Centre Grants Rs.185 Crore to Boost ST Female Literacy Rate
The government has released approximately Rs.185 crore since 2015-16 to promote ST girls' tribal education. This scheme will be implemented through non-governmental and voluntary organizations.
Approximately Rs.185 crore has been released by the Centre since 2015-16 to lower the gap between literacy levels of tribal girls and general female population.
Jaswantsinh Bhabhor, Minister of State, Tribal Affairs informed the Lok Sabha that the government had released Rs.53.29 crore in the year 2015-16 for tribal girls’ education in 54 districts wherein the literacy rate for females is lower than 35 percent. In 2016-17, Rs. 65.44 crore was released for ST Girls Education in low literacy areas, he added.
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This scheme will be implemented through non-governmental and voluntary organisations and looks at reducing the dropout rate at the elementary level through the creation of the right ambience for focusing on the education of tribal girls, the minister further mentioned.
The government had released Rs.46.28 crore in 2017-18 and so far Rs.20.36 crore has been released in 2018-2019.
Two months ago, the Union Cabinet had given approval for setting up a Central Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh, and the university will look at the overall development of the backward regions. This university will be set under the Thirteenth Schedule to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Cabinet will also release funds of Rs.420 crore in the first phase of establishment of the Central Tribal University.
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The University will look at the overall development of the backward regions and will give everyone access to higher education. It will be operational from 2019-20 with a rough student strength of 250, and the student strength is expected to go up to 4,000 students in the next 7 years.