In the first post-pandemic budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the spending on education has been reduced by Rs 6,076 crores from Rs 99,300 crore in 2020 to Rs 93,224 in 2021.
The education budget this time is the lowest in three years — with school education taking the biggest cut of almost Rs 5,000 crore — and the allocation for higher education has decreased by roughly Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 38,350 crore, The Indian Express reported.
The Ministry of Education has been allocated ₹93,224.31 crore, an increase of more than ₹8,100 crore from the revised estimates for the current fiscal. The Ministry was originally allocated ₹99,311.52 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal, which was eventually revised to ₹85,089.07 crore as the coronavirus pandemic hit the country and classes were ordered shut to prevent the spread of the virus.
The spending on the Midday Meal Scheme has been increased by Rs 500 crore this year to Rs 11,500 crore. Allocation for central schools such as Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas also rose by Rs 1,284 crore and Rs 500 crore, respectively. The government also announced the establishment of 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs, private schools and state governments.
The ministry’s school education scheme Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan saw its allocation reduced to ₹31,050.16 crore from 38,750.50 crore in the current fiscal.
Funds for the National Scheme for Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education have been reduced to just ₹1 crore from ₹110 crore in the current fiscal.
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