Education scheme budget for 2011 gets `793-cr boost

In a significant boost to the implementation of the Right to Education Act, the state’s budget for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) — the government’s main scheme for universalising elementary education — has increased by nearly 40%, or Rs793 crore for this year.

In a significant boost to the implementation of the Right to Education Act, the state’s budget for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) — the government’s main scheme for universalising elementary education — has increased by nearly 40%, or Rs793 crore for this year.

HT Image

In 2010-2011, the first year of the Act’s implementation, the government had set aside a budget of Rs2,077 crore for the SSA scheme. For 2011-2012, the budget has increased to Rs2,870 crore.

The annual budget for 2009-2010, the year before the Act came into effect, was Rs1,213 crore.

Of the Rs2,870 crore budget for this year, the Mumbai suburban division will receive Rs20 crore, which will be distributed among the schools under the municipal corporation.

Schools in the Mumbai city division will receive Rs20 crore. The funds are expected to become available in June.

“The SSA will now be purely for the implementation of the RTE Act,” said an official from the education department.

“Various other issues will be taken up this year, including teachers’ training, distribution of free textbooks, inclusive education schemes and so on,” added the official.

The new budgets for the SSA for different states was finalised at a meeting in Delhi last month. Of the stated budget amount, the central government will provide 65%, while the respective state governments will contribute the remaining 35%.