time by which the targets are achieved?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHOUDHARY)

- (a) to (c): The Department of School Education and Literacy is premised on universal access to  schooling  for  all  from  pre-primary  to  Class  XII  through  the  Integrated  Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education namely Samagra Shiksha launched with effect from the year 2018-19. Samagra Shiksha scheme is aligned with the recommendations of NEP 2020 and ensures that all children have access to quality education within an equitable and  inclusive  classroom  environment  which  takes  care  of  their  diverse  background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning process.

This Department had identified Educationally Backward Blocks (EBB) in States/UTs, where the  female  rural  literacy  rate  was  below  the  national  average,  under  the  erstwhile  Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) were sanctioned in EBB

as residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL).

However,  with  the  launch  of  the  Aspirational  Districts  Programme  by  NITI  Aayog  in January 2018 to improve the social outcomes of the backward districts, the programs of the government are now aligned to fill in the infrastructure and learning gaps in the Aspirational Districts of the country. There are 112 Aspirational Districts, across 26 States and 1 Union Territory, and the State-wise list of aspirational districts, including Tamil Nadu, is given in Annexure - I. The information on Basic Population Figures including SC & ST population in all Districts of India is available as per Census 2011 on website www.censusindia.gov.in at the following link:

https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/42557/download/46183/2011IndiaStateDist-0000.xlsx

- (d) & (e): The  Government  through  the  Samagra  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (SSA)  which  is  being implemented as an integrated scheme for school education sector from 01 st April 2021 to 31 st March, 2026 supports States and UTs in strengthening their existing government and govt aided schools, creation and augmentation of infrastructure facilities based on the gaps determined  from  Unified  District  Information  System  for  Education  (UDISE+)  and proposals received from respective State/ Union Territory. The need for schools and also the  infrastructural  facilities  in  schools  are  worked  out  every  year  by  the  respective State/Union  Territory  on  incremental  basis  depending  on  their  need  and  priority  and reflected in their Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B). These plans are then appraised and approved/estimated by the Project Approval Board (PAB) in the Department of School Education & Literacy in consultation with the States and Union Territories. Further, special focus for SC/ST/EBBs is provided through the following schemes under SSA:
- i. Kasturba  Gandhi  Balika  Vidyalayas  (KGBVs): Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  there  is  a provision of KGBVs which are residential schools from Class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). The  KGBVs  are  set  up  in  Educationally  Backward  Blocks.  The  objective  behind establishing KGBVs is to ensure access and quality education to girls from disadvantaged groups by setting up residential schools and to reduce gender gaps at all levels of school education.  About 1.93 lakh SC, 1.83 lakh ST, 46,858 BPL, 2.59 lakh OBC and 28,761 Muslims are currently enrolled in 5133 KGBVs nationwide. In Tamil Nadu, 2679 SC, 1960 ST, 4846 OBC, 234 BPL & 22 Muslims are currently enrolled in 105 KGBVs.
- ii. Netaji  Subhash  Chandra  Bose  Awasiya  Vidyalayas  (NSCBAVs)Samagra  Shiksha supports the provision of residential facilities under the intervention entitled NSCBAVs, with the primary purpose of reaching out to girls, urban deprived and other disadvantaged children and creating equitable access to school education in remote, sparsely populated and difficult to reach areas, hilly terrains, areas affected by LWE, large uninhabited areas with  natural  barriers  like  forests,  waterways,  rivers,  etc.  At  present,  there  are  1182 residential schools/hostels sanctioned under Samagra Shiksha.
- iii. Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PMJANMAN) which aims to saturate Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to  education,  health  and  nutrition,  road  and  telecom  connectivity,  electrification  of unelectrified  households  and  sustainable  livelihood  opportunities  in  a  mission  mode. Ministry  of  Education  is  one  of  the  participating  Ministries  in  the  Abhiyan  and  PMJANMAN is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme. During 2024-25, an amount of Rs. 476.16 crores have been approved for 194 hostels including 8 hostels in Tamil Nadu.
- iv. RTE Entitlement - Provision of Free Uniform: Samagra Shiksha provides support for two sets of uniform to all girls, SC, ST children and Below Poverty Line (BPL) children at an average  cost  of  Rs.    600/-  per  child  per  annum,  wherever  State  Governments  have incorporated the provision of school uniforms as a child entitlement in their State RTE Rules.

National Means cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme: The Central Sector Scheme 'National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme' is being implemented, with the objective to award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue their education at secondary stage. One lakh  fresh  scholarships  are  awarded  to  selected  students  of  class  IX  every  year  and their continuation  /  renewal  in  classes  X  to  XII  for  study  in  State  Government, Government-aided and Local body schools under the scheme. The amount of scholarship is Rs. 12000/- per annum. The amount sanctioned and number of beneficiaries for Tamil Nadu during the last five year is annexed as Annexure-II .

Pradhan  Mantri  Anusuchit  Jaati  Abhyuday  Yojana  (PM-AJAY): It  is  a  Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment since 2021-22,  which  consist  of  three  components  namely  Adarsh  Gram,  Grant-In-Aid  and

Hostel. One of its components namely 'Hostel' aims at providing central assistance for construction of new Hostel buildings for Scheduled Castes (SC) Students (separately for Boys and Girls). The hostels are taken up for construction based on the proposals received from respective State Governments/Central Universities. Since 2021-22, a total number of 46 hostels have been sanctioned for 5185 beneficiaries and an amount of Rs. 126.30 Crore has been released under the Hostel Component.

Besides, the Government of India is also implementing schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Schools  for  Rising  India  (PM  SHRI),  PM  POSHAN  (Pradhan  Mantri  Poshan  Shakti Nirman),  ULLAS-  the  New  India Literacy Program to provide adequate school infrastructure  (including  digital),  teaching  learning  material,  teacher  support,  nutrition, scholarship for EWS so as to improve the learning outcomes of all students in all States and UTs, with special focus on aspirational districts.

Above schemes and measures have helped to increase the enrolment of students, from all categories, in schools. Enrolment (Pre-Primary to Higher Secondary) of students from SC has increased from 4.39 crore in 2018-19 to 4.97 crore in 2021-22 and enrolment of ST students has increased from 2.33 crore in 2018-19 to 2.60 crore in 2021-22.

******

Annexure I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2112 ANSWERED ON 09.12.2024 ASKED BY SHRI ESWARASAMY K AND SHRI P V MIDHUN REDDY, HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING IDENTIFIED EDUCATIONALLY  BACKWARD DISTRICTS.

List of 112 Aspirational Districts

|   S. No. | State             | District             |
|----------|-------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh    | Alluri Sitharamaraju |
|        2 | Andhra Pradesh    | Parvathipuram Manyam |
|        3 | Andhra Pradesh    | Y.S.R.               |
|        4 | Arunachal Pradesh | Namsai               |
|        5 | Assam             | Goalpara             |
|        6 | Assam             | Barpeta              |
|        7 | Assam             | Hailakandi           |
|        8 | Assam             | Baksa                |
|        9 | Assam             | Darrang              |
|       10 | Assam             | Udalguri             |
|       11 | Assam             | Dhubri               |
|       12 | Bihar             | Sitamarhi            |
|       13 | Bihar             | Araria               |
|       14 | Bihar             | Purnia               |
|       15 | Bihar             | Katihar              |
|       16 | Bihar             | Muzaffarpur          |
|       17 | Bihar             | Begusarai            |
|       18 | Bihar             | Khagaria             |
|       19 | Bihar             | Banka                |
|       20 | Bihar             | Sheikhpura           |
|       21 | Bihar             | Aurangabad           |
|       22 | Bihar             | Gaya                 |
|       23 | Bihar             | Nawada               |
|       24 | Bihar             | Jamui                |
|       25 | Chhattisgarh      | Korba                |
|       26 | Chhattisgarh      | Rajnandgaon          |
|       27 | Chhattisgarh      | Mahasamund           |
|       28 | Chhattisgarh      | Kanker               |
|       29 | Chhattisgarh      | Narayanpur           |
|       30 | Chhattisgarh      | Dantewada            |
|       31 | Chhattisgarh      | Bijapur              |
|       32 | Chhattisgarh      | Bastar               |
|       33 | Chhattisgarh      | Kondagaon            |

|   S. No. | State                | District            |
|----------|----------------------|---------------------|
|       34 | Chhattisgarh         | Sukma               |
|       35 | Gujarat              | Dahod               |
|       36 | Gujarat              | Narmada             |
|       37 | Haryana              | Mewat               |
|       38 | Himachal Pradesh     | Chamba              |
|       39 | UT of Jammu &Kashmir | Kupwara             |
|       40 | UT of Jammu &Kashmir | Baramulla           |
|       41 | Jharkhand            | Garhwa              |
|       42 | Jharkhand            | Chatra              |
|       43 | Jharkhand            | Giridih             |
|       44 | Jharkhand            | Godda               |
|       45 | Jharkhand            | Sahibganj           |
|       46 | Jharkhand            | Pakur               |
|       47 | Jharkhand            | Bokaro              |
|       48 | Jharkhand            | Lohardaga           |
|       49 | Jharkhand            | Purbi Singhbhum     |
|       50 | Jharkhand            | Palamu              |
|       51 | Jharkhand            | Latehar             |
|       52 | Jharkhand            | Hazaribagh          |
|       53 | Jharkhand            | Ramgarh             |
|       54 | Jharkhand            | Dumka               |
|       55 | Jharkhand            | Ranchi              |
|       56 | Jharkhand            | Khunti              |
|       57 | Jharkhand            | Gumla               |
|       58 | Jharkhand            | Simdega             |
|       59 | Jharkhand            | Pashchimi Singhbhum |
|       60 | Karnataka            | Raichur             |
|       61 | Karnataka            | Yadgir              |
|       62 | Kerala               | Wayanad             |
|       63 | Madhya Pradesh       | Chhatarpur          |
|       64 | Madhya Pradesh       | Damoh               |
|       65 | Madhya Pradesh       | Barwani             |
|       66 | Madhya Pradesh       | Rajgarh             |
|       67 | Madhya Pradesh       | Vidisha             |
|       68 | Madhya Pradesh       | Guna                |
|       69 | Madhya Pradesh       | Singrauli           |
|       70 | Madhya Pradesh       | Khandwa             |
|       71 | Maharashtra          | Nandurbar           |
|       72 | Maharashtra          | Washim              |
|       73 | Maharashtra          | Gadchiroli          |
|       74 | Maharashtra          | Osmanabad           |
|       75 | Manipur              | Chandel             |

|   S. No. | State         | District             |
|----------|---------------|----------------------|
|       76 | Meghalaya     | Ribhoi               |
|       77 | Mizoram       | Mamit                |
|       78 | Nagaland      | Kiphire              |
|       79 | Odisha        | Dhenkanal            |
|       80 | Odisha        | Gajapati             |
|       81 | Odisha        | Kandhamal            |
|       82 | Odisha        | Balangir             |
|       83 | Odisha        | Kalahandi            |
|       84 | Odisha        | Rayagada             |
|       85 | Odisha        | Koraput              |
|       86 | Odisha        | Malkangiri           |
|       87 | Odisha        | Nabarangpur          |
|       88 | Odisha        | Nuapada              |
|       89 | Punjab        | Moga                 |
|       90 | Punjab        | Firozpur             |
|       91 | Rajasthan     | Dholpur              |
|       92 | Rajasthan     | Karauli              |
|       93 | Rajasthan     | Jaisalmer            |
|       94 | Rajasthan     | Sirohi               |
|       95 | Rajasthan     | Baran                |
|       96 | Sikkim        | Soreng               |
|       97 | Tamil Nadu    | Virudhunagar         |
|       98 | Tamil Nadu    | Ramanathapuram       |
|       99 | Telangana     | Asifabad             |
|      100 | Telangana     | Bhoopalapally        |
|      101 | Telangana     | Bhadradri-Kothagudem |
|      102 | Tripura       | Dhalai               |
|      103 | Uttar Pradesh | Chitrakoot           |
|      104 | Uttar Pradesh | Fatehpur             |
|      105 | Uttar Pradesh | Bahraich             |
|      106 | Uttar Pradesh | Shrawasti            |
|      107 | Uttar Pradesh | Balrampur            |
|      108 | Uttar Pradesh | Siddharthnagar       |
|      109 | Uttar Pradesh | Chandauli            |
|      110 | Uttar Pradesh | Sonbhadra            |
|      111 | Uttarakhand   | Udham Singh Nagar    |
|      112 | Uttarakhand   | Haridwar             |

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (D) TO (E) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2112 ANSWERED ON 09.12.2024 ASKED BY SHRI ESWARASAMY K AND SHRI P V MIDHUN REDDY, HON'BLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING IDENTIFIED EDUCATIONALLY  BACKWARD DISTRICTS.

The details of the Number of scholarships released during 2019-20 to 2023-24 of Tamil Nadu State are following:

|   S.No. | Financial Year   |   Number of scholarships |   Amount sanctioned (Rupees in lakh) |
|---------|------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|       1 | 2019-20          |                    44412 |                              5329.44 |
|       2 | 2020-21          |                    26932 |                              3231.84 |
|       3 | 2021-22          |                    22215 |                              2665.8  |
|       4 | 2022-23          |                    22801 |                              2736.12 |
|       5 | 2023-24          |                    23183 |                              2781.96 |

Note: The funds are not released/allocation to States and are released to State Bank of India, New Delhi which disburses the scholarship amount directly into the students' bank accounts.