Funds for areas with low literacy rate:Govt

New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar today informed the Lok Sabha that it would not be possible to give grants to all schools in view of the resource crunch and funds would be provided to all those areas where the literacy rate was 30 per cent or less.

Replying to a question, she said this has been done on the basis of prioritisation. ''There are 145 districts in the country where the literacy rate is less than 30 per cent based on the 2001 census report and so the Government will first make the funds available to all the schools established in these districts. If funds are available thereafter, they would be provided to others,'' she added.

Ms Kumar said apart from this, the Government grants would be given to the NGOs who were successfully running schools at least for a period of two years for the Schedule Caste students.

She said all new proposals were being evaluated by the screening committee, which adopted certain criteria for processing and recommending them.

UNI