Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has proposed a 24 per cent hike in budgetary allocation for the Union human resource development ministry in the next financial year. A total of `52,057 crores is being proposed to be allocated to the ministry in the 2011-12 Budget.
The increased funds have been proposed to implement the UPA government’s flagship literacy programme Right To Education Act through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan.
The finance minister also announced a National Knowledge Network to link 1,500 institutions of higher education and research through optical fibre network and a scholarship scheme for SC/ST students in classes ninth and tenth. The scheme is expected to benefit about 40 lakh SC/ST students.
With the operational norms of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan being revised to implement the right of children to free and compulsory education, the government has proposed to allocated `21,000 crores for the scheme, which is 40 per cent higher than the `15,000 crores allocated in last year’s Budget.
A revised Centrally sponsored scheme “Vocationalisation of Secondary Education” will be implemented from 2011-12 to improve the employability of our youth. The announcement comes days after the formation of a committee to recommend a National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework and preparation of a road map for its implementation.
An ambitious National Knowledge Network (NKN) will link 1,500 Institutes of Higher Learning and Research through an optical fibre backbone by 2012. During the current year, 190 institutes will be connected to this network.
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Budget provisions to give boost to housing sector
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Feb. 28: In what could be a real fillip to the housing construction in the country, particularly affordable housing, the Union Budget has provided for two crucial instruments that are expected to help in incentivising the builders to take up affordable housing projects.
Also, it is likely to help the poor bring in the credit net by providing for Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund (MRGF) under the Rajiv Awas Yojana, which aims for slum-free cities through providing affordable housing.