New Delhi: Infrastructure expansion at the five new IITs to facilitate 6,500 more students, 10,000 new medical seats and a big Artificial Intelligence push. These are among the big announcements made by the government for the education sector in the 2025-26 budget.
The Ministry of Education has been allocated more than Rs 1.28 lakh crore in the Union Budget 2025-26, higher than the revised estimate of Rs 1.14 lakh crore in 2024-25.
While the Higher Education department has been allocated an amount of Rs 50,067 crore, the school education department has received Rs 78,572.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who presented her eighth straight Union Budget, also said the government will launch ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Pushtak’ scheme to provide digital form of Indian language books for schools and higher education.
She announced the government will create additional infrastructure at five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and expand IIT Patna. The announcement to expand IIT Patna comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls due later this year.
“The total number of students in 23 IITs has increased by 100 per cent from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. Additional infrastructure will be created in the five IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students. Hostel and other infrastructure capacity at IIT Patna will also be expanded,” she said.
The IITs have been allocated an amount of Rs 11,349 crore in the union budget, up from a revised estimate of Rs 10,467 crore in current financial year.
Sitharaman announced that 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals next year towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats over the next five years.
“Our government has added almost 1.1 lakh undergraduate and postgraduate medical education seats in 10 years, an increase of 130 per cent. In the next year, 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats in the next five years,” she said.
The FM also announced 10,000 fellowships will be provided for technology research in IITs and IISc over the next five years.
“Five national centres for excellence for skilling with global expertise and partnerships will be set up and 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs will be set up in government schools in the next five years to cultivate scientific temper in young minds,” she said.
Sitharaman said broadband connectivity will be provided to all government secondary schools and primary healthcare centres in rural areas.
“I had announced three centres of excellence in AI for agriculture, sustainable cities, and health in 2023. Now, a Centre of Excellence in AI for education will be set with an outlay of Rs 500 crore,” she said, in a big Artificial Intelligence (AI) push in education.
From University Grants Commission (UGC) to National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT), most bodies under the Ministry of Education have received an increased allocation.
Top business schools — Indian Institutes of Managements (IIMs), which witnessed consistent cut in their allocated budget in a push to make them self-reliant, have also received an increased allocation of Rs 251 crore as against a revised estimate of Rs 227 crore last year.
However, the budget granted to Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISERs) has seen a drop of Rs 137 crore. Similarly, the allocated amount for World Class Institutions, has been reduced by more than 50 per cent. Last year, the amount allocated was Rs 1000 crore which has now been reduced to Rs 475 crore.
PTI
