Parliament Question: Identifying of Educationally Backward Districts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1533 ANSWERED ON-09/02/2026 Identifying of Educationally Backward Districts 1533. Shri Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has identified educationally backward districts in the country especially in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe dominated areas, if so, the details thereof; (b) if not, the reasons for not identifying educationally backward districts; (c) whether there are any challenges in gathering reliable data or assessing the educational needs in these regions and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has alternative methods or strategies to address educational backwardness in SC/ST communities without specifically identifying backward districts; (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons thereof; (f) whether there is any plan to initiate such identification in the future and if so, the details thereof along with the timeline for the same; and (g) if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (g): Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education 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, 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). However, with the launch of the Aspirational Districts Programme by NITI Aayog in January 2018 to improve social outcomes, including education, in backward districts, government programmes are now aligned to meet the infrastructure and educational needs of the country’s Aspirational Districts. There are 112 Aspirational Districts across 26 States and 1 Union Territory. State wise list of Aspirational Districts is given in Annexure-I. Further, the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on January 7, 2023, during the 2nd National Conference of Chief Secretaries. Thistransformational programme focuses on improving governance to enhance the quality of life of citizens in the most difficult and underdeveloped blocks of India by converging existing schemes, defining outcomes, and monitoring them on a constant basis. The data in respect to the aspirational districts and block is timely captured through Champion of Change portal of NITI Aayog. Further, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L) also has a Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+ portal) to monitor the education indicators of the schools. This Department is focused on universal access to schooling for all from pre-primary to Class XII through the Integrated Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education namely Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan launched with effect from the year 2018-19. The Government, through the Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI schemes, along with other interventions, supports States and UTs in strengthening government and government-aided schools through targeted measures aimed at improving infrastructure, quality, and equity in education. Under the scheme, assistance is provided for the creation and upgradation of school infrastructure such as classrooms, toilets, drinking water facilities, ICT facilities, and barrier-free access, along with support for teaching- learning materials and digital initiatives to improve learning outcomes, with special focus on Aspirational Districts/Blocks. Further, special focus on SC/ST/EBBs is provided through the following interventions under Samagra Shiksha: i. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs): Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of KGBVs which are residential schools from Class VI to XII for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). The KGBVs are set up in Educationally Backward Blocks. The objective behind establishing KGBVs is to ensure access and quality education to girls from disadvantaged groups by setting up residential schools and to reduce gender gaps at all levels of school education. Currently, total 5269 KGBVs are functional with enrolment of 7,58,288 girls (including 1,77,009 ST girls and 2,06, 297 SC girls). 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. iii. Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) which aims to saturate Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, electrification of unelectrified households and sustainable livelihood opportunities in a mission mode. Ministry of Education, DoSE&L is one of the participating Ministries in the Abhiyan and PM-JANMAN is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme. As on date, total 500 hostels have been sanctioned under PM-JANMAN. iv. Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA): It aims at saturation of more than 63,000 tribal majority villages and tribal villages in Aspirational Districts with specifiedinterventions. Ministry of Education, DoSE&L is one of the participating Ministries in the Abhiyan and that DAJGUA is being implemented in convergence with Samagra Shiksha Scheme of this Department. So far, DoSEL has approved 692 Hostels under DA-JGUA. v. RTE Entitlement- Provision of Free Uniform: 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 student 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), to provide adequate school infrastructure (including digital), teaching learning material, teacher support, PM POSHAN scheme (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman) for providing nutrition through mid-day meals in schools, National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)- merit scholarship for EWS students so as to improve the learning outcomes of all students in all States and UTs, with special focus on aspirational districts. vii. Separately, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is implementing the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) which is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which consist of three components namely Adarsh Gram, Grant-In-Aid and Hostel. One of its components namely ‘Hostel’ aims at providing central assistance for construction of new Hostel buildings for Scheduled Castes (SC) Students (separately for Boys and Girls). The hostels are taken up for construction based on the proposals received from respective State Governments/Central Universities. ******Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (G) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1533 ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI RAMASAHAYAM RAGHURAM REDDY, HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING IDENTIFYING 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 Dantewada 31 Chhattisgarh Bijapur 32 Chhattisgarh Bastar 33 Chhattisgarh KondagaonS. No. State District 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 Singrauli 70 Madhya Pradesh Khandwa 71 Maharashtra Nandurbar 72 Maharashtra Washim 73 Maharashtra Gadchiroli 74 Maharashtra Osmanabad 75 Manipur ChandelS. No. State District 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 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 Siddharthnagar 109 Uttar Pradesh Chandauli 110 Uttar Pradesh Sonbhadra 111 Uttarakhand Udham Singh Nagar 112 Uttarakhand Haridwar