Lok Sabha Question No. 2577 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-14
Subject: Digital Gender Atlas
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2577 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2016

## Digital Gender Atlas

## 2577.   SHRIMATI POONAM BEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the 'Digital Gender Atlas' related to education in the country has been launched by the Government and if so, the details of the achievements, State/UT-wise;

(b) the details of the feedback on the use of 'Digital Gender Atlas' received from different agencies and partners; and

(c)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  for  bridging  gender  gaps  in  education sector in the country?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) & (b): The 'Digital Gender Atlas' for Advancing Girls' Education in India was launched on the occasion of International Women's Day on 08.03.2015.

The  Gender  Atlas  helps  to  identify  and  ensure  equitable  education  with  a  focus  on vulnerable girls, including girls with disabilities. The Gender Atlas has been acknowledged as a hands- on management tool to enable critical decisions and actions in pockets where gaps are to be met. It uses geographical representation and numeric data at state, district and block levels and  gives  information  on  key  indicators  for  girls'  education  at  primary,  upper  primary  and secondary level for three years.

(c): The  Government  has  initiated  the  following  schemes  for  bridging  gender  gaps  in  the education sector in the country.

To encourage the participation of all girls at elementary level, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) provides for the opening of schools in the neighbourhood to make access easier for girls, the appointment of additional teachers including women teachers, free textbooks, free uniforms, separate  toilets  for  girls,  teachers'  sensitization  programmes  to  promote  girls  participation, gender-sensitive  teaching  learning  materials  including  textbooks  and  the  scheme  of    Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas as residential upper primary schools for girls belonging to SC/ST/Minority Communities, BPL families and girls in difficult circumstances.

Under the Rashtriya Madyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) interventions to promote girls participation  in  secondary  schools  include  the  opening  of  new  schools,  the  strengthening  of existing  schools,  the  appointment  of  teachers  including  female  teachers,  the  construction  of residential  quarters  for  teachers  in  remote/hilly  areas,  hostel  facilities  for  girls'  curriculum reforms to eliminate any hidden gender bias, conduct of self defence training for the girls, special programmes for empowerment of girls, stipend for  girls  with  disabilities,  vocationalization  of secondary education, Girls Hostel scheme, teacher sensitization programmes and separate toilet blocks for girls. Girls are exempt from paying tuition fee in Kendriya Vidyalayas, and there is 33% reservation for girls in Navodaya Vidyalayas.

The  'National  Scheme  of  Incentive  to  Girls  for  Secondary  Education'  provides  a ₹ 3,000/- deposit in the name of eligible unmarried girls below 16 years as fixed deposit, to be withdrawn along with interest, upon the girl reaching 18 years of age and after passing class 10.

The 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme is a joint initiative of Ministry of Women and Child  Development,  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family  Welfare  and  Ministry  of  Human  Resource Development. The scheme has been initiated with the objectives of preventing gender biased sex selection  elimination,  ensuring  survival  and  protection  of  the  girl  child  and  ensuring  her education.

'Udaan' is an initiative of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to promote educational  opportunities  for  girl  students.  It  has  been  designed  to  provide  a  comprehensive platform for deserving girls students who aspire to pursue higher education in engineering, and assist them to prepare for the IIT JEE while studying in classes XI & XII.

The 'Saakshar Bharat' programme is being implemented in the country with the objective of imparting functional literacy and numeracy to non-literate and non-numerate adults and covers 397 districts of the country. Under 'Saakshar Bharat' a district that has adult female literacy of 50% or below as per 2001, is eligible for coverage.

In order to enhance women's enrolment in higher education, the Central Government has launched  several  schemes  under  the  Rashtriya  Uchchatar  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RUSA).  These include up-gradation of one existing autonomous college to Women's University, conversion of 5 Women Colleges to cluster University, support to two Women's Universities and 121 Womens Colleges under Infrastructure Grants to Universities/Colleges, one new Model Degree College for  Women, up-gradation of 3 Women Degree Colleges to Model Colleges and support to 23 Women Colleges under Vocationalisation of Higher Education.

The schemes being run by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for promotion of girls in higher education include day care centres in universities and colleges, Development of Women's  Studies  in  University  and  Colleges,  Construction  of  women's  hostels,  Capacity building of women managers in Higher Education, Indira Gandhi Post Graduate scheme of single girl child and Post-Doctoral Fellowships for Women.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University has 38 special study centres and 7 regular study centres catering specially to women learners.

'PRAGATI' is a scheme of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and it envisages the selection  of  one  girl  per  family  where  family  income  is  less  than ₹ 6  lakhs  per annum, on merit at the qualifying examination to pursue technical education. The scholarship amount is ₹ 30,000/- or the tuition fees or the actuals, whichever is less, and ₹ 2,000/- per month for 10 months as contingency allowance.