Lion’s share to education dept

Lucknow: With a clear focus on promoting girls' education and ensuring accessibility for all, the state govt allocated funds to upgrade Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas to class 12. This ensures free residential school education for girls from weaker sections and setting up of digital libraries in villages.
The biggest share of Rs 1.06 lakh crore was earmarked for education, with the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan receiving the maximum of Rs 23,012 crore. In a first, UP will have a State Institute of Open Learning for learners unable to pursue formal schooling. This will be at the secondary level, from class nine to 12.
Finance minister Suresh Khanna approved 57 new CM Model Composite Schools to offer integrated education from pre-primary to class 12 with state-of-the-art facilities. Construction for 22 schools is underway in the current fiscal, with each school costing Rs 25 crore. Rs 5 crore per school was allocated for furniture and equipment.
He said that Rs 2,000 crore was set aside for makeover of govt primary schools. Govt proposed to expand the Sainik School in Lucknow with an allocation of Rs 25 crore. Sainik School in Gorakhpur will begin operations from the academic session 2025-26.
Under the PM Shri Yojana, Rs 580 crore was allocated to introduce smart education in selected schools, whereas Rs 300 crore from the state fund will convert primary schools into smart schools under the Samagra Shiksha Yojana.
The budget earmarks Rs 666 crore for various programmes under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Rs 479 crore for the construction, expansion, electrification and purchase of land and buildings for govt higher secondary schools and Rs 150 crore for infrastructure development in aided non-govt secondary schools. The budget allocated Rs 50 crore for the expansion of basic infrastructure in state universities.
Govt proposed Rs 13 crore for the establishment of govt Sanskrit Schools and Rs 20 crore for providing scholarships to students studying Sanskrit in secondary schools.Govt is also prioritising technical training for youth. Currently, 286 govt Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are operational in UP, offering 1,90,064 seats across various trades.
A budget of Rs 100 crore was proposed for setting up Centres of Excellence in govt polytechnics, equipped with new-age technology and Rs 1 crore for establishing a Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence education in a govt college.