India 2018

168 India 2018
enabling environment to reduce the drop-outs and to promote the enrolment of
girl children belonging mainly to SC/ST communities in secondary schools.
According to the scheme, a sum of ` 3,000/- is deposited in the name of the
unmarried eligible girls as fixed deposit on enrolment in class IX, who are entitled
to withdraw it along with interest thereon on passing X Class and attaining 18
years of age . The scheme covers (i) all girls belonging to SC/ST communities,
who pass VIII and (ii) all girls who pass VIII examination from Kasturba Gandhi
Balika Vidyalayas (irrespective of whether they belong to SC/ST) and enrol in
class IX in a state government, Government-aided and local body schools. Canara
Bank is the implementing agency for the scheme.
Implemenation of Direct ect Benefit Transfer
The Government launched Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme/system from
2013 under which 25 schemes across eight ministries/departments were selected
for implementation of DBT system in 43 pilot districts of 16 states/UTs. It
envisages direct transfer of funds to beneficiary account through the Aadhaar
Payment Bridge (APB). From 2015, DBT Scheme was been extended in the entire
country. Two scholarship schemes of the Department of School Education and
Literacy, viz. National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) and
National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) are
covered under DBT. A National Scholarship Portal (NSP) has been made
operational for on-line submission of proposals/list of beneficiaries by the state
governments for National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) and
National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE).
Adult Education
At the time of independence, 86 per cent of India's population was illiterate
and as such the main focus of adult education had been on its very bottom tier
i.e. imparting of 'Basic literacy'. For accomplishment of this objective, a series
of programmes had been introduced since the First Plan period, the most
prominent, being the National Literacy Mission (NLM), launched in 1988 for
the adults in the age group of 15+. The programme of National Literacy Mission
was re-vamped in 2009 in alignment with new paradigms of lifelong learning
as Saakshar Bharat. Considerable progress has been made in raising the Literacy
rate of the country but still the literacy levels remain uneven across different
states, districts, social groups and minorities. The overall goal of adult education
is to establish a fully literate society through improved quality and standard of
adult education and literacy.
The National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA) is the operating and
implementing organization at national level for all the activities envisaged in
Adult Education and Skill Development. During the 12th Five Year Plan, NLMA
has been striving to raise the literacy rate to 80 per cent and to reduce the gender
gap to less than 10 per cent.
Of the 410 districts which qualify for coverage under Saakshar Bharat
Programme, the Programme has been sectioned in 404 districts in 26 states and