Telangana Budget: Education Dept gets ‘quality’ push, Rs 19,093 crore allocated

Of the total, Rs 16,092 crore was earmarked for Secondary Education and Rs 3,001 crore for higher education

Hyderabad: Continuing its focus on imparting quality education in the government-run institutions, the State government has enhanced the Budget allocations to the Education Department with Rs 19,093 crore being allocated for 2023-24 as against Rs 16,085.69 crore in the last Budget.

Of the total, Rs 16,092 crore was earmarked for Secondary Education and Rs 3,001 crore for higher education. This apart, for scholarships and diet charges of the students, the government has allocated Rs 5,609 crore for 2023-24 as against Rs 4,690 in the last financial year.

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Recalling that there were only 293 residential institutions with 1.31 lakh students and insufficient facilities at the time of State formation, Finance Minister T Harish Rao said soon after the formation of Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took firm steps for the development of residential educational institutions. Today, the number of residential educational institutions stands at 1,002 imparting quality free education in English medium to 5,59,000 students.

The allocation of grants for residential schools which was Rs 784 crore has been substantially increased which demonstrated the commitment of the Telangana government to provide quality education to children from the economically weaker sections. Under the Mana Ooru-Mana Badi scheme, the focus was on 12 components including digital education, improving drinking water facilities, construction of toilets etc. in the government schools.

The government is also improving basic amenities in 26,065 schools across the State with an amount of Rs 7,289 crore and in the first phase, basic amenities were being provided in 9,123 schools with Rs 3,497 crore.

– Rs 19,093 cr for Education Department
– Of the total, Rs 16,092 cr for Secondary Education
– Rs 3,001 cr for higher education
– Rs 5,609 crore for scholarships and diet charges of the students
– Free education in English medium for 5.59 lakh students in 1,002 residential institutions
– Mid-day meal with fine rice to 25.26 lakh students in 28,606 schools and 9.77 lakh students in 4,237 hostels
– 21,868 MT fortified rice and fine rice supplied by government
– Telangana is the only State in the country providing quality food with fine rice to students
– Honorarium for 54,201 cooks working under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme increased to Rs 3,000 per month from Rs 1,000