Budget advancement helps speedy release of funds'

Advancement of the date of the presentation of the Union Budget this year, and the passing of the Finance Bill before the commencement of the financial year on April 1, has facilitated “speedy release” of budgetary allocations to the states, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday.

“As a sequel to these important reforms, I am happy to inform that the HRD Ministry has released as much as Rs 12,621.45 crore to the states as on April 30, 2017, against a meagre Rs 2,726.39 crore released in the last financial year during the same period,” he said in a statement.

The ministry’s department of school education and literacy has released a total of Rs 8,829.05 crore to the states.

“The major portion of the releases made in respect of Department of School Education was for schemes like SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan), RMSA (Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan), Mid Day Meal, Adult Education and Skill Development,” he said.
The higher education department of the ministry has released Rs 3,792.40 crore.