In the first post-pandemic budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, spending on education fell by Rs 6,076 cr, from Rs 99,300 crore in 2020 to Rs 93,224 crore in 2021.
This time, the budget for education is the lowest in three years, with the lowest tuition at almost Rs 5,000 cr, and the allocation for higher education has been reduced by around Rs 1,000 to Rs 38,350 crore.
The Department of Education received Rs 93,224.31 crore, an increase of more than Rs 8,100 crore from revised estimates for the current fiscal year. The ministry initially received Rs 99,311.52 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which was eventually revised to Rs 85,089.07 crore when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country and classes were closed to prevent the virus from spreading.
Also read: Sitharaman: Top 100 universities to start online courses
Spending on the Mid-day meal program increased from Rs 500 cr to Rs 11500 cr this year. Allocations for central schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas also increased by Rs 1,284 cr and Rs 500 cr, respectively. The government also announced the creation of 100 new Sainik schools in collaboration with NGOs, private schools and state governments.
As part of the ministry’s school education program, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, the allocation was reduced from Rs 38,750.50 crore in the current fiscal year to Rs 31,050.16 crore.
In the World Education Summit & Awards, spending on school education will be discussed briefly.
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