Parliament Question: Accelerated Implementation of NEP 2020 in Aspirational Districts of Odisha

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/2025- 07/REPORT_India_IND.pdf Overall, these coordinated interventions have substantially improved enrolment, attendance and retention, moving the State steadily towards universalisation of school education. *****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. 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 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 19,529.3823 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 *****