Replying to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today the Union Minister of State Shri. Durgadas Uikey said that the Government has undertaken significant steps for expansion of the Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) Scheme to provide quality education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, particularly in remote and underserved tribal dominated areas. In the Union Budget 2018–19, the Government of India decided to establish Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) from class VI to XII, in blocks having more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, as per the 2011 Census. Accordingly, 728 EMRSs across the country were approved which included 288 old EMRSs established under the scheme Grants-in-aid under proviso to Article 275 (1) of Constitution of India and 440 new EMRSs. As on date, 723 EMRSs have already been sanctioned out of which 499 are functional. This expansion serves as a long-term policy roadmap to ensure access to quality residential education for Scheduled Tribe students through EMRS.

The establishment of EMRSs is based on the prescribed block-level twin criteria. The expansion of the EMRS scheme to 728 identified blocks reflects a substantial effort to meet the educational needs of ST students in underserved areas. The Government remains committed to strengthening educational infrastructure for ST students through targeted interventions, including the EMRS scheme.

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RN/

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