Education Budget 2025: Rs 1.28 Lakh Crore Allocated For The Sector, Up By 6.65% – News18

Last Updated:February 01, 2025, 13:36 IST

Education Budget 2025: In the Union Budget 2025, the education sector has been allocated Rs 1,28,650.05 crore, marking a 6.65 per cent increase from the previous year.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive budget in Parliament today. In the Union Budget 2025, the education sector has been allocated Rs 1,28,650.05 crore, marking a 6.65 per cent increase from the previous year. In the 2024 budget, the FM allocated Rs 1.48 lakh crore in education, employment, and skill development.

Of the total budget allocation, the Department of School Education and Literacy has been allotted Rs 78572.10 Crore. The School Education and Literacy department has been allocated approximately 61% of the total education budget for 2025-26. This allocation aims to support various educational schemes and initiatives aimed at strengthening school education across the country.

The Department of Higher Education has been allocated 39% of the total budget or Rs 50077.95 Crore, to support the growth and expansion of India’s higher education institutions.

Let’s check the top highlights of the education budget 2025 announced by the FM:

Increased Allocation for PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI): The allocation for the PM SHRI initiative has risen by INR 1,450 crore, bringing the total to INR 7,500 crore. This program aims to upgrade over 15,000 schools in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Increased Funding for Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN): The budget for the PM POSHAN scheme, which provides mid-day meals, has been increased to INR 12,500 crore, reflecting the government’s commitment to improving nutrition and education for schoolchildren.

Boost for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS): The STARS project, supported by the World Bank, has been allocated INR 1,250 crore to enhance educational outcomes across Indian states.

For the financial year 2025-26, several key initiatives under the Department of School Education and Literacy have received updated allocations:

— The Samagra Shiksha scheme, which focuses on providing holistic education, has been allocated INR 41,249.98 crore, an increase from the previous allocation of INR 37,500 crore in 2024-25.

— The allocation for Autonomous Bodies, including Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), has seen a slight reduction to INR 15,430.58 crore from INR 15,638.67 crore in 2024-25.

— Centrally Sponsored Schemes, which include the PM POSHAN scheme for mid-day meals, have been allocated INR 62,660 crore, up from INR 57,427.39 crore in the previous year.

During FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s presentation of the Union Budget 2024-25, she said students pursuing higher education at domestic institutions would be eligible for loan assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh. A new centrally funded scheme was announced in partnership with state governments and companies to train around 20 lakh youth for a period of over five years. A total of 1,000 ITIs were ordered to be updated, with training content and design linked to industry skill requirements. Sitharaman had also stated that the government would provide internships to one crore youths, with each intern getting a stipend of Rs 5,000 and a one-time aid of Rs 6, 000. Companies were directed to use their CSR funds for the government’s internship scheme.