In the 2023-24 financial year, the central government plans to spend over ₹1.12 lakh crore in the education sector. Outlay of the Ministry of Education for the next financial year is ₹1,12,898.97 crore, which is a significant increase from revised estimates of the current financial year. Education Budget 2023 Live Updates
This is also the highest-ever budget allocated to the ministry.
Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy has been allocated ₹68,804.85 crore, while the Higher Education Department has been allocated ₹44,094.62 crore.
As per revised estimates of 2022-23 financial year shown in budget documents, the Higher Education budget for the current financial year stands at ₹40,828.35. The School Education Department got ₹59,052.78.
Education Budget 2023: Key Highlights
In the school education budget, the government has allocated ₹364.1 crore for Central Sector Schemes/Projects, which include National Award to Teachers, Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme (DHRUV) and National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme.
Expenditure of autonomous bodies for 2023-24 is at ₹14,391.36 crore. This include ₹8,363.98 crore for Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS); ₹5,486.50 crore for Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and ₹518.50 allocated to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
A large chunk of the school education budget has been allocated to Samagra Shiksha. The government has announced ₹37,453.47 crore for the country’s biggest school education scheme.
The government plans to spend ₹11,600 crore under Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN). PM Poshan is a replacement of the mid-day meal scheme.
In the Higher Education budget, centre has allocated ₹1,554 crore for PM Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) Yojna and ₹400 crore for PM Research Fellowship.
For Digital India e-learning, the government has allocated ₹420 crore, just 5 crore more than revised estimates of 2022-23.
The total expenditure budget for Research and Innovation is ₹210.61 crore.
Statutory bodies University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have been allocated ₹5,360 crore and ₹420 crore, respectively.
Support to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is at ₹9,661.50 crore and support to NITs and IIEST is at ₹4,620 crore.