**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to an unstarred question (no. 314) regarding interventions under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, answered on February 2nd, 2026. The Department of School Education and Literacy has been implementing the Samagra Shiksha since 2018-19 across the country, aligned with the National Education Policy, 2020, to provide qualitative and holistic education. The document details various initiatives, financial assistance, and monitoring mechanisms under the scheme.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Samagra Shiksha Scheme Overview:**
* Integrated centrally sponsored scheme for school education implemented since 2018-19.
* Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
* Aims to ensure access to qualitative, holistic, equitable, and inclusive education.
* Addresses diverse backgrounds, multilingual needs, and different academic abilities.
* **Financial Assistance:**
* Provided to States and UTs for various activities towards universalization of school education.
* Includes opening/strengthening schools up to senior secondary level.
* Construction of school buildings and additional classrooms.
* Development of school infrastructure in border areas under Vibrant Village Programme.
* Setting up hostels for PVTGs under PM-JANMAN and other initiatives.
* Free uniforms and textbooks for eligible children at the elementary level.
* Transport allowance and enrolment & retention drives.
* Support for special training for out-of-school children and seasonal hostels/residential camps.
* **Gender and Social Equity:**
* Aims to bridge gender and social category gaps at all levels.
* Promotes opening of schools in the neighborhood for easier access for girls.
* Free uniforms and textbooks for eligible girls up to Class VIII.
* Additional teachers and residential quarters for teachers in remote/hilly areas.
* Appointment of additional teachers, including women teachers.
* Stipend to CWSN girls from class 1 to class XII.
* Separate toilets for girls and teacher sensitization programs.
* Operational Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) as residential schools for girls.
* **Inclusive Education:**
* Provides support to CwSN through student-oriented interventions.
* Includes identification and assessment camps, aids, appliances, assistive devices, scribe and transportation allowance.
* Provision of Braille books, large print books, and stipends for girls with special needs.
* Therapeutic interventions at the block level.
* Creation of differently-abled friendly infrastructure in schools.
* **Digital Initiatives:**
* PM eVidya unifies digital education efforts with 200 DTH TV channels and 400 radio channels.
* DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) provides quality e-content and QR-coded textbooks.
* Financial assistance for setting up ICT labs and smart classrooms.
* **Skill Education:**
* Integrates skill education with general academic education in secondary schools.
* Aligns with NEP 2020 to enhance employability and entrepreneurial abilities.
* **Teacher Training:**
* NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement) is a capacity-building program.
* Training extended to secondary stage teachers and master trainers.
* Development of all DIETs into Centers of Excellence starting FY 2023-24.
* **Assessment and Monitoring:**
* PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 conducted to understand student performance.
* UDISE+ reports monitor transition rates.
* Robust monitoring system via Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0, UDISE, PRABANDH, PARAKH, and audit mechanisms.
* **Decentralized Planning:**
* Samagra Shiksha promotes decentralized management of school education.
* Annual Plans prepared by States/UTs considering district-level priorities.
* Plans assessed by the Project Approval Board, and funds released accordingly.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Students**
* **Impact:** Improved access to quality education, especially for girls, CwSN, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, through various interventions and financial support. Increased opportunities for skill development and exposure to technology.
* **Action Required:** Actively participate in learning programs and utilize available resources like digital content and infrastructure.
**Stakeholder: Teachers and School Heads**
* **Impact:** Enhanced professional development through NISHTHA training. Access to resources and infrastructure for improved teaching and learning environments.
* **Action Required:** Participate in training programs, implement innovative teaching methods, and utilize digital resources to improve the quality of education.
**Stakeholder: State and UT Governments**
* **Impact:** Financial and resource support for implementing various educational initiatives under Samagra Shiksha. Guidance for aligning with NEP 2020 and achieving educational goals.
* **Action Required:** Prepare annual plans based on district-level priorities, ensure effective implementation of the scheme, and monitor progress through robust monitoring systems.
**Stakeholder: Department of School Education and Literacy**
* **Impact:** Responsibility for overseeing the implementation of Samagra Shiksha and ensuring alignment with national education policies.
* **Action Required:** Assess and appraise annual plans, release funds, and monitor the impact of the scheme through various monitoring mechanisms.
Key Entities Referenced
Samagra Shiksha Scheme: An integrated centrally sponsored scheme for school education across the country, aimed at universal access, gender equality, inclusive education, and holistic improvement of school education.
Department of School Education & Literacy: The department responsible for implementing the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.
National Education Policy, 2020: A policy document whose recommendations are aligned with the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.
Maharashtra: A state where specific districts are focused under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, especially aspirational and educationally backward areas.
PM eVidya: A digital initiative that unifies digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education across the country.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 314
ANSWERED ON- 02/02/2026
INTERVENTIONS UNDER SAMAGRA SHIKSHA SCHEME
†314. Shri Dileshwar Kamait:
Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke:
Dr. Shivaji Bandappa Kalge:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the details of major interventions including universal access, gender equality, inclusive
education, digital initiatives, vocational education and teacher training being undertaken in
the country under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, State/UT- wise;
(b) the names of the districts covered under this scheme so far especially in the aspirational
and educationally backward areas of Maharashtra;
(c) the details of the results achieved so far under the scheme particularly in terms of
learnings outcomes, transition rates and improvement in the quality of education especially
in aspirational and educationally backward districts of Maharashtra; and
(d) whether any steps have been taken by the Government to promote the use of
technology, strengthen institutional mechanisms and ensure effective convergence and
monitoring to realize the vision of inclusive and equitable quality education and if so, the
details thereof, State/UT-wise including Maharashtra?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (d): The Department of School Education and Literacy is implementing an Integrated
Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education- Samagra Shiksha since 2018-19
across the country, including the State of Maharashtra. The scheme has been aligned with
the recommendations of the National Education Policy, 2020 with aim to ensure that all
children have access to qualitative and holistic education with an equitable and inclusiveclassroom environment which should take care of their diverse background, multilingual
needs, different academic abilities and make them active participants in the learning
process.
Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for undertaking
various activities for universalization of school education, including opening/strengthening
of new schools upto senior secondary level, construction of school buildings & additional
classrooms, development/strengthening of school infrastructure in border areas under
Vibrant Village Programme through the convergence of existing scheme of DOSEL, setting
up, construction of hostels for PVTGs under PM-JANMAN, setting up of Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, construction of hostels under Dharti Aaba Janjatiya
Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan for unsaturated ST population, free uniforms to eligible children and
free text books at elementary level, transport allowance and undertaking enrolment &
retention drives. Special training for age-appropriate admission of out of school children and
residential as well as non-residential training for older children, seasonal hostels / residential
camps, special training centers at worksites, transport/ escort facility etc. are also supported
to bring out of school children to the formal schooling system.
Bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of
the major objectives of Samagra Shiksha. In order to ensure greater participation of girls in
school education, Samagra Shiksha promotes opening of schools in the neighbourhood to
make access easier for girls, free uniform to eligible girls and text-books to girls up to Class
VIII, additional teachers and residential quarters for teachers in remote/hilly areas,
appointment of additional teachers including women teachers, stipend to CWSN girls from
class 1 to class XII, separate toilets for girls, teachers sensitization programmes to promote
girls participation, gender-sensitive teaching-learning materials including text books. In
addition, to reduce gender gaps at all levels of school education and ensure access and
quality education to girls, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) - which are
residential schools for girls are operational.
Inclusive Education component of Samagra Shiksha, provides support to CwSN via
specific student-oriented interventions such as identification and assessment camps,
provision of aids, appliances and assistive devices, scribe, transportation and escort
allowance support, Braille books and large print books, stipend for girls with special needs
and teaching-learning materials etc. in order to appropriately address their unique
educational requirements in general schools. Further, individualized support is alsoprovided through therapeutic interventions at the block level. Samagra Shiksha also has
provisions for creation of differently-abled friendly infrastructure such as ramps with
handrails and differently-abled friendly toilets for barrier free access in schools.
A Digital Initiative - PM eVidya - unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air
education to enable multi-mode access to education across the country. PM eVidya
includes 200 DTH TV Channels allotted to States/UTs/Autonomous Bodies (ABs)/Other
Ministries in Government of India and 400 Radio channels to enable them to provide
supplementary education as per their requirement in various Indian languages for classes
1-12. Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the Nation’s One Nation,
One Digital platform for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs along
with QR coded Energised Textbooks (ETBs) for all grades.
Under Samagra Shiksha, financial assistance is provided to States/UTs, including
rural and backward regions, inter-alia for setting up of ICT labs and smart classrooms in
Government and Government Aided Schools having classes VI to XII for non-
recurring/recurring grant under ‘ICT and Digital Initiatives’.
Skill Education components under Samagra Shiksha aims at integrating Skill
Education with general academic education in all Secondary schools which is in alignment
with the objective of NEP 2020; enhancing the employability and entrepreneurial abilities of
the students, providing exposure to work environment; and generating awareness amongst
students about various career options so as to enable them to make a choice in accordance
with their aptitude, competence and aspirations.
National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA)
is a capacity building programme for "Improving Quality of School Education through
Integrated Teacher Training". NISHTHA online was launched using DIKSHA platform in
October, 2020. NISHTHA training has been extended to secondary stage teachers in 2021-
22. NISHTHA also caters to Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and Early Childhood Care
and Education (ECCE) for training of master trainers. Further, the Government has decided
to develop all functional 613 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) into
Centers of Excellence in a phased manner starting from FY 2023-24.PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 was conducted on 4th December, 2024 to
understand the baseline performance among students at the end of the Foundational,
Preparatory and Middle Stages in grade 3, 6 and 9. National, State and District level reports
for PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 are available at
https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en. The findings of PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan
2024 highlight a significant improvement when compared to National Achievement Survey
(NAS 21) scores in foundational literacy and numeracy skills, thereby, reflecting the positive
impact of the NIPUN Bharat Mission launched under NEP 2020.
As per UDISE+ 2024-25 Report, the overall Transition Rates in Maharashtra are 99.5
percent, 98.4 percent and 79.2 percent for Primary to Upper Primary, Upper Primary to
Secondary and Secondary to Higher Secondary, respectively.
Samagra Shiksha aims at promoting decentralized management of school education.
Under the Scheme, the Annual Plans are prepared by the States and UTs for all districts
including aspirational districts, keeping in view their districts’ educational priorities and
requirements. These plans are then assessed and appraised by the Project Approval Board
in the Department and funds are released as per the norms of the Scheme and as per fund
sharing pattern decided by the Ministry of Finance.
The Scheme has robust system of monitoring through Performance Grading Index
(PGI) 2.0, Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), Project Appraisal
Budgeting Achievement and Data Handling System (PRABANDH), Strengthening of BRCs
and CRCs, PARAKH, Audit Mechanism, Social Audit, Community level monitoring and
Periodic meeting with Stakeholders.
Need based convergence with different Ministries/Departments of the Central and State
Governments has been an important part of planning and implementation under Samagra
Shiksha.
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