Lok Sabha Question No. 402 (STARRED), answered on 2025-08-21
Subject: Status of EMRS and Ashram Schools
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Balram Naik Porika

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO- * 402

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 21/08/2025

## STATUS OF EMRS AND ASHRAM SCHOOLS

*402. SHRI BALRAM NAIK PORIKA:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  the  current  status  of  Eklavya  Model  Residential  Schools  (EMRS)  and  Ashram  Schools operational in the country, particularly in Telangana including the number of schools, enrolment figures and infrastructure details as on June 2025;

(b) the details of the funds released for the establishment and operation of EMRS and Ashram Schools from 2020 to 2025, particularly in Telangana;

(c)  the  number  of tribal  students  in  Telangana  who have  received  pre-matric and  post-matric scholarships under central schemes since 2020 including the total amount disbursed and the number of beneficiaries, year-wise; and

(d) the measures taken to address challenges such as teacher shortages, infrastructural gaps and high dropout rates among tribal students in these schools?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JUAL ORAM)

(a) to (d):

A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION NO.*402 FOR 21/08/2025 RAISED BY SHRI BALRAM NAIK PORIKA REGARDING "STATUS OF EMRS AND ASHRAM SCHOOLS".

(a) and (b) In Union Budget of 2018-19, Government of India announced that to provide quality  education  to  the  tribal  children  in  their  own  environment,  Eklavya  Model Residential School (EMRS) will be established in every block having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons (as per census 2011). EMRS was introduced in the year 1997-98 to provide quality upper primary, secondary and senior secondary level education to Scheduled Tribes (ST) students (Class 6th to 12th) in remote areas to enable them to access the best opportunities in education and to bring them at par with the general population. In addition to the 288 EMRSs sanctioned under Article 275(1), 440 more EMRSs have been proposed across the country, bringing the total approved 728 EMRSs out of which 479 EMRSs are reported to be functional as on June 2025. National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS), an autonomous organization, has  been  established  under  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  to  manage  and  implement  the scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in co-ordination with State EMRS Societies. The status of Functional EMRSs and Enrolment therein across the country and particularly for State of Telangana as on June 2025 is as follows:

| Country/State   |   Functional (June 2025) |   Enrolment (2024- 25) |
|-----------------|--------------------------|------------------------|
| India           |                      479 |                 138336 |
| Telangana       |                       23 |                   9282 |

Infrastructure details in EMRSs: The setup of EMRS required provision of 15 acres of land free from all encumbrances to be provided by the state Government for creating a conducive environment for imparting quality education and provisioning of infrastructure towards sports  &  extra-curricular activities. Facilities in the  schools include 16  nos.  of classrooms; fully equipped science labs, computer labs, math's lab; library; administrative facilities for Principal and Staff; toilet and drinking water facility; sports and games facilities (indoor and outdoor). Other facilities include separate Hostels for boys and girls, kitchen & dining hall and residential quarters for teaching and non-teaching staff, etc. are also provided.  The criteria of 15 acre has however been relaxed on case-to-case basis.

Details of funds released for the establishment and operation of EMRS, across the country and particularly for State of Telangana during the F. Y . 2020-21 to 2025-26 (till 11/08/2025) is as under:

Rs. In Lakhs

| Financial Year   | India       | Telangana   |
|------------------|-------------|-------------|
| 2020-21          | 92,239.38   | 9,517.30    |
| 2021-22          | 1,29,753.90 | 19,695.52   |
| 2022-23          | 1,97,055.60 | 12,794.53   |
| 2023-24          | 2,30,494.90 | 14,276.17   |
| 2024-25          | 4,61,079.70 | 16,804.36   |

| 2025-26 11/08/2025)   | 1,42,883.00   | 8,085.09   |
|-----------------------|---------------|------------|

Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  (MoTA)  was  running  a  separate  scheme  'Establishment  of Ashram Schools in Tribal  Sub-Plan Areas' under  which funds  were provided  to  State Governments  for  the  construction  of Ashram  schools  and  for  upgradation  of  existing Ashram  Schools.  The  intervention  is  subsumed  in  the  scheme  of  'Special  Central Assistance  to  Tribal  Sub-Scheme  (SCA  to  TSS).  Further  some  infrastructure  and upgradation of these schools has been funded under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India.  Therefore,  no  separate  allocation  was  made  under  'Establishment  of  Ashram Schools  in  Tribal  Sub-Plan  Areas  since  2018-19.  Further,  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs launched the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) on 2nd October 2024 as a flagship convergence-driven initiative to saturate 63,843 tribal-majority villages with essential infrastructure and welfare services. Upgradation of Ashram Schools is one of the components of DA-JGUA. The details of funds approved and released for Ashram School under DAJGUA is given at Annexure I .

The details of funds approved for EMRSs and Ashram Schools related activities under Article  275(1)  of  the  Constitution  from 2020  to 2025 and  for 'Ashram Schools' related activities under 'SCA to TSS' are as under:

## (Rs. In Lakhs)

| Financial Year   | For EMRS related activities under Article 275(1) (Rs. in lakh)   | For EMRS related activities under Article 275(1) (Rs. in lakh)   | For Ashram schools related activities under Article 275(1) (Rs. in lakh)   | For Ashram schools related activities under Article 275(1) (Rs. in lakh)   | For Ashram schools related activities under 'SCA to TSS' (Rs. in lakh)   | For Ashram schools related activities under 'SCA to TSS' (Rs. in lakh)   |
|------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                  | India                                                            | Telangana                                                        | India                                                                      | Telangana                                                                  | India                                                                    | Telangana                                                                |
| 2020-21          | 8093.64                                                          | 0                                                                | 11617.88                                                                   | 644.00                                                                     | 8383.11                                                                  | 800.00                                                                   |
| 2021-22          | 1044.45                                                          | 0                                                                | 7643.33                                                                    | 0                                                                          | Since 2021-22, SCA to TSS has been transformed into 'PMAAGY'.            |                                                                          |
| 2022-23          | 8647.07                                                          | 0                                                                | 12066.84                                                                   | 2775.00                                                                    |                                                                          |                                                                          |
| 2023-24          | 18949.14                                                         | 274.00                                                           | 17456.73                                                                   | 0                                                                          |                                                                          |                                                                          |
| 2024-25          | 27164.14                                                         | 3960.00                                                          | 15026.73                                                                   | 0                                                                          |                                                                          |                                                                          |

(c): The number of tribal students in Telangana who have received pre-matric and postmatric scholarships under central schemes since 2020, including the total amount disbursed and the number of beneficiaries, year-wise, is at Annexure II.

(d) Several initiatives have been undertaken to address infrastructural gaps in EMRSs, including  expediting  construction,  strengthening  quality  monitoring  mechanisms,  and ensuring  timely  provision  of  essential  facilities  such  as  hostels,  classrooms,  and  staff quarters.  The detail is as under:-

-  The construction cost of EMRSs was enhanced in 2021-22 to ₹37.80 crore in plain areas and ₹48 crore in hilly areas (from earlier ₹20 crore and ₹24 crore) for 440 newly sanctioned schools.
-  Construction of EMRSs has been entrusted to CPWD, State Government agencies, and other PSUs to ensure professional execution and accountability.
-  Coordination  with  State  Governments  to  resolve  land,  forest  clearance,  and encroachment issues delaying construction.
-  Provision of funds for upgradation of old EMRSs at ₹5 crore per school.
-  Additional funds sanctioned under Article 275(1) for construction of staff quarters, boys' and girls' hostels, approach roads, water facilities, and to bridge infrastructural gaps in old EMRSs.
-  Independent Third Party Quality Assurance (TPQA) agencies engaged to monitor construction quality.
-  Structural audits conducted for completed and ongoing buildings to identify and rectify deficiencies.
-  Simplification of the payment process through introduction of escrow accounts.
-  NESTS carried out its first drive for direct recruitment of 10391 posts through ESSE2023 and staff selected have been posted in various EMRSs. In addition to the direct recruitment, NESTS also has advised State Governments to depute staff on deputation. Further, directions have been issued to State EMRS Society to engage guest teachers against vacancies, and non-teaching staff on outsourcing basis/local engagement, so that academic activities are not hampered.

To address the issue of student dropouts and improve retention, NESTS, through State Governments has been implementing various essential steps, including:

- I) Mobilizing the tribal population to enroll in EMRSs (Eklavya Model Residential Schools) by raising awareness about the schools through participation in camps and outreach programs.
2. II) Facilitating tribes by constructing educational facilities in the most remote areas.
3. III) Introducing  vocational  courses  to  enable  students  to  acquire  skills  that  will support their sustainability in the job market.
4. IV) Providing necessary facilities for career counselling to make students aware of prevailing opportunities. It enables students to gain insights into different career paths, understand industry requirements, and acquire the necessary skills for success in their chosen fields.
- V) The  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs,  through  NESTS,  is  also  focusing  on  skill enhancement of students to support them post-formal education. This includes making  them  aware  of  the  scholarship  schemes  offered  by  the  Ministry  to facilitate their pursuit of higher studies.
6. VI) Additionally, focusing on building new infrastructure and recruiting high-quality human resources  in  a  timely  manner  to  enhance  educational  outcomes  and reduce drop-out rates. As  a  result,  the dropout  rate  among  tribal  students  in EMRSs remains minimal.
7. VII) NESTS has also issued instructions to State Societies with directions to ensure students retention and zero dropouts in EMRSs.

## Annexure I

Annexure I as referred in part (a) and (b) of the reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *402  for  21.08.2025  raised  by  Shri  Balram  Naik  Porika  regarding  'Status  of  EMRS  and Ashram Schools'

The details of funds approved and released for Ashram School under DAJGUA as on 14.08.2025

(Rs. in Lakhs)

|       |                    | Ashram Schools   | Ashram Schools   | Ashram Schools   |
|-------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
| S. No | Name of States/UTs | Units            | Approved Amount  | Fund released    |
| 1     | Andhra Pradesh     | 175              | 155.98           | 11.75            |
| 2     | Arunachal Pradesh  | 128              | 28.01            | 6.50             |
| 3     | Assam              | 640              | 300.81           | 124.45           |
| 4     | Bihar              | 5                | 1.76             | -                |
| 5     | Chhattisgarh       | 1160             | 707.37           | -                |
| 6     | Gujarat            | 217              | 163.48           | 63.82            |
| 7     | Himachal Pradesh   | 45               | 22.47            | 8.99             |
| 8     | Jharkhand          | 641              | 229.71           | 75.73            |
| 9     | Kerala             | 30               | 13.96            | 0.53             |
| 10    | Madhya Pradesh     | 526              | 447.51           | 31.90            |
| 11    | Maharashtra        | 160              | 568.55           | 83.14            |
| 12    | Manipur            | 64               | 16.75            | 7.13             |
| 13    | Nagaland           | 198              | 50.28            | 5.78             |
| 14    | Odisha             | 527              | 366.65           | 146.66           |
| 15    | Rajasthan          | 558              | 233.85           | -                |
| 16    | Sikkim             | 49               | 34.35            | 2.90             |
| 17    | Tamil Nadu         | 80               | 27.21            | 10.88            |
| 18    | Telangana          | 623              | 51.56            | -                |
| 19    | Tripura            | 36               | 78.74            | 7.66             |
| 20    | Uttar Pradesh      | 25               | 7.45             | -                |
| Total | Total              | 5887             | 3506.43          | 587.82           |

## Annexure II

Annexure II as referred in part (c) of the reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *402 for 21.08.2025 raised by Shri Balram Naik Porika regarding 'Status of EMRS and Ashram Schools'

| Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl                                                                                                                                        |                                                                                                                                           | 2020-21                                                                                                                                   | 2021-22                                                                                                                                   | 2021-22                                                                                                                                   | 2022-23                                                                                                                                   | 2022-23                                                                                                                                   | (₹ in 2023-24                                                                                                                             | (₹ in 2023-24                                                                                                                             | Lakhs) 2024-25                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                           |
| . N o.                                                                                                                                    | Name of the State/ UT                                                                                                                     | Benefici aries Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                            | Benefici aries                                                                                                                            | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                           | Benefici aries                                                                                                                            | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                           | Benefici aries Fund Relea sed                                                                                                             | Benefici aries                                                                                                                            | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                           |                                                                                                                                           |
| 1                                                                                                                                         | Telang ana                                                                                                                                | 7625 195.0 1                                                                                                                              | 3066                                                                                                                                      | 76.98                                                                                                                                     | 225                                                                                                                                       | 5.72                                                                                                                                      | 2460* 150.0 0                                                                                                                             | #                                                                                                                                         | 0**                                                                                                                                       |                                                                                                                                           |

**-funds not released due to unspent balance/non-submission of UC/SoE/Proposal etc #- beneficiary data is yet to be reported by State/UT.

| Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   | Details of funds disbursed and beneficiaries under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students of the Telangana state government.   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl                                                                                                                                         |                                                                                                                                            | 2020-21                                                                                                                                    | 2020-21                                                                                                                                    | 2021-22                                                                                                                                    | 2021-22                                                                                                                                    | 2022-23                                                                                                                                    | 2022-23                                                                                                                                    | 2023-24                                                                                                                                    | 2023-24                                                                                                                                    | 2024-25                                                                                                                                    |
| . N o.                                                                                                                                     | Name of the State/ UT                                                                                                                      | Benefici aries                                                                                                                             | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                            | Benefici aries                                                                                                                             | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                            | Benefici aries                                                                                                                             | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                            | Benefici aries Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                             | Benefici aries                                                                                                                             | Fund Disbur sed                                                                                                                            |
| 1                                                                                                                                          | Telang ana                                                                                                                                 | 114657                                                                                                                                     | 12060 .02                                                                                                                                  | 186372                                                                                                                                     | 29324 .01                                                                                                                                  | 62478                                                                                                                                      | 7789. 84 131597                                                                                                                            | 15344 .50                                                                                                                                  | 96228                                                                                                                                      | 15167 .66                                                                                                                                  |

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