An expert committee under the University Grants Commission (UGC) identified 374 educationally backward districts (EBDs) with a gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education less than the national average of 12.4 percent, minister of state in the education ministry, Subhas Sarkar informed the Rajya Sabha. The State-wise details regarding EBDs were also shared by the minister while responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The minister informed Rajya Sabha that the central government has implemented different educational schemes for supporting the state governments in improving the quality of education. He also said in the written reply that since education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Indian constitution, improving the quality of education is the responsibility of both the central and state governments.
The Sarkar cited the centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) implemented by the higher education department to promote access, equity, and quality, inter alia as an example. Under the RUSA scheme, the Union government provides central assistance to states for the creation of model degree colleges, and infrastructure grants to colleges and universities, among others.
An amount of Rs. 5,896.33 crores has been sanctioned for the RUSA scheme under to improve the EBDs in India, claimed the minister. Sarkar also shared the list of EBDs along with the reply to the unstarred question asked in the Rajya Sabha.
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