Lok Sabha Question No. 121 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-09
Subject: Assessment and Implementation of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Malaiyarasan D

(a) to (e):

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 121 ANSWERED ON 09.02.2025

## Assessment and Implementation of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan in Tamil Nadu

*121. Shri Malaiyarasan D:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  progress  and  effectiveness  of  Unnat  Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) in bringing sustainable rural development, especially in the Southern States including Tamil Nadu, if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  number  of  Higher  Education  Institutions  (HEIs)  from  Tamil  Nadu  that  have  been selected under UBA 1.0 and UBA 2.0;
- (c) whether the funds allocated to participating institutions have been adequate and released in a timely manner, if so, the details of fund released during the last five years;
- (d) whether any measurable socio-economic outcomes such as improved livelihoods, digital literacy, rural infrastructure or capacity building have been reported in Tamil Nadu under UBA, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the steps being taken by the Government to strengthen monitoring mechanisms, enhance institutional support and expand the programme to more rural clusters?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  121  ANSWERED  ON  09.02.2026  ASKED  BY  SHRI MALAIYARASAN  D,  HON'BLE  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT  REGARDING 'ASSESSMENT  AND  IMPLEMENTATION  OF  UNNAT  BHARAT  ABHIYAN  IN TAMIL NADU'.

(a)  to  (e)  Unnat  Bharat  Abhiyan (UBA) is  a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Education launched in  September  2014.  It  connects  Higher  Education  Institutions  (HEIs),  also  called Participating  Institutions  (PIs),  in  the  country  with  the  villages  and  local  communities  to identify challenges faced by the rural communities. UBA aims to bring students closer to the village communities and other government organizations with the ultimate goal of sensitizing students about the socio-economic conditions of villages. It has created a wide network of stakeholders, viz., HEIs, government organizations, youth, NGOs, etc., to work across villages. The scheme focuses on sensitizing students of HEIs to the problems faced by villages and encourages them to work with villages to develop feasible solutions to these problems.

Under UBA 1.0 and UBA 2.0, in the state of Tamil Nadu, there is a network of 624 HEIs under the scheme covering 3120 villages. Further, 213 technology-based, managerial and societal interventions  have  been  implemented  under  UBA,  contributing  to  outcomes  in  livelihood enhancement, rural infrastructure, digital education and capacity building.

The Government has been providing financial support to the PIs under UBA, and funds have been released regularly  and in a timely manner  in accordance with the scheme guidelines. During the last five years, a total amount of Rs. 33.70 crores have been released under UBA scheme.

The  Government  has  assessed  the  progress  and  effectiveness  of  UBA  through  periodic national-level  evaluations  by  independent  agencies.  The  scheme  was  first  evaluated  by  the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the year 2020-21. This has been again evaluated by the Indian Institute of Public Administration in 2025-26. These evaluations covered all States, including southern States and Tamil Nadu, and have concluded that UBA is a  highly  relevant  and  effective  programme,  uniquely  combining  academic  objectives  with grassroots  rural  development.  It  has  also  concluded  that  the  scheme  has  created  a  strong foundation for participatory governance, social responsibility, and social innovation.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is the National Coordinating Institute (NCI) of UBA to ensure ground level implementation of the scheme along with 50 Regional Coordinating Institute (RCIs) which ensure the region-specific management of the HEIs. NCI (IIT Delhi) is responsible for overall monitoring and implementation of UBA. The scheme is supported by Regional Coordinating Institutes (RCIs) and Subject Expert Groups (SEGs) and coordination with State Governments, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants  Commission  (UGC)  to  strengthen  monitoring  and  expand  coverage  to  more  rural clusters.

Ministry of Rural Development has been requested to collaborate with UBA scheme through District  Collectors/District  Magistrates/other  concern  officers  of  the  Districts,  who  are responsible for implementing NREGA at the district level. To expand the program to more rural clusters, Government is promoting the scheme by regularly communicating with the State Governments, District Administrations and line Ministries for providing adequate support to institutes engaged under UBA.

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