In the interim budget 2024, presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, school education has been allocated Rs 73,008.10 crore for the next financial year 2024-25. The outlay to school education has seen a marginal increase of 6.11%. A large chunk of the Rs 4,200 crore increase has been claimed by the PM SHRI – an education ministry scheme which upgrades existing government schools into model schools. For the current financial year, the Department of School Education and Literacy was allocated a budget of Rs 68,804.85 crore. The outlay for all important schemes, such as the SamagraShiksha Abhiyan, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, have seen a marginal increase in the interim budget except the ThePM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme. According to the ministry, this is the highest ever budget outlay for school education. "The Budget allocation for the FY 2024-25 of Rs 73,498 crore is the highest ever for the Department of School Education & Literacy," a statement by the education ministry said. The PM SHRI programme’s budget has risen by over Rs 2,000 crore, from Rs 4,000 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 6,050 crore in 2024-25, an increase of close to 50% and the sharpest increase in the school education budget 2024.  In the education budget 2024, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, which is the country’s biggest school education scheme, has been allocated Rs 37,500 crore for the next financial year, a very minor Rs 47 croreincrease from the current one. The PM Poshanscheme, which replaced the mid-day meal scheme, has been allocated Rs 12,467 crorefor the 2024-25 financial year, up from Rs11,600 crore this year. It is one of the largest school meal programmes in the world and was a highlight in Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech. 

Source-Representative Image