Lok Sabha Question No. 410 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Achieving of NIPUN Bharat Mission
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Baijayant Panda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-410

## ANSWERED ON-02/02/2026

## Achieving of NIPUN Bharat Mission

410. Shri Baijayant Panda:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a)  the  details  of  the  major  achievements  of  the  NIPUN  Bharat  (National  Initiative  for Proficiency  in  Reading  with  Understanding  and  Numeracy)  Mission  during  the  last  three years;

(b) whether the Government has a vision or blueprint to introduce AI under this mission; and

(c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a ) to (c): The Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education has launched  a  National  Mission  called  'National  Initiative  for  Proficiency  in  Reading  with Understanding  and  Numeracy  (NIPUN  Bharat)'  on  5th  July,  2021  for  ensuring  that  every child  in  the  country  necessarily  attains  foundational  literacy  and  numeracy  by  the  end  of Grade  2.  This  Mission  aligned  with  NEP  2020,  has  been  set  up  under  the  aegis  of  the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shikshaan integrated scheme for School Education. Under  Samagra  Shiksha,  all  36  States/Union  Territories  are  implementing  the NIPUN-Bharat Mission.  It is the first time that the age group of 3-6 years has been included in the school continuum in the foundational stage in 5+3+3+4 structure consisting of 3 years of Balvatika and Grade 1 & 2.

National  Curricular  Framework  for  Foundational  Stage  (NCF-FS)  was  released  on 20th  October,  2022  providing  a  structure  for  the  syllabus,  Training  of  Teachers,  Learning Teaching Material (LTM), etc. The details of the major achievements of the NIPUN Bharat (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Mission during the last three years are as under:

A  3  months  play  based  'School  Preparation  Module  and  Guidelines'  for  Grade  I named 'Vidya  Pravesh'  was  launched  on  29 th July,  2021.  The  goal  of  Vidya  Pravesh programme is to promote school preparedness in all children coming to Grade- I from diverse  backgrounds  (Balvatika,  Anganwadi  Centers  (AWCs),  at  home,  private  play schools etc.), to ensure a smooth transition of children to Grade-I. It provides play based, age  and  developmentally  appropriate  learning  experiences  in  a  joyful  and  stimulating environment  leading  to  holistic  development  to  bolster  a  child's  pre-literacy,  prenumeracy, cognitive and social skills. This Programme is being implemented across the country.  From  2022-23  till  date,  over  4.2  crore  students  in  8.9  lakh  schools  have benefitted.

'Jaadui  Pitara'  -  a  play-based  learning-teaching  material  is  tailored  for  children between  the  age  group  of  3-8  years.  As  envisaged  in  the  National  Education  Policy (NEP)  2020  and  National  Curriculum  Framework  for  Foundational  Stage  (NCF-FS) 'Jaadui Pitara', was launched on 20 th February, 2023. The Jaadui Pitara is a box having 53  Learning  Teaching  Materials  (LTM)  for  the  foundational  stage.  Available  in  22 Indian languages, it has toys, games, puzzles. puppets, posters, flashcards, story cards, playbooks etc.  for  students  and  handbooks  for  teachers.  It  also  consists  of  a  Trainer's Handbook 'Unmukh' which is a comprehensive guide for the trainers which has activity bank for 3-6-year-old children which is mapped to Panchkoshiya vikas and curricular goals of NCF-FS for future training of teachers at Foundational Stage. The Activity Book 'Anand' contains integrated worksheets to be used by children.

The  e-Jaadui  Pitara  (e-JP)  was  launched  on  10th  February  2024.  The  e-JP  is  an integration of the latest technology with play-based pedagogy and a way to disseminate the learning of Jaadui Pitara and transcend it beyond the four walls of the classroom. e-JP, in alignment with the NEP 2020, is web-based application along with browser access at https://ejaaduipitara.ncert.gov.in/.  The  app  currently  has  more  than  1,000  stories  in  14 different Indian languages. This website and mobile application is packed with fun and engaging content  in  multiple  languages,  including  activities,  songs,  riddles,  stories  and lullabies. Using Artificial Intelligence, it comprises of three bots, viz.,

Katha Sakhi: Your storyteller Buddy, bringing magical tales to life;

Teacher Tara: A guide for educators, offering tips and resources; and

Parent  Tara:  A  supportive  companion  for  parents,  providing  guidance  and  fun activities.

Play and activity-based textbooks for classes 1 and 2 have been released in July, 2023 (Hindi-'Sarangi', English-'Mridang', 'MathematicsJoyful-Mathematics and Anandmay-Ganit'  and  Urdu-  'Shahnai')  fulfilling  NEP  2020  and  NCF-FS  (National Curricular Framework for Foundational Stage) recommendations.

Primers (launched in March, 2024) have been developed in 121 Local Languages for foundational literacy and numeracy in mother tongues spoken by populations of at least 10,000.

Lakshyas  or  Targets  for  Foundational  Literacy  and  Numeracy  starting  from  the Balvatika-3  upto  Grade  2  based  on  the  learning  outcomes  have  been  developed  on  the basis of national and international research.

NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) online was launched using DIKSHA platform in October 2020 to reach out to  elementary  teachers  and  its  further  extension  to  all  level  of  teachers.  It  includes multiple  approaches  for  interaction  i.e.,  Text  Modules  along  with  videos.  Currently,  it hosts contents in 133 languages (126 Indian Languages + 7 foreign languages). More than 15.45  lakh  teachers  have  completed  NISHTHA  online  training  program  for  FLN  & ECCE.

PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development)  is conducted to evaluate the learning competencies of students in Foundational Literacy & Numeracy, Language and Mathematics at the end of each of the educational stages i.e. Foundational, Preparatory and Middle in Grades 3,6 & 9. PARAKH is conducted once in three years.

The  latest  PARAKH  Rashtriya  Sarvekshan  2024  was  conducted  on  4 th December, 2024.    The  State/UT  wise  PARAKH  2024  report  has  been  officially  released  in  public domain on 2nd July, 2025. This can be accessed at https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en.

PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 findings highlight a significant improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy skills outcomes , reflecting the positive impact of the NIPUN Bharat Mission as envisioned in NEP 2020. It reflects that the performance of children in Grade 3 in rural school is better than urban schools and government schools have performed better than private schools at foundational stage.

| Grade 3: Comparative Picture   | Grade 3: Comparative Picture   | Grade 3: Comparative Picture   |
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|                                | NAS 2021                       | PRS 2024                       |
| Language                       | 62                             | 64                             |
| Mathematics                    | 57                             | 60                             |

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