Cabinet clears 57 new Kendriya Vidyalayas, 86k students to benefit

The Union Cabinet has approved 57 new Kendriya Vidyalayas with Balvatikas under NEP 2020, with Rs 5,862 crore funding over nine years and focus on underserved districts

The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the opening of 57 new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs), aiming to benefit over 86,000 students.

 

The Centre said that the total estimated requirement of funds for the establishment of the 57 new KVs would be around ₹5,862.55 crore and they will be built over a period of nine years from 2026-27.

 

“This includes a capital expenditure component of ₹2,585.52 crore and operational expenditure of ₹3,277.03 crore,” it added.

 

Out of these 57 new KVs, 20 have been proposed to be opened in districts where no KV presently exists, despite a significant number of central government employees.

 

“Furthermore, 14 KVs are proposed in aspirational districts, four in left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected districts and five in the northeastern region and hilly areas,” the Centre said in a statement.

 

It added that as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, all newly approved 57 KVs will include Balvatikas, a pre-primary foundational stage covering three years.

 

This is the first time that KVs have been sanctioned with Balvatikas, aligning the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) structure with the NEP’s foundational learning objectives.

 

While seven of the new KVs are to be sponsored by the Union Home Ministry, the rest would be covered by state governments.

 

The announcement comes almost a year after 85 new KVs were sanctioned in December last year.

 

“Together with the earlier sanctioning of 85 KVs, the instant proposal responds to the high demand for these institutions while balancing pan-India expansion,” the Centre said.

 

Together with the 85 KVs sanctioned earlier, the current addition would cover 17 states and Union territories (UTs).

 

To date, there are 1,288 functional KVs, with a total enrolment of students at around 1.36 million.