Lok Sabha Question No. 4587 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: EMRS in Sonitpur District of Assam
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Ranjit Dutta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-† 4587

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 27/03/2025

## EMRS IN SONITPUR DISTRICT OF ASSAM

## †4587. SHRI RANJIT DUTTA:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to establish a new Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in Sonitpur district of Assam in view of the significant tribal population therein and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is taking any steps to ensure quality education for tribal students in Sonitpur district of Assam; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI. DURGADAS UIKEY)

(a): In Union Budget of 2018-19, Government of India announced that to provide quality education to the tribal children in their own environment, EMRSs will be established in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011).

There is no such EMRS approved in Sonitpur district of Assam, as no block is eligible for establishment of EMRS in Sonitpur district as per the abovementioned twin criteria.

- (b) & (c): Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing following Scholarship Schemes to promote and encourage basic and higher education amongst ST population: -
- i)    Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST students (For Class IX and X):
- ii)   Post Matric Scholarship for ST students (For Class XI and above):
- iii)  National  Scholarship  Scheme  for  Higher  Education  of  ST  Students  (earlier  known  as  Top  Class Scholarship Scheme): Scholarship is provided for pursuing Graduate/Post Graduate courses in the 265 topclass Government and Non-Government Institutes in professional fields such as Management, Medicine, Engineering, Information Technology, Law etc.
- iv.  National  Fellowship  Scheme for  Higher  Education  of  ST  Students:   Scholarship  to  meritorious  ST students for pursuing M.Phil or Ph.D in India
- v) National Overseas Scholarship for ST students: Scholarships are given to the meritorious Schedule Tribe (ST) students for pursuing higher education abroad.

Pre and Post matric Scholarships scheme are open ended and every ST student with income upto 2.5 lkah can take benefit of these schemes.

Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) envisions saturation of critical gaps in social infrastructure including education sector.  To improve infrastructure of residential schools and hostels in tribal  areas,  under  Dharti  Aaba  Janjatiya  Gram  Utkarsh  Abhiyan  (DAJGUA)  there  is  provision  for upgardation and renovation of these schools.   An amount of about Rs 7500 cr has been provisioned by Ministry of Tribal Affairs with 100% grants to States. Under DAJGUA Dept of School Education and Literacy, Govt of  India  has provisioned for construction of 1000 hostels for tribal children to facilitate access to education.Ministry of Education has sanctioned 304 Hostels including 87 hostels in Assam.

Additionally, under PM Janjatiya Adivasi Nyaya MAha Abhiyan (JANMAN), Department of School Education  &  Literacy  is  supporting  construction  of  500  hostels  for  facilitating  access  to  education of students  belonging  to  Particularly  Vulnerable  Tribal  Groups,  out  of  which  194  have  already  been sanctioned.

Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), is also implementing Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, aimed at bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education.  The scheme also  focuses  on  the  identified  Special  Focus  Districts  (SFDs)  on  the  basis  of  adverse  performance  on various  indicators  of  enrolment,  retention,  and  gender  parity,  as  well  as  concentration  of  SC,  ST  and minority  communities.  A  total  of  109  ST  SFDs,  having  population  of  more  than  25%  and  above  ST population have been identified. The major interventions of Samagra Shiksha include RTE entitlements under  which  two  sets  of  uniforms  for  all  girls,  and  children  belonging  to  SC/ST/BPL  families'  in Government schools up to class VIII are provided and provision is also made for textbooks to all children including SC/ST in Government/Local Body and Government aided schools.

Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) which are residential schools for girls (class VI to XII) belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL).

Further,  there  is  a  Jawahar  Navodaya  Vidyalaya  (JNV)  in  Sonitpur  under  Navodaya  Vidyalaya Samiti  (NVS),  an  autonomous  body  under  Ministry  of  Education  to  provide  equitable  access  to  good quality modern education to tribal children.

*****