‘AIM TO IMPROVE 50K LIVES BY CREATING A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT’

LUCKNOW : Perennial flooding by ferocious Ghaghara has affected the life in Bahraich, Shravasti and Balrampur and destroyed their several villages. Result: They are among the most backward districts in India.

Earlier this year, PM Narendra Modi initiated the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme, covering 117 districts and representing about 15% of the country’s population that have lagged behind the rest of the country in terms of socio-economic conditions, health and nutrition, education and basic infrastructure.

Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Varanasi and Pratapgarh are the five such districts identified in the state.

Amrita Patwardhan, head, education and sports at the Tata Trusts, said that low human development indices in places like Bahraich made the trusts launch initiatives in eastern UP aimed at improving the lives of 50,000 people by creating a learning environment.

This would be done through measures such as providing qual- ity education, life-skills training and continuing support to the existing education network, she added. Over two years ago, the trusts took up work to improve education outcomes in these districts. “Our effort is to work on multiple components like government schools and anganwadi centres, so that there is a deeper impact,” said Patwardhan.