No NGO tasked with social media outreach for rural girl education, despite being asked

The question asked the Ministry of Education to detail steps taken in the last three years to encourage rural girl students to enroll in higher education, including in Uttarakhand, and whether NGOs were tasked with promoting this via social media. The Ministry of Education provided the official response.

Asked and answered by: Asked by: Shri Ajay Bhatt (MP); Answered by: Ministry of Education (Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan).

What the government said

• PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) launched in June 2023 with an outlay of Rs. 12926.10 crore, extended until March 2028.
• Gender Inclusion and Equity Initiatives (GIEI) component of PM-USHA aims to improve girls' enrolment in STEM and vocational courses in focus districts.
• UGC implements the National Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies (NSPG) and Savitribai Jyoti Rao Phule Single Girl Child Fellowship.
• AICTE offers scholarships including AICTE Pragati Scholarship Scheme for Women and AICTE Swanath Scholarship Scheme.
• Supernumerary seats in IITs and NITs increased female enrolment from less than 10% to more than 20%.
• Budget 2026-27 envisages establishing one girls’ hostel in every district to support STEM participation.
• All-India female enrolment in higher education rose from 2.06 crore (2021-22) to 2.23 crore (2023-24).
• All-India female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) increased from 28.5 to 31.2 between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
• Uttarakhand female enrolment increased from 2.82 lakh to 3.24 lakh, with GER rising from 43.7 to 51.7.

Also in the document

• The answer does not explicitly state whether any Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was entrusted with the task of giving publicity through social media, despite this being part (b) of the question.
• The answer notes that the female Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) consistently remained higher than the male GER, resulting in a Gender Parity Index (GPI) greater than 1.