**Executive Summary**
This document is the official answer by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2527, answered on 15.12.2025. It addresses the government's initiatives under Samagra Shiksha to support Children with Special Needs (CwSN), specifically in Maharashtra. The information provided covers interventions, enrollment, and inclusive education measures.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Government Commitment**: The Government is committed to ensuring that CwSN have access to quality and inclusive education, as mandated by the RPwD Act, 2016.
* **Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)**: A dedicated Inclusive Education (IE) component under SSA, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is implemented across all States/UTs, including Maharashtra.
* **Financial Assistance**: Financial aid is provided for:
* Identification and assessment camps
* Aids, appliances, and assistive devices
* Transportation, scribe and escort allowances
* Braille and large-print books
* Stipends for girls with special needs
* Sports & exposure visits
* Teaching-learning materials (TLMs)/ resource package
* Training and capacity building of special educators and general teachers
* Resource support towards the salary of special educators
* Home Based education for severe disabilities
* CwSN-friendly infrastructure
* **CwSN Enrollment (Pune District)**: Enrollment figures for Pune district from 2020-21 to 2024-25 are provided, ranging from 12,821 to 17,418.
* **Inclusive Education Provisions**: In line with NEP 2020 and the RPwD Act, no child can be denied admission based on disability, ensuring full participation and barrier-free access.
* **Dropout Prevention**: Maharashtra leverages UDISE+ data and increasingly uses Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and Periodic Assessment Tests (PAT) to prevent dropouts and improve learning outcomes.
* **Convergence**: States/UTs collaborate with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities to provide timely assistive devices, aids, appliances, and TLMs through the ADIP–SSA scheme.
* **State/UT-wise Enrollment**: State/UT-wise enrollment of CwSN from 2020-21 to 2024-25 as per UDISE+ is detailed in Annexure-I.
* **State/UT-wise Outlay**: State/UT-wise approved outlay of IE component under Samagra Shiksha from 2020-21 to 2024-25 is detailed in Annexure-II.
**Impact Analysis**
**Central and State/UT Governments**
* **Impact**: The Government is committed to providing quality and inclusive education to Children with Special Needs through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.
* **Action Required**: The Government needs to ensure effective implementation of SSA, monitor learning outcomes, provide financial assistance and support, and collaborate with other ministries for convergence.
**Children with Special Needs (CwSN)**
* **Impact**: CwSN will have improved access to quality and inclusive education, assistive devices, transportation, and other necessary support.
* **Action Required**: CwSN should actively participate in academic activities, benefit from available resources, and seek support from special educators and general teachers to address academic challenges.
**Educators (Special and General Teachers)**
* **Impact**: Educators will receive training and resources to effectively teach and support CwSN.
* **Action Required**: Educators must actively participate in training programs, implement inclusive instructional strategies, and provide ongoing school-level support to address the academic challenges of CwSN.
**Schools**
* **Impact**: Government schools are being strengthened to function as inclusive schools.
* **Action Required**: The need to fully implement inclusive education practices, improve barrier-free infrastructure, and provide access to quality education for all students.
Key Entities Referenced
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA): A centrally sponsored scheme for school education, aiming to improve overall school effectiveness and access to quality education across all levels from pre-school to senior secondary.
Children with Special Needs (CwSN): A category of students requiring specific educational support to ensure their inclusive learning and development.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016: An Indian legislation enacted to give effect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ensuring full and effective participation and inclusion in society for persons with disabilities.
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: A comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in India, focusing on access, equity, quality, affordability, and accountability.
Maharashtra: An Indian state where inclusive education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) is being strengthened under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, with a specific focus on Pune district and the Shirur region.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2527
ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025
Children with Special Needs under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
2527. Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken specific steps under Samagra Shiksha to strengthen
inclusive education for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in Maharashtra, particularly in Pune
district and the Shirur region, including assistive devices, home-based education, special
educators and barrier-free infrastructure, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the number of CwSN identified, enrolled and support provided under Samagra Shiksha
Abhiyaan during the last five years, State/UT-wise, particularly Maharashtra and Shirur;
(c) the number of model inclusive schools sanctioned and operational in the said State especially
in Pune district and the criteria fixed for their selection;
(d) whether the Government has assessed learning outcomes, retention and participation levels of
CwSN in the said State including Shirur, if so, the details and the key findings thereof along with
the corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard; and
(e) whether any mechanism has been developed by the Government to ensure smooth transition
of CwSN into scholarships, vocational education, skill development or employability pathways,
if so, the details thereof along with details of convergence with other Ministries, State-wise
including Maharashtra and Shirur?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (c): The Government is fully committed to ensuring that Children with Special Needs
(CwSN), as mentioned in Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, have access to
quality and inclusive education. Education being in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, both
the Central and State/UT Governments play an important role in this endeavor. Under the Samagra
Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), which is in alignment with the recommendations of National Education
Policy (NEP) 2020, there is a dedicated Inclusive Education (IE) component for CwSN
implemented in all States/UTs including Maharashtra. Financial assistance is provided for the
multiple interventions namely identification and assessment camps, provision of aids, appliances,
and assistive devices, transportation, scribe and escort allowance, braille and large-print books,
stipends for girls with special needs, sports & exposure visits for CwSN, teaching-learning
materials (TLMs)/ resource package etc., training and capacity building of special educators and
general teachers, resource support towards the salary of special educators, home Based education
for severe disabilities, CwSN-friendly infrastructure.A statement showing details of State/UT-wise CwSN enrolment for the last five years, as
per UDISE+, is at Annexure-I. The CwSN enrolment of the Pune District for the last five years,
as per UDISE+ is as under:
Year CwSN Enrolment
2024-25 13218
2023-24 12821
2022-23 13342
2021-22 14360
2020-21 17418
A statement showing details of State/UT-wise approved outlay for the IE for CwSN
component under Samagra Shiksha for the last five years, is at Annexure-II.
In line with the vision of inclusive and equitable education under NEP 2020, and
as mandated under the RPwD Act, 2016 as well as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE) Act, 2009, no child can be denied admission on the grounds of disability. These
provisions collectively ensure full participation, barrier-free access, and the right of every child to
quality education in all schools. The Government is focusing on strengthening all existing
Government schools across the country to function as inclusive schools.
(d): The State of Maharashtra leverages UDISE+ data for dropout prediction and prevention to
ensure retention of CwSN, and is increasingly using Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK) and Periodic
Assessment Tests (PAT) to monitor and improve their learning outcomes. At the district level,
learning, retention, and participation are tracked through case studies, individualized education
plans, home visits, and periodic reviews by special educators. Findings indicate that most CwSN
in mainstream schools are progressing steadily, with students having mild to moderate disabilities
actively participating in academics, while those with severe disabilities benefit more from home-
based education and therapy. Regular annual training for teachers is conducted by SCERT, Pune,
and DIET, Shirur undertakes a five-day module for primary teachers on pedagogy and assessment
for CwSN. Special educators also provide ongoing school-level support to address academic
challenges and guide teachers on inclusive instructional strategies.
(e): Under Samagra Shiksha, States/UTs works in convergence with the Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare and Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities to provide timely
assistive devices, aids, appliances and TLMs through the ADIP–SSA scheme, conduct of block
level identification and assessment camps etc.
****Annexure-I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (C) OF THE LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2527 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025 ASKED BY DR. AMOL
RAMSING KOLHE, HON’BLE MP REGARDING ‘CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
UNDER SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN’
State/UT-wise CwSN enrolment from 2020-21 to 2024-25 as per UDISE+
S. No. States/UTs 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 595 527 741 724 772
2 Andhra Pradesh 88252 92262 88502 76620 89608
3 Arunachal Pradesh 3289 3038 3006 3007 3089
4 Assam 59596 55243 58890 56841 56454
5 Bihar 141314 177989 163322 165343 181200
6 Chandigarh 3492 3755 3891 4050 3602
7 Chhattisgarh 67768 77249 79619 83719 73645
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and 2493 1178 1137 1126 1201
Daman & Diu
9 Delhi 29178 27026 22530 35877 38384
10 Goa 2099 3779 4538 4341 4571
11 Gujarat 81616 73912 67072 62121 61569
12 Haryana 25828 25718 22418 19352 21625
13 Himachal Pradesh 6751 6864 6463 5984 6170
14 Jammu & Kashmir 22736 19867 19054 17993 20534
15 Jharkhand 53118 51665 35765 49346 50126
16 Karnataka 98371 98961 100482 88701 85872
17 Kerala 139443 138413 134223 123877 123600
18 Ladakh 572 1052 630 622 626
19 Lakshadweep 267 208 194 198 190
20 Madhya Pradesh 121475 139258 143560 146932 153821
21 Maharashtra 280574 260251 243496 234489 233791
22 Manipur 4451 4759 4183 4065 4265
23 Meghalaya 4975 4601 3888 3252 3421
24 Mizoram 4195 3976 4057 3874 3828
25 Nagaland 2280 4084 2458 1667 1744
26 Odisha 103058 146512 97030 93467 91631
27 Puducherry 1675 2288 1543 1219 1235
28 Punjab 67483 66776 61302 51415 53761
29 Rajasthan 84059 80910 80790 69591 70200
30 Sikkim 1555 1320 1130 1025 998
31 Tamil Nadu 163570 156359 140842 142697 140803
32 Telangana 43680 40014 33063 81240 72672
33 Tripura 3700 3914 3949 3243 3318
34 Uttar Pradesh 317212 327385 322969 316406 333862
35 Uttarakhand 5285 5080 4680 4645 5209
36 West Bengal 155193 160599 145795 155041 151861
GRAND TOTAL 2191198 2266792 2107212 2114110 2149258Annexure-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (C) OF THE LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2527 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025 ASKED BY DR. AMOL
RAMSING KOLHE, HON’BLE MP REGARDING ‘CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
UNDER SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN’
State/UT-wise approved outlay of IE component under Samagra Shiksha from 2020-21 to
2024-25
(Rs. in lakh)
S. No State/ UT 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
1 Andaman And Nicobar 84.83 119.08 167.362 155.8015 195.78
Islands
2 Andhra Pradesh 8038.89 8086.857 10195.485 9174.42726 9194.15
3 Arunachal Pradesh 643.75 661.06 716.61884 785.809 804.07
4 Assam 4045.86 4049.73 4693.19508 4300.7871 4477.10
5 Bihar 4788.458 6315.39032 6149.938 9237.01724 7705.45
6 Chandigarh 232.14 342.16 308.22012 320.12012 304.17
7 Chhattisgarh 1923.02 1383.5 3179.945 3702.945 3756.21
8 Dadra And Nagar 0 0 0 0
Haveli
9 Delhi 3595.69 5230.83 5467.23836 5210.18814 5336.43
10 Dnd - Dnh 116.11 112.94 109.1195 112.229 123.95
11 Goa 118.83 135.52 123.95132 107.00332 113.64
12 Gujarat 8929.78 8762.361 9514.8765 10161.25632 8069.05
13 Haryana 2432.16 2195.824 2685.626 2655.2087 2726.81
14 Himachal Pradesh 983.93 926.37 944.721 1100.47276 1110.45
15 Jammu And Kashmir 1022.59 1040.55 1071.16277 919.275 1287.30
16 Jharkhand 1114.71 2451.26092 1807.09394 1988.059 2029.48
17 Karnataka 6391.15 6393.67 5434.29 5955.26 5313.88
18 Kerala 12329.89 11673.45 13019.03 13350.81 12930.07
19 Ladakh 46.46 47.02 67.981 55.59 68.49
20 Lakshadweep 48.82 50.73 59.279 48.51 47.69
21 Madhya Pradesh 3857.18 4126.5675 5244.435 5375.7712 6349.43
22 Maharashtra 12935.04 16213.54 19766.6115 19010.862 18904.73
23 Manipur 597.97 507.61 725.68 675.842 653.07
24 Meghalaya 363.34 422.512 438.81844 433.432 424.77
25 Mizoram 466.33 470.31 553.69234 526.3139 504.27
26 Nagaland 168.47 187.76 201.01 206.551 203.80
27 Odisha 3995.15 3169.67 5899.106 7418.016 6593.31
28 Puducherry 112.78 117.83 109.9471 136.845 126.53
29 Punjab 3394.30324 2997.589 3313.192 3683.1748 3606.03
30 Rajasthan 4154.67 4643.39 6312.8105 5949.2065 6053.23
31 Sikkim 281.38 213.53 268.21119 295.4232 205.79
32 Tamil Nadu 9143.09 10855.82 8116.44 10336.572 10715.21
33 Telangana 3581.64 3481.27 4022.06712 3639.06812 4040.69
34 Tripura 387.0025 487.96 872.405 885.6274 1021.12
35 Uttar Pradesh 10256.4646 8715.6864 8989.72275 11073.9689 11686.58
36 Uttarakhand 378.9 270.97 560.87283 497.62 349.72
37 West Bengal 5631.53 5760.82 8168.96291 7555.70815 7458.56
Grand Total 116592.30 122621.13 139279.11 147040.7716 144491.01
Source: PRABANDH Portal (This includes support for BRPs for CwSN covered under Academic support through
BRC/URC).