Parliament Question: Strengthening and Expansion of EMRSs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1930 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2026 STRENGTHENING AND EXPANSION OF EMRSs 1930. SMT. HIMADRI SINGH: SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI ANANTA NAYAK: Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the specific measures undertaken to strengthen the existing Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) network across the country with special reference to tribal-dominated Lok Sabha Constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha; (b) the steps taken to enhance the educational quality, digital literacy tools and smart-classroom infrastructure in functional EMRSs in the country including Shahdol Lok Sabha Constituency schools located in Sohagpur, Jaitpur, Anuppur and Umaria; (c) the institutional and administrative reforms introduced through the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) for the effective management, standardized teacher recruitment and timely allocation of funds to these schools; (d) the progress made in the expansion and operationalisation of EMRSs across the country including the number of schools sanctioned, functional and under construction in Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh particularly in the Keonjhar, Araria and Shahdol Lok Sabha Constituencies; and (e) the details of funds allocated, student enrollment, teaching staff and infrastructure created for EMRSs in Odisha particularly in the Keonjhar Lok Sabha Constituency? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY) (a) to (d) Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the scheme of Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) for providing quality education to tribal students in their own environment preserving local art and culture. EMRS are established in tribal dominated blocks having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, as per Census 2011. As on date, 728 EMRSs have been approved out of which 508 are functional across the country. Various steps have been undertaken to enhance the quality of education and extra-curricular activities in EMRSs across the country viz. well-equipped classrooms with modern teaching aids, bridge courses, remedial classes science and computer laboratories, libraries with diverse learning resources, playgrounds and sports equipment,facilities for extracurricular activities like music, art, and sports, smart classrooms for digital education, computer labs with internet access, skill development and vocational training programs on apparel, Automotive, AR/VR, AI, Beauty & Wellness, Agriculture, Electronics, and retail to enhance employability, etc. To strengthen digital learning in EMRSs, smart classrooms, digital boards, computer labs with internet connectivity, and a dedicated DTH TV have been provided. Eklavya channel provides curriculum-based learning and competitive exam content for Classes 9th to 12th, ensuring continuous access to quality educational resources. At present there are 284 Smart classrooms in EMRSs across the country including the blocks of Sohagpur, Jaitpur, Anuppur and Umaria located in Shahdol Lok Sabha Constituency. Further, National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) continuously follows up with the State Governments and the execution agencies to expedite construction of EMRSs and to make them functional at the earliest. Besides, State Governments have also been advised to make the EMRS functional in alternate buildings, wherever feasible. To strengthen the governance, management and operation of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs), various institutional reforms have been taken such as;  Establishment of National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to provide overall policy direction, academic support, monitoring, capacity building, recruitment, standardization of processes and implementation of the EMRS Scheme across the country;  State EMRS Societies to oversee the implementation, administration and day-to-day management of EMRSs within their jurisdictions;  District Level EMRS Committees, under the Chairmanship of the District Collector/District Magistrates to strengthen local oversight and resolve local implementation issues.  Comprehensive operational guidelines and circulars covering academic administration, financial management, procurement, student welfare, health and safety, hostel management, and grievance redressal to ensure uniform standards across all EMRSs.  Centralized recruitment mechanism through the EMRS Staff Selection Examination (ESSE) has been instituted to ensure the appointment of qualified and competent teaching and non-teaching personnel across EMRSs.  Structured induction programmes, regular in-service training, and continuous capacity-building initiatives to enhance professional competencies and strengthen institutional effectiveness.  In order to provide timely funds to EMRSs, NESTS is releasing recurring grant directly to the schools. These institutional reforms have strengthened accountability, coordination, monitoring and thereby improving overall management of EMRSs. The State-wise details of sanctioned, operational and construction status of EMRSs, including Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, are at Annexure I. The details of sanctioned, operational and construction status of EMRSs in Keonjhar and Shahdol Parliament Constituency are at Annexure II. None of the blocks in Araria Lok Sabha Constituency fulfill the prescribed criteria for establishing EMRS. (e): Enrollment of students in the EMRSs situated in Keonjhar Lok Sabha constituency: District EMRS Total No. of Students (AY-2025-26) Keonjhar EMRS Champua 329 Keonjhar EMRS Ranki 407 Keonjhar EMRS Patana 120 Keonjhar EMRS Karanjia 415 Keonjhar EMRS Thakurmunda 120Total fund released for EMRS scheme to State of Odisha during last 5 years is Rs. 2254.71 Crore. To address the issue of vacancies, 9111 teaching & non -teaching staff have already been recruited and examination has been conducted for another batch of 7267 teaching & non -teaching staff for EMRSs across the country. Total 514 teaching staff have been posted in EMRSs across Odisha in first phase of recruitment including 59 teaching staff in EMRSs in Keonjhar Lok Sabha constituency. In addition, State Governments have also been advised to depute staff on deputation and contract basis to address the issue of vacancies so that academic activities are not hampered. EMRSs are well equipped with modern design with separate Boys’ and Girls’ Hostels, integrated dining and kitchen facilities, quarters for teaching and non-teaching staff, well-ventilated classrooms with modern teaching aids, science and computer laboratories, libraries with diverse learning resources, playgrounds and sports equipment, facilities for extracurricular activities like music, art and sports to preserve local art and culture.Annexure I Annexure as referred in part (a) to (d) of the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1930 for 30.07.2026 raised by Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Pradeep Kumar Singh and Shri Ananta Nayak regarding “ STRENGTHENING AND EXPANSION OF EMRSs” State wise status of EMRSs as on 30th June 2026 Sl. State / UT Sanctioned Functional/ Various stages of No EMRS Construction 1 Andhra Pradesh 28 28 4 2 Arunachal Pradesh 11 5 3 3 Assam 17 6 7 4 Bihar 3 2 1 5 Chhattisgarh 75 75 31 6 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & 1 1 1 Diu 7 Gujarat 47 44 12 8 Himachal Pradesh 4 4 2 9 Jammu & Kashmir 6 6 3 10 Jharkhand 91 51 28 11 Karnataka 12 12 0 12 Kerala 4 4 1 13 Ladakh 3 0 2 14 Madhya Pradesh 71 71 16 15 Maharashtra 39 37 14 16 Manipur 21 5 14 17 Meghalaya 38 2 29 18 Mizoram 17 11 7 19 Nagaland 22 3 19 20 Odisha 114 47 45 21 Rajasthan 31 31 0 22 Sikkim 4 4 0 23 Tamil Nadu 8 8 1 24 Telangana 23 23 1 25 Tripura 21 12 5 26 Uttar Pradesh 4 3 0 27 Uttarakhand 4 4 2 28 West Bengal 9 9 1 Grand Total 728 508 249Annexure II Annexure as referred in part (a) to (d) of the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1930 for 30.07.2026 raised by Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Pradeep Kumar Singh and Shri Ananta Nayak regarding “ STRENGTHENING AND EXPANSION OF EMRSs” The Status of sanctioned, operational and under construction EMRSs in Keonjhar and Shahdol Parliament Constituency S. Parliament State District Block/ Taluka Functioning Construction No. Constituency Status Status Keonjhar Parliament Constituency 1 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Bamebari (Joda) Non Functional Pre-Construction Stage 2 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Baria (Jhumpura) Non Functional Pre-Construction Stage 3 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Champua Functional Completed 4 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Ghatgaon Non Functional Completed 5 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Harichandanpur Non Functional Completed 6 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Kendujhar Sadar Functional Completed 7 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Nayakote Non Functional Completed (Banspal) 8 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Patana Functional Completed 9 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Saharapada Non Functional Completed 10 Keonjhar Odisha Kendujhar Telkoi Non Functional Completed 11 Keonjhar Odisha Mayurbhanj Karanjia Functional Completed 12 Keonjhar Odisha Mayurbhanj Thakurmunda Functional Completed Shahdol Parliament Constituency S.No. Parliament State District Block/ Taluka Functioning Construction Constituency Status Status 1 Shahdol Madhya Shahdol Shahdol Functional In Progress Pradesh 2 Shahdol Madhya Shahdol Sohagpur Functional Completed Pradesh 3 Shahdol Madhya Shahdol Jaitpur Functional Completed Pradesh 4 Shahdol Madhya Anuppur Jaitahari Functional Completed Pradesh 5 Shahdol Madhya Anuppur Pushparajgarh Functional In Progress Pradesh 6 Shahdol Madhya Umaria Pali (MP) Functional Completed Pradesh *****