Lack of funds derails education plans in J&K: Report

The Ministry of Human Resource and Development withdrew an education plan that improves education facilities in the region post the abrogation of Article 370

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has put on hold plans to improve the quality of education in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh after realising that it does not have enough funds to execute it, The Print reported.

The plan that required Rs 2,600 crore was drafted with the aim to improve education infrastructure in the region to supplement facilities that are available to students presently. A senior official of the HRD ministry told the website, “We had drawn up the plan and were estimating the available resource envelope for this project. However, we don’t have such funds available currently for such a major initiative.” The Ministry was planning to fund the education plan through its Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme, but another official told the publication that it had insufficient funds.

The plan, which the website accessed, was aiming to improve current infrastructure and open new colleges by providing funds to the already existing educational institutions after the abrogation of Article 370. The programmes that currently lack funds, include Jammu and Kashmir employment enhancement training scheme, to which 5,000 students would have access. Another scheme that lacks funds was the one that was planned for 25,000 students to promote vocational education and mentoring.