Lok Sabha Question No. 44 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-03
Subject: Digital Education Schemes under NEP 2020
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Varun Chaudhry

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 44 ANSWERED ON 03/02/2025 Digital Education Schemes under NEP 2020

## 44 Shri Varun Chaudhry:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken by the Government to ensure 100% digital readiness in schools by 2025 as per New Education Policy (NEP) 2020;

(b) the details of budgetary allocations and utilization under digital education schemes during the last three years; and

(c)  whether  any  audit  has  been  conducted  to  identify  infrastructure  gaps  and  the  timeline  for addressing these deficiencies, particularly in rural areas ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## (Shri Jayant Chaudhary)

(a) to  (c) : The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 outlines a transformative roadmap for India's education system, built on five guiding pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability. These principles aim to create an educational ecosystem where every learner, regardless of socio-economic status or geographical location, has equal opportunities to receive high-quality and inclusive education. Aligned with these foundational goals, the PM eVidya initiative emerges as a cornerstone program designed to bridge educational gaps and promote equitable access. By unifying digital, online, and onair  educational  resources,  PM  eVidya  ensures  quality  learning  opportunities  for  over  25 crore school-going children across the country. Through its inclusive and learner-centered approach, the initiative serves as a powerful instrument for achieving the vision of NEP 2020.

PM eVidya adopts a multi-modal approach that caters to diverse learning styles and meets the varied  educational  needs  of  students,  in  line  with NEP 2020's  vision  of  a  learner-centric educational  framework  (para  24.4, NEP 2020).  The  uniqueness  of  PM  eVidya  lies  in  its comprehensive and inclusive accessibility, offering education through internet, radio, community radio, podcasts, and TV to ensure that no learner is left behind. DIKSHA (One Nation  -  One Digital Platform)  serves  as  a  centralized digital repository,  offering  a  wide range of educational resources aligned with the curriculum. The program also leverages 200

DTH TV Channels , dedicated to grade-specific learning, making educational content widely accessible  via  satellite  TV. SWAYAM  MOOCs offers  Massive  Open  Online  Courses, enabling deeper academic engagement and expanding learning opportunities for students. To support  inclusivity,  PM  eVidya  provides e-content  for  Divyang students  in  formats  like DAISY  for  visually  impaired  learners  and  Indian  Sign  Language  for  hearing-impaired students. Community  Radio  and  Podcasts play  a  vital  role  by  delivering  audio-based educational content, particularly targeting rural and remote areas, ensuring access to learning without the need for the internet.

The  National  Institute  of  Open  Schooling  (NIOS)  also  integrates  digital  learning  into  its curriculum by offering courses such as, Data Entry Operations at the Secondary level, and Computer  Science  at  the  Senior  Secondary  level  to  enhance  digital  competencies.  It  has developed Energized Self Learning Materials (SLMs) that incorporate multimedia resources via QR codes in both printed and digital  formats,  ensuring accessibility and engagement. NIOS  has  also  adopted  digital  certification  through  DigiLocker  for  secure  and  verifiable credentialing. It's Digital Education and E­Resources Platform (DEEP) provides open access to a diverse range of educational materials, including e­ journals, e-books, and reference materials in multiple languages, supporting learners across socio-economic backgrounds.

The  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy,  Ministry  of  Education  is  implementing Samagra Shiksha from 2018-19 across the entire country. The scheme has been aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. It aims to ensure that all children  have  access  to  quality  education  with  an  equitable  and  inclusive  classroom environment  which  should  take  care  of  their  diverse  background,  multilingual  needs, different  academic  abilities  and  make  them  active  participants  in  a  continuous  learning process.  Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  States/UTs  are  supported  for  strengthening  of  school infrastructure.

ICT and Digital  Initiatives  component  of  Samagra  Shiksha  covers  Government  and  Aided Schools having classes VI to XII. Under this component financial assistance is provided for establishing  ICT Lab and Smart Classrooms in schools. The non- recurring/recurring grant under  'ICT  and  Digital  Initiatives'  is  available  to  the  States  and  UTs  for  following  two options:

Option I: Under this option schools which have not availed the ICT facility earlier can either opt for  ICT  or  smart  classrooms  as  per  their  requirement  and  need.  In  case  of  more  than  700 enrolment, an additional ICT lab can also be considered. States/UTs have flexibility to procure hardware  such  as  tablets/  laptops/notebooks/  integrated  teaching  learning  devices  and  opensource  operating  system  as  well  as  Hardware,  Software,  training  and  resource  support.  This would include support for digital boards, smart classrooms, virtual classrooms and DTH channels on pro-rata basis for number of schools approved.

Option II : Under this option schools which have already availed the ICT facility earlier can avail smart classrooms/tablets as per the norms of the scheme.

Financial provisions:

-  ICT Lab: a non-recurring grant of up to Rs. 6.40 lakh per school and recurring grant of upto Rs. 2.40 lakh per school per annum for a period of 5 years.

From  2023-24,  the  scheme  also  offers  step-wise  funding  based  on  school  enrolment. (Strength  <  100 :  Rs.  2.5  Lakhs,  Strength  between  100  -  250  :  Rs.  4.5  Lakhs,  Strength between 250 - 700 : Rs. 6.4 Lakhs)

-  Smart  Classrooms: The  non-recurring  grant  for  Smart  Class  rooms  (2  smart classrooms per school) is of Rs. 2.40 lakh and the recurring grant is Rs. 38,000/- (including econtent and Digital Resources, Charges for Electricity.

The details of funds allocated and utilized (including the amount released in previous years) under ICT and Smart Classroom component during last 3 years is as follows:

| Year    | ICT Labs (Rs. in Lakh)   | ICT Labs (Rs. in Lakh)   | Smart Classrooms (Rs. in Lakh)   | Smart Classrooms (Rs. in Lakh)   |
|---------|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Year    | Allocation               | Utilization              | Allocation                       | Utilization                      |
| 2021-22 | 68456.0                  | 26768.8                  | 91092.7                          | 15852.07                         |
| 2022-23 | 41824.0                  | 71209.7                  | 73823.2                          | 66276.64                         |
| 2023-24 | 55904.4                  | 78672.6                  | 53729.7                          | 36947.14                         |

## The details of funds allocated to NCERT by MoE and utilized under Digital Education component during last 3 years is as follows:

| Year    | PAB projects funded by DoSEL, MoE through NCERT (Rs. in Lakh)   | PAB projects funded by DoSEL, MoE through NCERT (Rs. in Lakh)   |
|---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|         | Allocation                                                      | Utilization                                                     |
| 2021-22 | 12390.0                                                         | 7985.0                                                          |
| 2022-23 | 51093.0                                                         | 29680.0                                                         |
| 2023-24 | 36605.0                                                         | 36605.0                                                         |

The audit of Samagra Shiksha is an ongoing process. The Department of School Education and literacy has developed a robust MIS portal i.e., PRABANDH for tracking, monitoring of both physical and financial progress and audit of the various components of Samagra Shiksha including Smart Class rooms of the States/UTs in rural and urban areas.

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