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Overview
Mahila Samakhya
Mahila Samakhya programme recognises the centrality
of education in empowering women to achieve equality.
Adopting an innovative approach, it seeks to bring
about change in women’s perception about themselves
and the perception of society with regard to women’s
traditional roles. It was designed to mobilise and
organise marginalised rural women for education, by
creating an environment for learning. The programme
was launched in 1989 as a 100 per cent Dutch-assisted
project and subsequently extended to some States with
funding under District Primary Education Programme.
Mahila Samakhya is being funded by the Government
of India from the year 2003-04, and currently covers
more than 15,823 villages spread over 63 districts in
nine States – Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and
Uttaranchal. Some MS societies are also involved in
implementation of the NPEGEL programme as well as
KGBV programmes in their States.
An Education Cess @ 2 per cent on
direct and indirect Central taxes has
been imposed through Finance (No.2)
Act, 2004, “so as to fulfil the
commitment of the government to provide
and finance universalised quality basic
education”. The Cess is expected to yield
about Rs. 6000-8000 crore per annum.
Proceeds of the Cess will be used for
implementation of the two main
programmes related to Universal
Elementary Education viz Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid-Day Meal.
Legislation on Free and Compulsory Education
The Constitution (86 th Amendment) Act, 2002,
notified on 13.12.2002, seeks, inter alia, to insert a new
Article 21-A (“Right to Education”) in Part – III
[“Fundamental Rights”] of the Constitution. Article 21-
A states that “The State shall provide free and
compulsory education to all children of the age of six
to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by
law, determine”. Pursuant to the above, a draft Bill
entitled “Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2004”
was prepared, and views of the State Governments were
sought on it in January, 2004.
The subject of the draft Bill was also discussed in the
first meeting of the reconstituted Central Advisory
Board of Education (CABE) held in August, 2004. As
decided in that meeting, a Committee of CABE was
constituted to consider the matter of the draft
legislation, under the Chairmanship of Sri. Kapil Sibal,
Minister of State for Science & Technology and Ocean
Development, vide Order dt. 08.09.04. The Report of
the Committee, containing “essential provisions” of the
draft legislation was considered by the CABE in its
meeting on 14-15 th July, 2005. Complete version of the
draft legislation has been prepared and sent to all States/
UTs as well as placed on the website for comments from
the public at large. In the meantime the PM constituted
a small group on the Bill to examine its legal
constitutional and financial implications comprising
HRM, Finance Minister, Dy. Chairman, Planning
Commission and Chairman of the PM’s Economic
Advisory Council. The report of the group has been
received.
Education Cess
An Education Cess @ 2 per cent on direct and indirect
Central taxes has been imposed through Finance (No.2)
Act, 2004, “so as to fulfil the commitment of the
government to provide and finance universalised quality
basic education”. The Cess is expected to yield about
Rs. 6000-8000 crore per annum. Proceeds of the Cess
will be used for implementation of the two main
programmes related to Universal Elementary Education
viz Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid-Day Meal.
Annual Report 2005-06
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