Budget FY23: Ministry of Education allocated record Rs 1 lakh crore

New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) The Ministry of Education has received a record budgetary allocation for the upcoming financial year. The Ministry has been allocated Rs 1,04,277.72 crore for the financial year (FY) 2022-23. This budgetary allocation witnessed a jump of 11.86 per cent which is Rs 11,053.41 crore higher than the FY 2021-22.

There has been an overall increase of Rs 8,575.71 crore (15.63 per cent) in the budget allocation for Department of School Education & Literacy in the FY 2022-23 from FY 2021-22.

The overall budget allocation in FY 2022-23 is Rs 63,449.37 crore out of which Scheme allocation is Rs 51,052.37 crore and Non- Scheme allocation is Rs 12,397 crore.

The budget allocation for FY 2022-23 in the Flagship Scheme of Samagra Shiksha has increased by Rs 6,333.20 crore from Rs 31,050.16 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 37,383.36 crore in 2022-23.

Budget Allocation for FY 2022-23 for the World Bank aided Scheme of STARS has increased by Rs 65 crore from Rs 485 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 550 crore in 2022-23.

Allocation in KVS has increased by Rs 850 crore (from Rs 6,800 crore in BE 2021-22 to Rs 7,650 crore in BE 2022-23) and in NVS by Rs 315 crore (from Rs 3,800 crore in BE 2021-22 to Rs 4,115 crore in BE 2022-23).

There has been an overall increase of Rs 2,477.7 crore (6.46 per cent) in the Budget Allocation of Department of Higher Education in the FY 2022-23 from FY 2021-22.

The overall Budget Allocation in FY 2022-23 is Rs 40,828.35 crore out of which Scheme allocation is Rs 7,454.97 crore and Non- Scheme allocation is Rs 33,373.38 crore.

Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan has lauded the Union Budget 2022 as being inclusive, forward looking and aspirational, laying foundation for the Amrit Kaal of the next 25 years.

The Education Minister has hailed the record budgetary allocation to Ministry of Education of Rs 1,04,277.72 crore in the FY 2022-23. The budgetary allocation witnessed the jump of 11.86 per cent.

Expressing his gratitude to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he said that the Budget has made several direct interventions like announcing the setting up of a Digital University, allowing foreign universities to run courses in GIFT City, launch of DESH-Stack e-portal and aligning Skill Qualification Framework with industry requirements.

These interventions will improve and strengthen the education and skilling ecosystems in the country.

Pradhan highlighted the efforts of the Ministry to universalize quality education which will gain strength with the setting up of a Digital University and expansion of One Class-One TV Channel programme of PM e-VIDYA from 12 to 200 TV channels.

He said that the digital university will be built on a networked hub-spoke model, with the collaboration of best public universities and institutions in the country and it will provide access to students across the country, to world-class quality universal education at their doorsteps in different Indian languages. Expansion of one class-one TV channel programme will enable all states to provide quality supplementary education in regional languages for Classes 1-12, he added.

The Budget 2022 has announced that 750 virtual labs in science and mathematics, and 75 e-labs for skilling with simulated learning environment, are to be set-up in 2022-23.

According to the minister, the extensive use of technology will be vital in providing access to quality education for all children. Integration of technology in teaching learning process will be the game-changer in future as it will empower teachers, provide them autonomy, and promote innovative pedagogies that will ultimately lead to improvement in learning outcomes of children.