Lok Sabha Question No. 2711 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-09
Subject: Accelerated Implementation of NEP 2020 in Aspirational Districts of Odisha
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2711 ANSWERED ON- 09/03/2026

## Accelerated Implementation of NEP 2020 in Aspirational Districts of Odisha

## 2711.   Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi :

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  progress  achieved  under  the  Samagra  Shiksha  in  Odisha  since  adoption  of  National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including infrastructure upgradation, additional classrooms, drinking  water  and  sanitation  facilities,  ICT  labs,  smart  classrooms,  teacher  training  and residential or hostel facilities in tribal and aspirational districts, year-wise;
- (b) the amount of funds allocated, released and expenditure incurred under the said scheme in Odisha during the last three financial years, district-wise;
- (c) the specific interventions undertaken in Odisha under the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme to  promote  Odia  language  and  tribal  dialects,  including  textbooks,  digital  content  and teacher support materials; and
- (d) whether  measurable  improvements  have  been  recorded  in  Odisha  in  enrolment,  dropout reduction, learning outcomes and transition to higher education during the last three years and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a): Education is in the Concurrent  List of the Constitution and majority of  the schools come under the purview of the respective State and UT Government. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of  Samagra Shiksha, State Government is supported based on  annual plans prepared by the State based on their requirements and priority and this is reflected in their respective Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) Proposals which are then appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) in the Department of School Education & Literacy in consultation with the State as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme, and physical and financial progress of the State for the interventions approved.

Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister in January 2018 to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under developed districts across the country.

The program is based on the tenets of convergence (of Central & State Schemes), collaboration (of Central, State, Prabhari, officers and District Collectors), and competition among the districts.

Under ADP,  there  are  ten  districts  in  Odisha  namely:  Balangir,  Dhenkanal,  Gajapati,  Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, and Rayagada.

Interventions in these districts are implemented through existing schemes such as Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI Schools Scheme. The year wise details of basic school infrastructure in the State of Odisha are at Annexure I.

(b): The  amount  of  funds  allocated,  released  and  expenditure  incurred  under  the  scheme  of Samagra Shiksha in Odisha during the last three financial years, district-wise is at Annexure-II.

(c): As informed by the State Govt. of Odisha, in alignment with NEP 2020, the Shishu Vatika Workbook in 21 tribal languages (Santali, Saura, Koya, Kui, Kuvi, Kishan, Oram, Munda, Juanga, Bonda,  Gadaba,  Ho,  Gondi,  Paroja,  Kharia,  Didayi,  Bhinjhal,  Bhuiyan,  Bhumia,  Bhatra  and Bhunjia)  have  been  developed  using  Odia  Script  under  Mother  Tongue  Based  Multilingual Education programme.

(d): As informed by the State Govt. of Odisha, the State has undertaken a multi-pronged and sustained approach to reduce school dropouts and improve retention, particularly among girls, tribal children, migrant children and Children with Special Needs (CwSN).

A comprehensive door-to-door Odisha Shiksha Survekhyan (Child Tracking Survey) was conducted from 30 April to 4 May 2025, with technical support from IIT Madras. The survey identified 2.34 lakh  Out-of-School  Children  (OoSC)  in  the  7-18  age  group.  Subsequently,  the  'AASA  School Jiba'  campaign  was  launched  for  their  mainstreaming  through  special  PTMs,  padayatras  and Shiksha Sabhas. As on 28.01.2026, 71,594 children have already been mainstreamed. For flexible learning pathways, OoSC and dropouts are being enrolled under State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS) / NIOS with year-round admission and mandatory contact programmes.

Further,  303  Secondary  schools,  77  Upper  Primary  schools,  and  91  Primary  schools  have  been upgraded to ensure smoother academic transitions and reduce access-related dropouts.

To address vulnerability due to distance and migration, transport and escort facilities are provided to children from remote and forested areas, benefiting 23,127 students in 2024-25. Seasonal hostels have  been  operationalised  in  migration-prone  districts,  with  3,578  migrant  children  retained  and mainstreamed during 2024-25.

Special emphasis has been laid on girls' education through 182 KGBVs (Type-III) and 151 KGBVs (Type-IV), offering free boarding, academic support, vocational training, self-defence training and menstrual  hygiene  facilities.  Gender  equity  initiatives  like  'Barnali'  curriculum,  bicycles  for secondary  students,  scholarships,  free  uniforms,  textbooks  and  hot  cooked  meals  further  support retention.

For  urban  deprived,  Netaji  Subash  Chandra  Bose  Avasiya  Vidyalayas  are  functioning  across  12 districts, with 1,303 children currently retained. Additional residential hostels are being expanded under PM JANMAN and DA-JGUA schemes.

To ensure inclusion of CwSN, special surveys, aids and appliances, escort allowances, therapeutic services and doorstep dry ration support are being provided. Multilingual Education (MLE) in 21 tribal languages across 17 districts has significantly contributed to reducing tribal dropouts.

Quality  improvement  measures  include  FLN  mission  (NIPUN  Odisha),  Learning  Enhancement Programmes,  Smart  Classrooms,  PM  SHRI  schools,  digital  content  through  DIKSHA,  teacher capacity building and regular PTMs. Community mobilisation through Sachetanata Ratha, Pravesh Utsav and quarterly State-wide PTMs has strengthened school-community linkage.

The GER for Higher Secondary Students in tribal areas has improved from 55.3% in 2023-24 to 61.9% in 2024-25 as per UDISE+ as compared to the overall rate of 60.7% and the national rate of 58.4% in 2024-25.

PARAKH Rasitriya Sarvekshan (PRS) conducted in December, 2024 reflects that the performance of Odisha is better than the national average in all categories in grade 3, 6 and 9. The performance of ST students of Odisha in grade 3, 6 and 9 is either higher or at par with National average. The report of PRS 2024 is available at https://parakh.ncert.gov.in/sites/default/files/202507/REPORT\_India\_IND.pdf

Overall,  these  coordinated  interventions  have  substantially  improved  enrolment,  attendance  and retention, moving the State steadily towards universalisation of school education.

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Annexure-I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN  REPLY TO  PART  (a)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2711 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 ASKED BY SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI  REGARDING  'ACCELERATED  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  NEP  2020  IN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS OF ODISHA'.

## Details of basic school infrastructure in the State of Odisha

| Component                     |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |   2024-25 |
|-------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Total Number of Govt. Schools |     48642 |     48542 |     48495 |
| Govt. school having building  |     48600 |     48532 |     48482 |
| Electricity                   |     44653 |     46527 |     46907 |
| Drinking water                |     48626 |     48541 |     48495 |
| Kitchen Shed                  |     44493 |     45714 |     45997 |
| Play Ground                   |     34640 |     38565 |     38969 |
| Ramps                         |     45180 |     46804 |     47205 |
| Hand wash Facility            |     46935 |     47546 |     47913 |
| ICT Lab                       |      6437 |      6437 |      8145 |
| Smart Class TV                |      6736 |      6736 |     10513 |

## Source: State Govt. of Odisha

Annexure-II

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2711 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 ASKED BY SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI REGARDING 'ACCELERATED IMPLEMENTATION OF NEP 2020 IN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS OF ODISHA'.

## Statement of Allocation, Release & Expenditure incurred under Samagra Shiksha

## Rs. in Lakh

| Sl No.   | Districts     | 2022-23    | 2022-23   | 2022-23     | 2023-24    | 2023-24   | 2023-24     | 2024-25    | 2024-25   | 2024-25     |
|----------|---------------|------------|-----------|-------------|------------|-----------|-------------|------------|-----------|-------------|
| Sl No.   | Districts     | Allocation | Release   | Expenditure | Allocation | Release   | Expenditure | Allocation | Release   | Expenditure |
| 1        | Angul         | 8,324.87   | 8,230.10  | 8,230.10    | 6,975.72   | 6,975.72  | 6,975.72    | 8,107.58   | 4,963.43  | 4,963.43    |
| 2        | Balasore      | 16,378.95  | 16,378.95 | 16,378.95   | 14,798.03  | 14,798.03 | 14,798.03   | 15,770.77  | 10,854.29 | 10,854.29   |
| 3        | Baragarh      | 12,264.87  | 10,181.23 | 10,181.23   | 10,111.04  | 9,461.96  | 9,461.96    | 10,992.23  | 8,240.72  | 8,240.72    |
| 4        | Boudh         | 5,738.18   | 5,071.33  | 5,071.33    | 4,812.59   | 4,812.59  | 4,812.59    | 13,971.86  | 9,003.34  | 9,003.34    |
| 5        | Bhadrak       | 11,338.87  | 9,013.13  | 9,013.13    | 9,608.89   | 9,608.89  | 9,608.89    | 21,263.92  | 13,589.16 | 13,589.16   |
| 6        | Bolangir      | 18,002.00  | 14,872.52 | 14,872.52   | 16,950.16  | 16,950.16 | 16,950.16   | 7,222.01   | 4,243.08  | 4,243.08    |
| 7        | Cuttack       | 11,155.15  | 10,424.11 | 10,424.11   | 9,464.40   | 9,464.40  | 9,464.40    | 10,626.66  | 8,336.38  | 8,336.38    |
| 8        | Deogarh       | 4,352.21   | 3,697.68  | 3,697.68    | 3,747.42   | 3,747.42  | 3,747.42    | 5,116.73   | 3,937.31  | 3,937.31    |
| 9        | Dhenkanal     | 9,823.33   | 8,741.20  | 8,741.20    | 8,964.79   | 6,172.04  | 6,172.04    | 8,370.98   | 4,578.24  | 4,578.24    |
| 10       | Gajapati      | 9,927.41   | 8,028.02  | 8,028.02    | 9,341.87   | 6,687.44  | 6,687.44    | 9,066.41   | 5,952.60  | 5,952.60    |
| 11       | Ganjam        | 26,833.74  | 21,521.87 | 21,521.87   | 19,707.88  | 17,873.61 | 17,873.61   | 23,381.82  | 15,502.97 | 15,502.97   |
| 12       | Jagatsinghpur | 6,476.71   | 5,740.84  | 5,740.84    | 5,368.45   | 5,222.56  | 5,222.56    | 5,430.32   | 5,136.09  | 5,136.09    |
| 13       | Jajpur        | 11,660.06  | 10,228.03 | 10,228.03   | 10,442.75  | 10,442.75 | 10,442.75   | 10,691.82  | 9,543.75  | 9,543.75    |
| 14       | Jharsuguda    | 3,224.80   | 3,224.80  | 3,224.80    | 3,384.09   | 3,241.98  | 3,241.98    | 5,117.73   | 3,288.97  | 3,288.97    |
| 15       | Kalahandi     | 18,988.07  | 15,654.81 | 15,654.81   | 18,238.48  | 15,091.85 | 15,091.85   | 25,520.10  | 17,144.37 | 17,144.37   |
| 16       | Kandhamal     | 12,272.21  | 11,559.59 | 11,559.59   | 10,812.14  | 8,084.12  | 8,084.12    | 11,331.42  | 10,657.01 | 10,657.01   |
| 17       | Kendrapara    | 9,241.04   | 9,106.09  | 9,106.09    | 8,014.86   | 8,014.86  | 8,014.86    | 10,794.51  | 8,201.80  | 8,201.80    |
| 18       | Keonjhar      | 15,772.73  | 6,024.62  | 6,024.62    | 13,516.35  | 13,516.35 | 13,516.35   | 14,447.63  | 11,213.50 | 11,213.50   |
| 19       | Khurda        | 13,767.05  | 6,629.87  | 6,629.87    | 8,469.41   | 8,469.41  | 8,469.41    | 13,642.30  | 5,214.66  | 5,214.66    |
| 20       | Koraput       | 16,985.25  | 13,451.67 | 13,451.67   | 14,580.78  | 13,811.64 | 13,811.64   | 17,299.40  | 12,407.41 | 12,407.41   |
| 21       | Malkanagiri   | 10,408.47  | 7,625.09  | 7,625.09    | 8,302.14   | 8,302.14  | 8,302.14    | 9,123.39   | 8,807.69  | 8,807.69    |
| 22       | Mayurbhanj    | 27,310.91  | 21,606.73 | 21,606.73   | 21,726.05  | 19,772.24 | 19,772.24   | 23,546.25  | 19,529.38 | 19,529.38   |

|   23 | Nawarangpur   | 16,956.88   | 13,139.78   | 13,139.78   | 14,726.96   | 13,306.78   | 13,306.78   | 17,516.37   | 14,721.50   | 14,721.50   |
|------|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|   24 | Nayagarh      | 6,919.74    | 6,383.17    | 6,383.17    | 6,039.46    | 6,030.41    | 6,030.41    | 7,161.68    | 5,346.83    | 5,346.83    |
|   25 | Nuapada       | 9,793.14    | 9,156.83    | 9,156.83    | 9,276.73    | 5,943.36    | 5,943.36    | 11,176.27   | 10,823.61   | 10,823.61   |
|   26 | Puri          | 10,031.55   | 10,031.55   | 10,031.55   | 8,492.96    | 8,492.96    | 8,492.96    | 9,232.54    | 9,232.54    | 9,232.54    |
|   27 | Rayagada      | 15,309.85   | 10,850.90   | 10,850.90   | 13,384.28   | 11,918.57   | 11,918.57   | 14,071.26   | 13,458.68   | 13,458.68   |
|   28 | Sambalpur     | 11,031.40   | 7,764.87    | 7,764.87    | 8,556.62    | 8,124.43    | 8,124.43    | 10,674.95   | 8,698.40    | 8,698.40    |
|   29 | Sonepur       | 5,983.47    | 3,600.32    | 3,600.32    | 4,862.76    | 4,562.17    | 4,562.17    | 5,912.35    | 5,182.92    | 5,182.92    |
|   30 | Sundargarh    | 18,343.08   | 16,941.48   | 16,941.48   | 15,528.85   | 15,528.85   | 15,528.85   | 18,440.24   | 13,760.22   | 13,760.22   |
|   31 | Total         | 3,74,615.99 | 3,04,881.21 | 3,04,881.21 | 3,18,206.91 | 2,94,429.66 | 2,94,429.66 | 3,75,021.48 | 2,81,570.86 | 2,81,570.86 |

Source: State Govt. of Odisha

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