Srinagar, Aug 10 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated Rs 40,844.38 lakh under Samagra Shiksha for elementary education during the last three financial years and the current year, while Ladakh has received an allocation of Rs 33,556.09 lakh during the same period, according to a statement laid before the Lok Sabha.
The details were provided by Union Minister of Education Pralhad Joshi in response to Lok Sabha raised by Dr Shivaji Bandappa Kalge and Shri Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke regarding allocation of funds for primary education.
As per the statement, accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Jammu and Kashmir was allocated Rs 12,345.508 lakh in 2023-24, Rs 11,801.078 lakh in 2024-25, Rs 10,177.467 lakh in 2025-26 and Rs 6,335.330 lakh in 2026-27 under Samagra Shiksha for elementary education.
For Ladakh, the allocation stood at Rs 1,081.399 lakh in 2023-24, Rs 654.156 lakh in 2024-25, Rs 797.898 lakh in 2025-26 and Rs 822.156 lakh in 2026-27.
The Ministry stated that financial assistance is provided to States and UTs for implementation of interventions under Samagra Shiksha. Annual plans are prepared by States and UTs according to their requirements and priorities and are appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board in consultation with them.
Funds are released subject to conditions including expenditure pace, receipt of the commensurate State share, audited accounts, expenditure statements, outstanding advances and audited utilisation certificates of the previous year. Unspent balances from the previous year are also taken into account while releasing funds.
The Ministry said some States are unable to receive all instalments due to a slow pace of expenditure.
To monitor expenditure and implementation, the Department has launched the PRABANDH (Project Appraisal, Budgeting Achievements and Data Handling) System, which includes a dashboard displaying monthly physical and financial progress under major Samagra Shiksha interventions. Regular follow-ups and review meetings are also held with States and UTs.
At the national level, under Samagra Shiksha, Rs 1,96,277.15 lakh was spent on infrastructure and Rs 17,23,439.79 lakh on teacher salaries in 2024-25, while Rs 2,87,194.70 lakh and Rs 13,50,868.60 lakh, respectively, were spent on these components during 2025-26.
Expenditure on free textbooks stood at Rs 2,55,132.60 lakh in 2024-25 and Rs 2,35,322.84 lakh in 2025-26, while expenditure on free uniforms was Rs 3,84,593.26 lakh and Rs 3,87,101.53 lakh, respectively.
The reply also stated that the Education Cess collected across the country stood at Rs 63,252.86 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 65,890.50 crore in 2025-26.
For the education sector, the proceeds are utilised through reserve funds including the Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (PSK) and Madhyamik and Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh (MUSK).
The total allocation under Samagra Shiksha for elementary education across all States and UTs stood at Rs 55,63,724.56 lakh in 2023-24, Rs 58,40,776.28 lakh in 2024-25, Rs 48,74,316.47 lakh in 2025-26 and Rs 44,64,642.24 lakh in 2026-27—(KNO)