Interim Budget 2019: Education gets 10% more

The education budget has been increased by about 10 per cent in the Interim Budget 2019, with research projects started by the government last year contributing to the enhanced part, while there is hardly any change in the funding for central universities.

The Interim Budget 2019-20 presented by Union Minister Piyush Goyal allocated a total of Rs 93,847.64 crore for both school and higher education combined, to be disbursed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

The budget allocated Rs 56,386 crore for the Department of School Education and Literacy, up from last year's Rs 50,000 crore, which was later revised to Rs 50,113.75 crore.

The Department of Higher Education -- also under the Ministry -- was allocated Rs 37,461.01 crore, up from last year's Rs 35,010.29, later revised to Rs 33,512.11 crore.

Though the government recently announced a 10 per cent economically weaker section (EWS) quota in the higher education institutions and after that ordered for an increase of 25 per cent seats in the central universities, the budget for these institutions hardly saw a change from the previous year.

The budget allocation for the central universities last year was Rs 6,445.23 crore which was later revised to Rs 6,498.55 crore. This year the funding for the same is Rs 6604.46 crore, which adds up to a rise of mere Rs 105 crore.

The funding for existing Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) saw an increase. It was up from Rs 5,613.00 crore to Rs 6,143.02 crore this year.

No allocation was, however, made for setting up new IITs.

The government has allocated Rs 11,000 crore against last year's Rs 10,500 crore (revised and reduced later) for the Mid Day Meal scheme.

--IANS

vn/nir