Lok Sabha Question No. 713 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Upskilling of EMRS
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Tejasvi Surya

## 713.SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

Will the Minister of Tribal Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) currently operational, the number of such  schools  established  during  the  last  one  year  and  the  number  of  schools  under-construction  in  the country, State-wise;

(b) whether the Government is considering the inclusion of new-age skills and technology-based learning modules in the curriculum of EMRS and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the major challenges faced by the Government in the operation and management of these schools and the steps being taken to overcome them;

(d)  whether the recruitment of teachers takes into account the geographical and socio-cultural context to ensure empathy towards local tribal communities and effective communication with students and if so, the details thereof along with the measures adopted in this regard; and

(e)  the  details  of  the  current  and  future  expansion  plans  for  EMRS  including  the  number  of  proposed schools and the targeted States or districts?

## ANSWER

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

(a) The state-wise status of Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) currently operational, the number of such schools established during the last one year and the number of schools under-construction in the country is at Annexure-I .

(b) The Ministry is  implementing several initiatives in collaboration  with other  government  bodies to provide tribal students with access to digital and skill-based education. These initiatives include:

- i. Directions have been issued to schools to introduce skill-based subjects as per CBSE guidelines, including Information Technology, Agriculture, Marketing and Sales, Beauty and Wellness, Data Science etc.
- ii. Initiatives have been introduced to offer free, high-quality digital coaching for competitive exams such as IIT-JEE and NEET, providing online classes and academic support to tribal students to enhance  their  preparedness  and  improve  their  prospects  of  securing  admission  to  premier engineering and medical institutions across the country.
- iii. Provision of Smart classrooms equipped with digital boards in partnership with ERNET, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- iv. The Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) program is a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing access to computer  science education for undeserved and underrepresented communities. Learning Links Foundation (LLF) has implemented the AFE program in 430 EMRSs to provide

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 713 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24/07/2025

## UPSKILLING OF EMRS

hands-on  computer  science  education  through  interactive  modules  like  the  Hour  of  Code  and Code-a-thon, students gain essential skills in programming and problem solving.

- v. Set-up of 400 Skill Labs in 200 EMRSs in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and  Entrepreneurship  (MoSDE)  to  provide  hands-on  vocational  training  and  industry-relevant skills to students.
- vi. A dedicated  DTH  TV  channel  -  EKLAVYA  (Channel  No.  32),  has  been  developed  by  CIETNCERT,  exclusively for EMRS  students, which provides curriculum-based learning and competitive  exam  content  for  Classes  9 th to  12 th ,  ensuring  uninterrupted  access  to  quality educational resources even in remote locations.

(c) Till the year 2018-19,  EMRSs were managed by state governments under the scheme of Grants-inAid  through  Article  275(1)  of  the  Constitution.Thereafter,  the  scheme  was  revamped  in  2018.  The revamped scheme transformed EMRSs into a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded and managed by the central  government  for  streamlined  governance  and  uniformity.  The  Government  has  undertaken several steps for effective implementation of  EMRS Scheme, which includes the following:-

(i)  Collaboration  with  State  Tribal  Welfare  Departments  for  resolving  issues  related  to  land allocation, infrastructure, and recruitment.

(ii)  Regular  review  meetings  with  construction  agencies  and  State  EMRS  Societies  to  address bottlenecks in construction and accelerate construction of EMRS buildings and related facilities.

(iii) Central Recruitment of Staff  is conducted to fill vacancies for teaching and non-teaching staff, ensuring adequate personnel to run the schools effectively.

(iv) Regular training programs and workshops for teachers and administrative staff to enhance their capabilities.

(v)  Adequate  financial  allocations  and  timely  disbursement  of  funds  to  address  resource-related delays.

(vi) Establishment of a system of periodic reviews and inspections  to address challenges and ensure smooth functioning.

(vii)  Introduction  of  CBSE  curriculum,  digital  tools,  and  regular  training  for  improving  academic quality and uniformity in teaching standards.

(d) For  the  recruitment  of  teachers, Priority  is  given  for  posting  against  the  available  vacancies  in  the particular state as follows :-

- (i)  a) ST Female candidates are given home state (excluding their home district)
- b) ST Male candidates are considered next
- c) All Females are considered next

(ii)  Arrangement  is  made  to  impart  local  language  competency  through  language  teachers  available  at schools/training.  Recruited  Candidates  are  also  required  to  pass  the  regional  language  competency requirement of the State during the probation period. This will ensure better communication with students. (iii) Regional language teachers are also recruited. (e) The central government has approved 728 EMRSs all across the country. As on date 722 schools are sanctioned and 479 schools are functioning. At present, no expansion plan for EMRS is under

consideration.

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## Annexure I

Annexure I as referred in part (a) of the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred question No. 713 raised by Shri Tejasvi Surya regarding 'Upskilling of EMRS'.

## State wise details of  EMRSs

| S.No.   | State                              | No. of EMRSs functional as on 15.07.2025   | EMRSs have been made functional in 2024-25   |   EMRS under construction as on 15.07.2025 |
|---------|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                     | 28                                         | -                                            |                                          7 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 5                                          | -                                            |                                          3 |
| 3       | Assam                              | 1                                          | -                                            |                                          6 |
| 4       | Bihar                              | 2                                          | 2                                            |                                          1 |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                       | 75                                         | 1                                            |                                         21 |
| 6       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 1                                          | -                                            |                                          1 |
| 7       | Gujarat                            | 38                                         | 4                                            |                                         11 |
| 8       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 4                                          | -                                            |                                          1 |
| 9       | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 6                                          | -                                            |                                          3 |
| 10      | Jharkhand                          | 51                                         | 44                                           |                                         34 |
| 11      | Karnataka                          | 12                                         | -                                            |                                          0 |
| 12      | Kerala                             | 4                                          | -                                            |                                          1 |
| 13      | Ladakh                             | -                                          | -                                            |                                          0 |
| 14      | Madhya Pradesh                     | 63                                         | -                                            |                                         18 |
| 15      | Maharashtra                        | 37                                         | -                                            |                                         15 |
| 16      | Manipur                            | 5                                          | -                                            |                                         12 |
| 17      | Meghalaya                          | -                                          | -                                            |                                         13 |
| 18      | Mizoram                            | 11                                         | 5                                            |                                          2 |
| 19      | Nagaland                           | 3                                          | -                                            |                                         19 |
| 20      | Odisha                             | 47                                         | 15                                           |                                         50 |
| 21      | Rajasthan                          | 30                                         | -                                            |                                          1 |
| 22      | Sikkim                             | 4                                          | -                                            |                                          0 |
| 23      | Tamil Nadu                         | 8                                          | -                                            |                                          1 |
| 24      | Telangana                          | 23                                         | -                                            |                                          3 |
| 25      | Tripura                            | 6                                          | -                                            |                                         10 |
| 26      | Uttar Pradesh                      | 3                                          | 1                                            |                                          0 |
| 27      | Uttarakhand                        | 4                                          | -                                            |                                          2 |
| 28      | West Bengal                        | 8                                          | 1                                            |                                          0 |
|         | Grand Total                        | 479                                        | 73                                           |                                        235 |

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