Himachal Pradesh has received approval from the Central Government for a grant of ₹720 crore under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for the current financial year, with significant allocations proposed for quality and vocational education in schools across the state.
Out of the approved amount, nearly ₹360 crore has been earmarked for quality education, while around ₹130 crore has been allocated for vocational education. Officials said the approval was granted during the Project Approval Board meeting of Samagra Shiksha held in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The meeting was chaired by Sanjay Kumar and attended by Himachal Pradesh Education Secretary Rakesh Kanwar, State Project Director for Samagra Shiksha Rajesh Sharma and other senior officials.
Officials said Himachal Pradesh had originally sought a budget allocation of ₹746 crore from the Centre for the current year. However, with the Atal Tinkering Lab component now being separated from the Samagra Shiksha framework, nearly 97 per cent of the state’s revised demand has been approved.
From this year onward, the Atal Tinkering Lab initiative will no longer function under the Samagra Shiksha scheme and will instead operate as a separate project. As a result, funds for the programme will now be released independently.
During the meeting, discussions were held on several key areas related to school education, including digital education, smart classrooms, infrastructure development, teacher training, inclusive education, implementation of the PM POSHAN scheme and initiatives linked to the National Education Policy.
The Centre also emphasised technology-driven education, Artificial Intelligence and improving learning outcomes under the Samagra Shiksha programme. Officials said the focus on AI and digital learning is being strengthened in line with changing educational and technological requirements.
Sources said the Himachal Pradesh Government had initially prepared a project proposal worth nearly ₹1,000 crore for the scheme. However, the proposal was later revised according to the budgetary ceilings fixed by the Central Government before being formally submitted.
Before the final approval meeting, preliminary discussions regarding the state’s proposals were also held during a pre-Project Approval Board meeting attended by officials from Himachal Pradesh.
