MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI ARJUN SINGH)
(a) to (f) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 509
FOR 29.4.2008 ASKED BY SHRI HARIBHAU RATHOD REGARDING LITERACY RATE AMONG THE CHILDREN OF
DENOTIFIED NOMADIC TRIBES
(a) According to census 2001, literacy rates of Banjara and their cognate tribes
(i.e. Sugali, Lambadi and Lambani), wherever notified by certain States as SCs or STs, are
placed at Annexure-I. The figures for denotified tribes are not collected in the census.
b) No separate data in respect of dropout rates of children belonging to Banajras/
Denotified Nomadic Tribes is maintained.
c) The steps being taken to improve the literacy percentage including that of Banjara/
Denotified Nomadic Tribes are as follows :
# Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive programme for universalizing quality
elementary education for all children for 6 to 14 age group by 2010. It provides for, inter
alia, opening of new primary and upper primary schools, construction of school buildings and
additional classrooms, recruitment of teachers, context specific interventions for out of school
children, special provision for girls, SC, ST children, alternative schooling facilities for
migratory children
# Reservation of seats for children belonging to SCs and STs is provided by Navodaya Vidyalaya
Samiti in proportion to their population in the concerned district provided that no such reservation
will be less than the national average of 22.5% (15% for SCs and 7.5% for STs) and subject to a
maximum of 50% for both SCs and STs taken together.
# 15% and 7.5% seats are reserved for SCs and STs respectively in Kendriya Vidyalaya
Sangathan in fresh admission. No tuition fee is charged from students up to class VIII from
SC/ST students.
# National Literacy Mission aims to impart functional literacy to adult illiterates in the
15-35 age group. Financial assistance is provided in the ratio 4:1 for tribal districts as against
2:1 for other districts as central and state share respectively. Primers have been prepared in 92
tribal languages and local dialects to facilitate learning in the mother tongue.
(d ) to (f) Universalisation of elementary education through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and
Adult Literacy programmes of National Literacy Mission aim at improving the literacy
rate in the country for all including the Banjaras/ Denotified Nomadic Tribes.
