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SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: It is not that way. If I am to reply in detail, I have to take more time. Otherwise, I will be brief. The hon. Members will have to bear with me if I do not reply to each of them.

SHRI SONTOSH MOHAN DEV (SILCHAR): You deal with the main points. About other things, you write to all the hon. Members.

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: Mr. Deputy-Speaker, Sir, at the outset, I would like to thank the hon. Members who have participated in today's debate and have given very constructive and positive suggestions and have also made a constructive criticism.

I also want to extend my thanks to the hon. Members and the Chairman of the Standing Committee who have gone in detail and in depth and have made very valuable recommendations.

As rightly expressed by most of the hon. Members, in my view also, this is the most important department of the Government of India. This is a department which has been reconstituted by the then Government under the Prime Ministership of Shri Rajiv Gandhi wherein education, culture, woman and child development and youth and sports have been combined with a purpose of creating an integrated human being out of a child given birth by a mother.

I would like to express, in short, a slogan given by my political Guru: `Educate or perish'. If we are not educated, we are going to be perished. That is what my political Guru, M.N. Roy, has said. Do not do anything else. First, educate the Indians. Education is a key to many of our problems. We need not search for an example outside our country. I refer to Kerala again. Prof. P.J. Kurien also referred to it. Kerala has been able to achieve full literacy.

Why has it not happened in the case of other States? If the State of Kerala could do it, why not the other States? The Government in Kerala is spending more than six per cent of the State's Domestic Product towards education. Twenty-seven per cent of the Budget of Kerala is devoted for education even today, which is higher than the amount spent by any other State in India. Moreover, as has been mentioned by Prof. Kurien, the voluntary organisations, the private sector - not the commercial sector - the Christian missionaries, the Nayar societies, the Gurunarain societies and the entire society as a whole for the last 70 years with the help of the lead given by the social reformers and the then Raja of Travancore in Cochin contributed largely to the cause of education.

I am only referring to what has happened in the State of Kerala over the last 70 years. It has turned into a people's movement there. In order to achieve full literacy, the Government, the people, the voluntary organisations, the entire leadership of the country would have to take it as a movement, just like the freedom movement. In my view, this also is a freedom movement. We have got political freedom but in order to achieve real freedom we need to educate everyone in this country. This could be achieved only with the cooperation of the entire population and leadership irrespective of political and religious belongings. Therefore, my appeal would be that we have to take a decision as a nation and then only would we be able to achieve this objective.

Sir, after the United Front Government came into existence, it had very clearly stated in its Common Minimum Programme that six per cent of the GDP would be spent on education. I completely agree with the hon. Members when they say that now we are spending only 3.7 per cent of the GDP on education. With a view to achieving the objective of spending six per cent of the GDP on education and achieving full literacy by the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan, a decision that top priority would be given to educate everyone was taken at the first meeting of the Chief Ministers of the States which was held in July, 1996.

We all are aware that according to the Directive Principles of State Policy, as enshrined in our Constitution, there should be free and compulsory education and within ten years there should be full literacy for the children between the ages of five to 10 years.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to achieve this even after 50 years of our Independence.

The Supreme Court has already held that primary education is a fundamental right. The Government is asked to reply to the Supreme Court by next month on the steps taken to implement the decision of the Supreme Court. Therefore, our Government called a meeting of Ministers of Education and educational experts. We appointed a Committee under the chairmanship of my colleague Saikiaji in which State Ministers were also members. They have submitted their report. Some friends asked about it here. The report is under consideration of the Cabinet. One of the recommendations of the Committee is to make education a fundamental right. A Cabinet Note has already been drafted to this effect. It has been sent to different Ministries including the Law Ministry. The Bill will come before the Cabinet very soon. I have promised this House that the Bill will be introduced.

A provision of Rs.35 crore has been made in the Budget for this purpose. To achieve full literacy, as recommended by the Saikia Committee, we require Rs.40,000 crore. The magnitude of the expenditure is Rs.40,000 crore. the country will have to find this money. Unless the benefit goes to the common man, all our liberalisation, all the economic growth we may achieve would be a futile exercise. Only a small percentage of people the upper class and the rich people are going to get the benefit of modernisation, liberalisation, or multinationals investing in this country. It will enrich only a small percentage of people unless we educate the other 70 per cent of the population who are living in rural areas.

We have to find a way out. I will have discussions with the leaders of all political parties. The budgetary allocations have to be increased, I do agree, and I will take up the matter with the Finance Ministry and the Planning Commission. I have already taken it up; the details of which I will not go into now. Budget provisions are to be enhanced but that alone would not suffice. We may have to think of an education cess, if necessary, and find the resources so that everybody becomes a literate.

We are committed. There is no going back on two points. One of them is spending six per cent of the GDP on education. This year's allocations have to be increased so that we achieve our target by the end of the Ninth Five Year Plan in a phased manner.

The Government has committed and steps will be taken in that direction.

Secondly, I will come to making education a fundamental right. It is a serious matter. Once we make it a fundamental right, it becomes justiciable. A citizen can go to the court and seek redress if there is no school or teacher or any shortcoming. The court can direct the State Government and the Central Government to act upon it. Once it is made a fundamental right, then it becomes the duty of the entire Central Government, the State Government, and also the society in a way to implement the order of the court.

Sir, I do not want to say that after Independence nothing has been done. There is an achievement. The number of schools has increased. The number of teachers has increased. The number of literate people has increased. But I must admit here that our target is not achieved because of one factor which we cannot forget and that is the growth of population. Population growth has definitely upset most of our Plan targets. It is a vicious circle. Unless you educate people, you cannot control population growth.

Kerala is the first State which has controlled population because of education. They have done it because of literacy, particularly, of the girl child. That is how they have linked population growth and education. They have also linked this to find a solution to the unemployment problem. You can find Keralites not only in every State of this country but also abroad. It is because they are educated. I would only say that education is the key to most of our problems. Therefore I attach more importance to this aspect of the functioning of the Government.

I will not go into the budgetary figures because many Members have narrated them. In the Budget 1997-98, a sum of Rs. 4095.14 crore has been allocated. There is an increase. According to me, it is not satisfactory. I leave the matter there. I will take up the suggestions made by the hon. Members with the Finance Ministry.

Many Members have criticised Operation Blackboard, Mid-Day Meal Programme, National Literacy Mission, higher education, secondary education, adult education, and technical education.

I have no time to go into the details of each of these subjects. I know, in the last year's Budget a sum of Rs.1400 crore was provided for the Mid-day Meal Scheme and in the Revised Estimates it has been reduced to Rs.800 crore. Why? It is not that we have no money. We pay to the Food Corporation of India, but the State Governments are not able to lift it.

SHRI SURESH PRABHU (RAJAPUR): Which States?

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: All the States.

SHRI A.C. JOS (IDUKKI): Not Kerala.

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: There is a shortcoming in lifting by Kerala also.

Some States have 50 per cent lifting, some have 40 per cent lifting, but some have 90 to 80 per cent lifting. I have got the figures. I have no time so I am not going into the details.

SHRI SURESH PRABHU You can lay that Statement on the Table of the House.

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: I will give.

I do not blame the State Governments also. Under this scheme we give the foodgrains and we also provide transportation, but the State Governments say that it is not sufficient and unless they are able to get cooked food, the purpose is not served. To give cooked food, we have to spend a rupee per day on every student. Who is going to spend it? That is the problem. Therefore, foodgrains are distributed.

In States like Tamil Nadu or Kerala or even in Delhi this scheme is going on quite well. Tamil Nadu is giving mid-day meals for the last fifteen years. In Delhi, they are giving bread. It is easy, so they lift the foodgrains and give it to the Modern Bakery. But it is not fully covered. Therefore, the Committee recommended that the cost of cooking the food should be shared by both the Central as well as the State Governments.

Wherever there are voluntary organisations, very good organisations or wherever there are good panchayats, they take it out and they are really successful. But I understand the criticism.

Similar is the case with Operation Blackboard. Yes, we give 50 per cent and 50 per cent must come from the States. Some States have implemented it very well, mostly, I must say, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are doing well. But States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are very backward States so far as literacy is concerned.

PROF. RASA SINGH RAWAT Their resources are very limited.

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: It is not that.

Now that the National Literacy Mission is there, I know in some places, it is implemented very well but in some places only bogus records are created. I am aware of it. I have to check it and I am giving a serious thought to it as to what are the radical changes that we have to make in all these schemes. They require public awareness, involvement of the people's representatives, the panchayats, the zila panchayats, the municipalities and the corporations in monitoring the implementation of these schemes. All these things are necessary.

I accept the criticism but they are inherent in the system and in the society. That is the weakness of the society.

Secondary education, of course, is the responsibility of the State Government but we assist in certain aspects of improving the quality of secondary education. There is a reduction of a few crore of rupees this year. That will be corrected.

On higher education, though there is an increase from Rs. 367 crore to Rs. 403 crore this year, I agree that it is not sufficient. The number of Universities has increased. You must also know that 80 per cent of the funds allocated to UGC are spent on the Central Universities.

SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV (PATNA):

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SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: Now, almost all the Central Universities are in Delhi, in U.P. and two in the North-East.

SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV What about Bihar?

SHRI S.R. BOMMAI: In Bihar, there is no Central University. In Karnataka, there is no Central University. In Andhra Pradesh, there is no Central University. In Tamil Nadu, there is no Central University. In Maharashtra, there is no Central University. In Gujarat, there is no Central University. That is a different matter. We will consider that. I am not saying that Bihar deserves it. But, as on today, 80 per cent of the funds are spent on the Central Universities. And the UGC must give funds to two hundred Universities out of 20 per cent. This anomaly will have to be corrected.

Then, Sir, on technical education and on vocational education, I would only say that the allocation has been increased from Rs.257 crore to Rs.390 crore this year. I do agree with the suggestion that it should be linked with the industry. Ultimately, after the vocational education, if a boy or a girl should be able to start his or her own industry or should be absorbed in some industry. That should be the objective of vocational education. In that direction we are making certain changes.

So far as Operation Blackboard is concerned, I ave already mentioned that some States have done very well. They had taken advantage of one teacher to two teachers, two teachers to three teachers and built school buildings with the funds available from the Rural Development Department and also contributions from the public.