E-Paper
Education funds to go up by 700 per cent
India's spending on education could go up by 700 per cent in the next three years.
India's spending on education could go up by 700 per cent in the next three years.
"We are hoping that by the end of the 10th plan, the expenditure level on education will go up to 5 per cent (of Gross Domestic Product)", Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh told Parliament.
He had earlier stated that for the financial years 2002-03 and 2003-04, the Central expenditure on education was only about 0.7 per cent of the GDP.
Making an impassioned appeal for all states to increase their expenditure on education, the minister said that all state governments were fully co-operating with the Centre to fulfil targets. He also added that the joint expenditure on education by the Centre and states for 2002-03 and 2003-04 was 3.79 and 3.75 per cent respectively.
Replying to a query in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said the 10th plan outlay for the department of secondary and higher education and the department of elementary education and literacy of the central Government stood at Rs 43,825 crore.
The projected outlay during the current plan for states and Union Territories for general and technical education is Rs 41,807 crore, he said.
In reply to another query, Singh agreed that due attention had not been paid to the education of physically challenged students. But he assured that the Government was prepared to amend the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. "If the Act requires amendment, we will do that," Singh said during Question Hour.
He said the government attached great importance to the physically challenged and said his ministry was working to ensure that there is no discrimination in education. he said his ministry was already in consultation with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to work out the best possible solutions, he added.
