RS. 6654 CRORE APPROVED UNDER SSA
SPEEDY
APPROVALS ENSURE BETTER UTILISATION OF FUNDS
The Centre has approved
Rs. 6653.7 crore to 18 states under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(SSA) for the year 2003-04. This includes the sum sanctioned under
the continuing District Primary Education Programme, which has
now been subsumed under the SSA. The sanctions cover 422 out of
600 districts of the country.
The funds approved
by the Centre will be utilised for opening of 44856 new schools
and providing teaching – learning equipment to 62781 schools.
Besides over 2.5 lakh teachers’ posts have been sanctioned in
the 18 states for which the approvals have been made. Sanctions
have also been made for enrolling 60 lakh out of school children
in alternate schooling (under the Education Guarantee Scheme and
the scheme of alternative and innovative education). This will
generate another about three lakh positions for instructors. Over
12 lakh children with special needs will benefit under the Inclusive
Education Programme.
For improving the
quality of education, over 25.5 lakh teachers will be trained
this year in these 18 states.and another nearly 25 lakh persons
will be trained under Community Training Programme. As many as
4.75 crore children will benefit from supply of free text books
of SC, ST and girl students. This is in addition to schemes for
approvals of text books implemented by different states from their
own budgets. The approvals made under the SSA will also lead to
construction of over 35000 school buildings, nearly 56000 additional
class rooms, toilets in about 44000 schools and provision of drinking
water in nearly 32000 schools.
Approvals for all
states, of around Rs. 8000 crore, are likely to be completed by
the next month. In the previous years, mostly because of late
submission of proposals by states, approvals continued upto Jan-Feb
of the next year. The process of approvals has been speeded up
so that the funds are utilised well in time by the states.
