Lok Sabha Question No. 2854 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-07
Subject: Loan for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Krupal Balaji Tumane, Bhavana Gawali (Patil)

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2854 ANSWERED ON - 07.08.2023

## LOAN FOR SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN

## † 2854. SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE: SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  loan  from  the  Asian  Development  Bank  to  finance  the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in the country;
- (b) if so, the details of amount of loan and the reasons therefor;
- (c) the loan amount raised by the Government from the Asian Development Bank during the last five years;
- (d) whether the Government has stopped implementation of any scheme or has scrapped the budget allocation  meant  to  promote  literacy  and  due  to  which  the  target  of  basic  literacy  has  been seriously hampered due to global pandemic;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (f) the plan of the Government to provide incentives to girls;
- (g) the  reasons  for  the  35  per  cent  shortfall  in  allocation  under  the  Digital  India  e-learning programme; and
- (h) the time limit fixed for setting up Digital University?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (c): The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education has been implementing a Centrally Sponsored Integrated Scheme for School Education, Samagra Shiksha, effective from the year 2018-19. The revamped Samagra Shiksha scheme has been aligned with the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and has been continued for a period of five  years  with  effect  from  01.04.2021  to  31.03.2026.  Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  the  fund  sharing pattern is in the ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State for all States and Union Territories with Legislature  except  for  the  8  North-Eastern  States  viz.  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Assam,  Manipur, Meghalaya,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Sikkim  and  Tripura  and  2  Himalayan  States  viz.  Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and UT of Jammu and Kashmir, where it is 90:10. It is 100% centrally sponsored  for  Union  Territories  without  Legislature.  The  Funds  for  Samagra  Shiksha  are  from Central & State Governments /UTs only as above.

(d) & (e): Ministry of Education has announced a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, 'New India Literacy Programme' (NILP), in alignment with the recommendations of NEP 2020, which aims to cover a target of 5.00 crore non-literate learners in the age group of 15 years and above during the five years (2022-27). The total financial outlay approved for NILP for five years (FYs 2022-23 to 2026-27) is Rs.1037.90 crore.

(f): Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  various  interventions  have  been  targeted  for  providing  quality education to girls, which include opening of schools in the neighbourhood to make access easier for girls,  free  uniform  and  text-books  to  girls  up  to  class  VIII,  additional  teachers  and  residential quarters  for  teachers  in  remote/hilly  areas,  appointment  of  additional  teachers  including  women teachers,  stipend  to  CWSN  girls  from  class  I  to  class  XII  ,  separate  toilets  for  girls,  teachers' sensitization programmes to promote girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials including text books etc. Further, to reduce gender gaps at all levels of school education, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (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), are sanctioned in Educationally Backward Blocks.

In addition, meritorious girls belonging to the Economically Weaker Section can avail the benefit of Scholarship under National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme. The scholarships are awarded  to  meritorious  students,  whose  parental  income  from  all  sources  is  not  more  than  Rs. 3,50,000/- per annum to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue the study at secondary stage.

(g): Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the constitution and majority of schools come under the purview of the State and UT Governments. Under Samagra Shiksha, funds are provided to the States & UTs for setting up ICT labs and Smart Classrooms in schools, as per appraisal of the proposals received from the States/UTs in their Annual Work Plan. The details of the fund approved for  ICT  and  Smart  Classrooms  under  Samagra  Shiksha  for  the  years  2020-21  to  2023-24  are  as under:

(Rs. in crore)

| Particulars      |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |
|------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| ICT              |     704.6 |    1003.8 |     988.2 |    1383.2 |
| Smart Classrooms |     231.8 |     909.6 |     787.4 |     634.2 |

(Source: Prabandh)

(h): The Government of India, in its Budget Announcement 2022-23, has announced establishment of Digital University. It will provide access to students across the country for worldclass  quality  universal  education  with  personalised  learning  experience  at  their  doorsteps.  The salient  feature  of  the  Digital  University  is  a  networked  hub-spoke  model,  with  the  hub  building cutting  edge  ICT  expertise  by  partnering  with  various  top  institutions  such  as  IIT-Madras,  Delhi University, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Kharagpur, etc.

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