Parliament Question: Educationally Backward Districts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: - 3622 ANSWERED ON-10/08/2026 Educationally Backward Districts 3622. Shri Vijay Kumar Hansdak: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the total number and names of districts officially identified as educationally backward districts (EBDs) in the country, State-wise; (b) the details of the socio-religious and marginalized communities that exhibit the lowest literacy and school enrolment rates within these identified districts of States; (c) the specific Central schemes, budgetary allocations, and financial utilization during the last three years aimed at improving educational infrastructure in these areas; and (d) the targeted steps taken by the Government to upgrade school facilities, digital infrastructure and teacher deployment to mitigate educational backwardness among these specific communities? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHOUDHARY) (a) & (b): The Department of School Education and Literacy implements the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha - an Integrated Scheme for School Education, it is an overarching program for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class XII. It lays down detailed guidelines (programmatic/financial) for various interventions of the Scheme reinforcing the commitment to ensure that all children have access to quality education with an equitable and inclusive classroom environment taking care of their diverse background, multilingual needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning process as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020. This Department had identified Educationally Backward Blocks (EBB) in States/UTs, where the female rural literacy rate was below the national average, under the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) were sanctioned in EBB as residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL) under the erstwhile Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. With the launch of the Aspirational Districts Programme by NITI Aayog in January 2018 to improve the social outcomes of the backward districts, the programs of the government are nowaligned to fill in the infrastructure gaps and improve the learning outcomes in the Aspirational Districts of the country. Under Samagra Shiksha, due preference is also given to cover initiatives like KGBVs undertaken under Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), apart from Aspirational districts in the implementation of various interventions to promote equitable and quality school education, with a focus on addressing educational gaps and disparities. The State-wise details of the list of 112 Aspirational Districts, across 26 States and 1 Union Territory is provided in Annexure – I. NITI Aayog being the nodal agency for Aspirational District Program maintains the champion of change portal (https://championsofchange.gov.in/) for aspirational districts. The district wise details of the educational indicators for aspirational districts can be accessed through the portal. (c) & (d): Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, this Department provides financial assistance to States and Union Territories for strengthening Government and Government-aided schools by bridging identified infrastructure gaps, including digital infrastructure. The assistance is provided based on the gaps reflected in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) and the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) proposals submitted by the respective States/UTs. The year wise financial allocation and utilization status of all the aspirational districts under Samagra Shiksha scheme is as follows; 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27* Allocation Expenditure Allocation Expenditure Allocation Expenditure (in Crore) (in Crore) (in Crore) (in Crore) (in Crore) (in Crore) 11,512.28 8,318.14 12,221.22 8,343.08 6,149.34 1,190.01 Source: extracted from the PRABANDH portal (*The data is up to July 2026, as the allocation of funds to the districts is currently underway) The Government has been taking sustained and targeted measures to strengthen school infrastructure, digital facilities and access to quality education, particularly in educationally disadvantaged areas. Under Samagra Shiksha, support is provided to States/UTs for creation and augmentation of school infrastructure, including additional classrooms, drinking water, hand wash and toilet facilities, internet, electricity, ICT labs and Smart Classrooms etc., based on requirements projected in Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B) of the respective year. Further, digital learning is being strengthened through DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), which provides curriculum-aligned digital content, e-books, teacher training resources and other learning materials, thereby facilitating technology-enabled learning and supporting teachers and students, including those in remote and underserved areas. As Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, the recruitment, deployment, service conditions, and professional development of teachers fall under the purview of respective State/UTgovernments. However, under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to States/UTs for maintaining the prescribed Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR), their capacity building and continued professional development subject to the norms of the Scheme. In addition, Samagra Shiksha provides targeted interventions to promote equitable access, participation and learning outcomes for children belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and other educationally disadvantaged groups, including those residing in Aspirational Districts. The details of these interventions are as follows: i. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs): Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). KGBVs are residential schools for girls belonging to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) such as Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Classes and others in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs). The objective of the scheme is to ensure access to quality education for girls from SEDGs and reduce the gender gap at the elementary to senior secondary level by setting up residential schools with boarding facilities. Currently, there are total 5,307 functional KGBVs in States & UTs. ii. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Awasiya Vidyalayas (NSCBAVs)- Samagra Shiksha supports the provision of residential facilities under the intervention entitled NSCBAVs, with the primary purpose of reaching out to girls, urban deprived and other disadvantaged children and creating equitable access to school education in remote, sparsely populated and difficult to reach areas, hilly terrains, areas affected by LWE, large uninhabited areas with natural barriers like forests, waterways, rivers, etc. At present, there are 1238 residential schools/hostels sanctioned under Samagra Shiksha. iii. Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PMJANMAN) targets development of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) residing in 18 States and UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Abhiyan envisages saturation of basic facilities, including Education, in these PVTG habitations/ villages by adopting whole of Government approach in convergence with line ministries. Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) is the nodal ministry for implementation of PM JANMAN. Ministry of Education is one of the participating Ministries in the Abhiyan and PM-JANMAN is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme of this Department. Since, 2023-24, construction of 500 hostels has been approved under PM-JANMAN. iv. Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA): Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) is the nodal ministry for implementation of DAJGUA. The Ministry of Education is one of the participating Ministries in the Abhiyan and DAJGUA is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme of this Department. DAJGUA scheme has a run over period from 2024-25 to 2028-29. Since 2024-25, 692 hostels have been approved under DA-JGUA. v. RTE Entitlement- Samagra Shiksha provides support for two sets of uniform to all girls, SC, ST children and Below Poverty Line (BPL) children at an average cost of Rs. 600/-per child per annum, wherever State Governments have incorporated the provision of school uniforms as a child entitlement in their State RTE Rules. vi. Besides, the Department is also implementing schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI), PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman), National Means cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, ULLAS- the New India Literacy Program to provide adequate school infrastructure (including digital), teaching learning material, teacher support, nutrition, so as to improve the learning outcomes of all students in all States and UTs, with special focus on aspirational districts. ******Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) & (B) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3622 ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 ASKED BY SHRI VIJAY KUMAR HANSDAK, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING EDUCATIONALLY BACKWARD DISTRICTS List of 112 Aspirational Districts S. No. State District 1 Andhra Pradesh Alluri Sitharamaraju 2 Andhra Pradesh Parvathipuram Manyam 3 Andhra Pradesh Y.S.R. 4 Arunachal Pradesh Namsai 5 Assam Goalpara 6 Assam Barpeta 7 Assam Hailakandi 8 Assam Baksa 9 Assam Darrang 10 Assam Udalguri 11 Assam Dhubri 12 Bihar Sitamarhi 13 Bihar Araria 14 Bihar Purnia 15 Bihar Katihar 16 Bihar Muzaffarpur 17 Bihar Begusarai 18 Bihar Khagaria 19 Bihar Banka 20 Bihar Sheikhpura 21 Bihar Aurangabad 22 Bihar Gaya 23 Bihar Nawada 24 Bihar Jamui 25 Chhattisgarh Korba 26 Chhattisgarh Rajnandgaon 27 Chhattisgarh Mahasamund 28 Chhattisgarh Kanker 29 Chhattisgarh Narayanpur 30 Chhattisgarh DantewadaS. No. State District 31 Chhattisgarh Bijapur 32 Chhattisgarh Bastar 33 Chhattisgarh Kondagaon 34 Chhattisgarh Sukma 35 Gujarat Dahod 36 Gujarat Narmada 37 Haryana Mewat 38 Himachal Pradesh Chamba 39 UT of Jammu & Kashmir Kupwara 40 UT of Jammu & Kashmir Baramulla 41 Jharkhand Garhwa 42 Jharkhand Chatra 43 Jharkhand Giridih 44 Jharkhand Godda 45 Jharkhand Sahibganj 46 Jharkhand Pakur 47 Jharkhand Bokaro 48 Jharkhand Lohardaga 49 Jharkhand Purbi Singhbhum 50 Jharkhand Palamu 51 Jharkhand Latehar 52 Jharkhand Hazaribagh 53 Jharkhand Ramgarh 54 Jharkhand Dumka 55 Jharkhand Ranchi 56 Jharkhand Khunti 57 Jharkhand Gumla 58 Jharkhand Simdega 59 Jharkhand Pashchimi Singhbhum 60 Karnataka Raichur 61 Karnataka Yadgir 62 Kerala Wayanad 63 Madhya Pradesh Chhatarpur 64 Madhya Pradesh Damoh 65 Madhya Pradesh Barwani 66 Madhya Pradesh Rajgarh 67 Madhya Pradesh Vidisha 68 Madhya Pradesh Guna 69 Madhya Pradesh SingrauliS. No. State District 70 Madhya Pradesh Khandwa 71 Maharashtra Nandurbar 72 Maharashtra Washim 73 Maharashtra Gadchiroli 74 Maharashtra Osmanabad/Dharashiv 75 Manipur Chandel 76 Meghalaya Ribhoi 77 Mizoram Mamit 78 Nagaland Kiphire 79 Odisha Dhenkanal 80 Odisha Gajapati 81 Odisha Kandhamal 82 Odisha Balangir 83 Odisha Kalahandi 84 Odisha Rayagada 85 Odisha Koraput 86 Odisha Malkangiri 87 Odisha Nabarangpur 88 Odisha Nuapada 89 Punjab Moga 90 Punjab Firozpur 91 Rajasthan Dholpur 92 Rajasthan Karauli 93 Rajasthan Jaisalmer 94 Rajasthan Sirohi 95 Rajasthan Baran 96 Sikkim Soreng 97 Tamil Nadu Virudhunagar 98 Tamil Nadu Ramanathapuram 99 Telangana Asifabad 100 Telangana Bhoopalapally 101 Telangana Bhadradri-Kothagudem/ Khammam 102 Tripura Dhalai 103 Uttar Pradesh Chitrakoot 104 Uttar Pradesh Fatehpur 105 Uttar Pradesh Bahraich 106 Uttar Pradesh Shrawasti 107 Uttar Pradesh Balrampur 108 Uttar Pradesh SiddharthnagarS. No. State District 109 Uttar Pradesh Chandauli 110 Uttar Pradesh Sonbhadra 111 Uttarakhand Udham Singh Nagar 112 Uttarakhand Haridwar