Government Schemes: Ministry of Human Resource Development

By Hemant Kumar|Updated : May 2nd, 2020

The Ministry of Human Resource Development is a very important ministry for the development of human capital in India. It was formerly Ministry of Education (until September 1985), I and is tasked with the development of human resources in India. This Ministry launches various schemes ranging from primary education, teachers training, Scientific development etc. 

Schemes launched by Ministry of Human Resource Development is very often been asked in UPSC and other exams so we have compiled all the important schemes launched by the ministry in a summarised manner.

 

Government Schemes: Ministry of Human Resource Development

Scheme

Objective

Few Points to remember

Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP)

To deliver on the principles of Access, Inclusion, Quality, Excellence and enhancing
employability in Higher Education.

  • EQUIP is a 5 Year vision plan.
  • Aims to transform India‘s higher education system by implementing strategic interventions
    in the sector for over five years (2019-2024).

SAMAGRA SIKSHA- AN INTEGRATED SCHEME FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION

Providing high-quality education and improving student learning outcomes.

Bridging Social & Gender Gaps in School Education

  • The scheme will be enforced by the Centre through a single State Implementation Society (SIS) at the state / UT level as a centrally funded scheme.
  • It subsumes 3 erstwhile schemes namely:
    • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA),
    • Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and
    • Teacher Education (TE).
  • This is an overarching programme for the school education extending from pre-school to class XII.

 

IMPRESS Scheme

to identify as well as fund research proposals in social sciences that have maximum impact on the governance and society.

  • Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS) for promoting policy research in social science.
  • Under this scheme, 1,500 research projects will be funded for 2 years.
  • The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) is tasked with implementing and monitoring of the scheme.
  • Some Examples of the identified domains are State and democracy, Media culture and society, Employment skills and rural transformation, Governance innovation and public policy innovation, Politics Law and economics etc.

Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram

to provide a fully IT-based Student
Financial Aid Authority for the administration and monitoring of Scholarship as well as Educational Loan Schemes.

  • Vidya Lakshmi Portal has been set up for students seeking education loans.
  • It provides a single-window electronic platform for students to get access to all information and prepares applications for Educational Loans and Government Scholarships.
  • The portal has been developed and is maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited.
  • Portal also provides linkages to the National Scholarship Portal.

SWAYAM

to take the best teaching-learning resources to al the citizens across India.

  • Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds is an indigenous IT platform for hosting
    the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
  • Targets under this scheme are those students who could not complete their studies as well as professionals who want to upgrade their knowledge.
  • An indigenous developed IT platform facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from class 9 till post-graduation.
  • It covers diverse disciplines like arts, science, performing arts, social sciences, Engineering etc in the higher academic domain.
  • Skill-based courses are also covered which are in the domain of polytechnic and other industrial skills. 
  • Professors of centrally funded institutions like that of IITs, IIMs, central universities will offer online courses and At the end of each course, an assessment will be there and their marks could be transferred to their academic record.
  • Developed by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with the help of
    Microsoft.

MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME

The objective is to enhance enrollment, retention, and attendance while simultaneously improve nutritional levels among school-going children.

  • It also involves providing nutritional support to children of the elementary stage in the drought-affected area during summer vacation.
  • An Appointed Committee, headed by the Minister of Human Resource Development and also a National Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee (NSMC) at the national level, as well as the Program Approval Board (PAB), monitor the scheme and recommend steps for its smooth and successful execution.
  • The implementation of the scheme is supervised by a State Level Steering – Cum-Monitoring Committee headed by the State Chief Secretary and a District Level Committee under the chairmanship of the district's senior parliamentarian, Lok Sabha

RASHTRIYA UCHCHATAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (RUSA)

It aims to promote structural changes in the State Higher Education System by establishing a supporting institutional framework for state-level planning and monitoring, fostering state university autonomy, and enhancing institutional governance.

Right regional imbalances in Higher Education exposure.

  • Launched in 2013, it is a centrally sponsored flagship scheme.
  • The central funding would be norm based and outcome dependent.
  • The improved gross enrolment ratio is proposed to 30% by 2020.
  • The scheme would give priority to the Aspirational Districts, which NITI Aayog has defined.

MADHYAMIK AND UCHCHTAR SHIKSHA KOSH (MUSK)

 

  • Cabinet has recently approved for the setting up of a single corpus fund ―Madhyamik and Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh.
  • Cess collected through the proceeds of secondary and higher education will be credited to this fund.
  • It would be a non-lapsable fund and its utilisation is for the government‘s schemes in the education sector.

UDAAN- GIVING WINGS TO GIRLS

The objective is to address the challenge of the low enrolment of girls in technical education institutes.

The aim is to eliminate the distance between the entrance test of school education & engineering

  • Launched by CBSE under the guidance of the Ministry of HRD.
  • It trains girl students in entrance examinations to top institutions and provides them with incentives and support through tutorials, video classes, etc
  • The scheme supports 1,000 selected disadvantaged girls per year.

UNNAT BHARAT ABHIYAN

The aim is to allow higher education institutions to work with the rural Indian people to recognize development problems and develop effective solutions to accelerate sustainable growth.

  • Building institutional capacity in Institutes of higher education in research & training relevant to the national needs, especially of rural India.
  • The Unnat Bharat Abhiyan's Second Edition (2.0) which selected institutions in a Challenge Mode and expanded the scheme to 750 reputed high schools (both public and private) in the country.

EK BHARAT SHRESTHA BHARAT PROGRAMME

The objective is to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different States and UTs in India to promote greater mutual understanding amongst them.

  • Rashtriya Ekta Shivir is organized under this program by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.
  • The paired States/ UTs are to enter into MoUs with each other to carry out common activities under Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (TEQIP)

The objective is to overhaul the quality of technical education in the Low-Income States and Special Category States (SCS).

  • The project, implemented as a Central Sector Scheme, commenced with the World Bank assistance, as a long term program of 10-12 years.
  • The present 3rd Phase of the schemes has central, eastern and north-eastern region and hill states as its focus states

SCHEME FOR HIGHER EDUCATION YOUTH IN APPRENTICESHIP & SKILLS (SHREYAS)

The objective is to improve the employability of students by introducing employment relevance to the learning process of the higher education system.

To offer the students skills that are in demand in a dynamic way.

  • It will be implemented by the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs).
  • It aims to cover 50 lakh students by 2022.
  • It is a program basket comprising the initiatives of three Central Ministries, namely the
    • Ministry of Human Resource Development: introduction of BA/BSc/B.Com (Professional) courses in higher educational institutions.
    • Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship: National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS).
    • Ministry of Labour& Employment: National Career Service (NCS).

Vittiya Saksharata Abhiyan (VISAKA)

The objective is to encourage, create awareness, and motivate all people to use a digitally enabled cashless economic system for the transfer of funds.

  • Emphasize the cashless economy and appeal to faculty of higher institutions to make their respective campus cashless.
  •  NCC/NSS volunteers to spread awareness about these digital modes of transactions to shopkeepers, vendors in the nearest market place.

Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas Scholarship Scheme

The objective is to improve GER ratio in the North East region of the country

  • The scheme has 10,000 slots for fresh scholarships every year for students from the North Eastern Region (8 states) whose parental income is below Rs. 4.5 lakhs per annum.
  • It is administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
  • Ishan Vikas: Select students from northeast states will be taken to IITs, NITs etc. for internships/ exposure.

Institutions of Eminence (IoE) Scheme

The aim is to improve institutes to that of global standard and make such institutes into top 500 of the world ranking.

  • Select institutes will enjoy complete academic and administrative autonomy.
  • It will comprise of 10 public and private institutes selected on the recommendation of an empowered committee.
  • They will receive special funding of 1000 crore for public institutions and no funding for private.
  • Autonomy provided to these institutes are as: 
    • to admit foreign students up to 30% of admitted students;
    • to recruit foreign faculty upto 25% of faculty strength;
    • to offer online courses upto 20% of its programmes;
    • to enter into academic collaboration with top 500 in the world ranking Institutions without permission of UGC;
    • free to fix and charge fees from foreign students without restriction;
    • flexibility of course structure in terms of number of credit hours and years to take a degree;
    • complete flexibility in fixing of curriculum and syllabus, among others

NISHTHA

The aim is to improve learning outcomes at the elementary level

  • It is the world’s largest teachers training program
  • The basic purpose of this massive training program is to motivate and equip teachers to encourage and foster critical thinking in students

DHRUV

To develop an interest in space science

  • The scheme is launched by ISRO
  • It is 14 days learning program
  • The program starts with a tour at ISRO and then stay in Delhi for mentoring by experts

National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT scheme)

The aim is to use artificial intelligence to make learning better and interactive

  • MHRD would act as a facilitator to ensure that the solutions are freely available to a large number of economically backward student.
  • MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions.
  • Start-ups which join this government platform will have to offer 25% free coupons for students from disadvantaged communities.

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