Brijmohan Agrawal, school education minister, Chhattisgarh has appealed to the centre on Thursday to establish Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) in every district of the state. During a meeting with Dharmendra Pradhan, union cabinet minister for education, skill development and entrepreneurship in New Delhi, Agrawal made the request. He also urged Pradhan to increase the centre’s contribution to various government-sponsored schemes related to his departments, according to an official statement.
Agrawal highlighted that out of Chhattisgarh’s 33 districts, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas, operated by the centre, have been approved in only 16 districts. He urged Pradhan to approve these schools in the remaining districts as well, as per a statement from the state’s public relations department, the statement mentioned.
Stressing that the centre and the state share the financial burden of union government-run schemes such as Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI Yojana and Mid-Day Meal, with a split of 40% and 60% respectively, Agrawal requested an increase in the centre’s contribution for these programmes.
Agrawal specifically requested the centre to allocate Rs 2,606 lakh for the Laika Sanwar Yojana under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, which covers education from preschool to grade 12 and Rs 110.86 lakh under the Right to Education Act, as per the statement.
Furthermore, he urged the union minister to reopen the portal of Pradhan Mantri Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM USHA) for Chhattisgarh, aimed at providing funding to eligible state higher educational institutions. Agrawal stressed the need for increased funding in central government schemes for higher education and the implementation of provisions outlined in the National Education Policy 2020. Pradhan reportedly assured Agrawal of a positive response to his proposals, it added.
With inputs from PTI.