Lok Sabha Question No. 1369 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Funds Utilised under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Anand Bhadauria

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO1369

ANSWERED ON- 28.07.2025

## FUNDS UTILISED UNDER SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN

1369. Shri Anand Bhadauria: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the details of schools funded under Samagara Sikhsha Abhiyan (SSA) have been closed/merged during the last five years, State/UT-wise; (b) the details of schools funded under SSA proposed to be closed/merged during
2. the 2025-26, State-wise along with district-wise details of Uttar Pradesh;
3. (c)  whether  the  RTE  Act,  2009  mandates  that  a  primary  school  (classes  I-V)  be established  within  one-  kilometer  radius  of  a  child's  neighbourhood  and  an  upper primary school (classes VI-VIII) should be within a three kilometer radius; and
4. (d)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  extent  to  which  Government  would  ensure implementation of RTE Act, 2009 in case large numbers of schools are closed/merged?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (d): The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) has developed the  Unified  District  Information  System  for  Education  Plus  (UDISE+)  system  to record data on indicators of school education provided by all the States and Union Territories. As per UDISE+, the State/UT-wise number of Government schools of last 5 years are at Annexure.

Education  is  in  the  Concurrent  list  of  the  Constitution  and  the  opening, merger/closing of schools are within the purview of respective State Government and UT Administration-which are the appropriate Government under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

The  Right  of  Children  to  Free  and  Compulsory  Education  (RTE)  Act,  2009 provides children access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of neighbourhood. In pursuance to Section 6 of the RTE Act, 2009, the Central RTE Rules provide that a primary school shall be established within a walking distance of one  kilometre  of  the  neighbourhood  and  an  upper  primary school shall be established within a walking distance of three kilometer of the neighbourhood. The States/UTs  have  notified  area  or  limits  of  their  neighbourhood  norms,  factoring  in their State specific condition, for opening of secondary and sr. secondary schools. In the case of the States and Union Territories, which have  not notified the neighbourhood norms for Secondary and Sr. Secondary Schools, financial support is provided under Samagra Shiksha to ensure the establishment of secondary school within  5  Km  and  senior  secondary  school  within  7-10  Km  of  a  habitation  while ensuring  their  viability  and  cost  effectiveness.  For  the  habitations  that  remain uncovered (mostly small or sparsely populated in difficult areas) where opening of school is not feasible, transport facility is provided up to an average cost @ ₹ 6000/ per child per annum up to Class X.

The National Education Policy 2020 underscores that although consolidation of schools is an option that is often discussed, it must be carried out very judiciously, and only when it is ensured that there is no impact on access (Para 7.4). Similarly, to ensure  universal  access  to  elementary  schools,  the  RTE  Act  mandates  the establishment  of  schools  by  the  appropriate  government  within  defined  area  or neighbourhood limits (Section 6).  Therefore to achieve better learning outcomes and appropriate Pupil-Teacher Ratios (PTR) across upper primary and secondary levels, some states have adopted appropriate strategies to establish the larger schools as per aspirations of the public The aim of the school complex/cluster is to ensure greater resource efficiency and and more effective functioning, coordination, leadership, governance, management of schools in the cluster.

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## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1369  ANSWERED  ON  28.07.2025  ASKED  BY HONB'LE  MP  SHRI  ANAND  BHADAURIA  REGARDING  'FUNDS  UTILISED UNDER SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN'

The State/UT-wise number of Government schools of the last 5 years is as below:

| India/State/UT            |   2019-20 | 2020-21   | 2021-22   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   |
|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| India                     |   1032570 | 1032049   | 1022386   | 1016010   | 1017660   |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands |       342 | 342       | 342       | 342       | 340       |
| Andhra Pradesh            |     45115 | 45145     | 45137     | 45167     | 45000     |
| Arunachal Pradesh         |      3056 | 3061      | 2985      | 2922      | 2847      |
| Assam                     |     47157 | 46749     | 45490     | 44925     | 45008     |
| Bihar                     |     72610 | 75555     | 75558     | 75550     | 78120     |
| Chandigarh                |       121 | 121       | 123       | 119       | 119       |
| Chhattisgarh              |     48547 | 48619     | 48743     | 48728     | 48803     |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli      |       300 | 407       | 388       | 387       | 360       |
| Daman & Diu               |       109 |           |           |           |           |
| Delhi                     |      2767 | 2751      | 2762      | 2673      | 2693      |
| Goa                       |       827 | 821       | 814       | 806       | 789       |
| Gujarat                   |     35040 | 34967     | 34699     | 34651     | 34597     |
| Haryana                   |     14484 | 14563     | 14562     | 14443     | 14374     |
| Himachal Pradesh          |     15398 | 15391     | 15380     | 15447     | 15217     |
| Jammu & Kashmir           |     23165 | 23167     | 23173     | 18785     | 18785     |
| Jharkhand                 |     35931 | 35888     | 35840     | 35764     | 35795     |
| Karnataka                 |     49834 | 49791     | 49679     | 49520     | 49306     |
| Kerala                    |      5014 | 5020      | 5010      | 4811      | 4809      |
| Ladakh                    |       913 | 915       | 838       | 841       | 841       |
| Lakshadweep               |        45 | 45        | 38        | 37        | 37        |
| Madhya Pradesh            |     99411 | 99152     | 92695     | 92741     | 92439     |
| Maharashtra               |     65886 | 65734     | 65639     | 65431     | 65157     |

| Manipur       |   2876 |   2878 |   2889 |   2922 |   2934 |
|---------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Meghalaya     |   7799 |   7795 |   7783 |   7778 |   7779 |
| Mizoram       |   2552 |   2558 |   2563 |   2567 |   2587 |
| Nagaland      |   2011 |   1975 |   1960 |   1954 |   1952 |
| Odisha        |  53260 |  50256 |  49072 |  48767 |  48671 |
| Puducherry    |    422 |    422 |    422 |    422 |    420 |
| Punjab        |  19377 |  19330 |  19259 |  19245 |  19242 |
| Rajasthan     |  67660 |  68813 |  68948 |  69538 |  70233 |
| Sikkim        |    851 |    851 |    864 |    864 |    864 |
| Tamil Nadu    |  37579 |  37589 |  37636 |  37658 |  37672 |
| Telangana     |  30001 |  30015 |  30023 |  29997 |  30022 |
| Tripura       |   4275 |   4265 |   4262 |   4245 |   4238 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 137638 | 137068 | 137024 | 137003 | 137102 |
| Uttarakhand   |  16741 |  16651 |  16484 |  16381 |  16201 |
| West Bengal   |  83456 |  83379 |  83302 |  82579 |  82307 |

Source: UDISE, UDISE+ ****