Centre plans more schools, hostels in Naxal-hit areas

As part of its multi-pronged strategy for the 35 naxal-affected districts, the Human Resource Development Ministry will ensure speedy implementation of new schemes like Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Model Schools and the Girls’ Hostel Programme.

Under the RMSA, which aims at universalising secondary education in the country by 2020, as many as 384 schools have been approved for the naxal-affected districts in 2010-11.

Similarly, 32 schools out of the 327 sanctioned in 2009-10 under the Model School Programme are located in these districts.

Seventy-four model English medium schools will be set up in Chhattisgarh. Twenty such schools have already been sanctioned by the HRD Ministry and funds have been disbursed to the Chhattisgarh government to set them up in blocks across Dantewada, Durg, Raigarh, Bilaspur, Bijapur and Surguja districts.

More schools will come up in the educationally backward blocks of Jashpur, Korba, Raigarh, Kawardha, Janjgir-Champa and Bastar districts. Three such schools will come up in Dantwada district.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had pointed out in Parliament that naxals in 2009 destroyed 71 schools, 23 Panchayat Bhawans, two power plants, 67 telephones exchanges and mobile towers, with 46 attacks on railway property and 17 on specific industrial establishments.

In Bihar model schools will come up in Rohtas, Kaimur, Jamui, Gaya, Arwal, Nawada, Aurangabad and Jehanabad.

Eighty-seven such institutions will be set up in West Bengal and 203 in Jharkhand.
Model schools, which comes under a special scheme announced by the prime minister two years ago, will have infrastructure and facilities on a par with kendriya vidyalayas.

Forty-four girls’ hostels have been sanctioned for these districts, which have been labelled as special focus districts.