Kerala Budget 2024: Over 1000 Crores Allocated for Education Sector; 33 Crores for Modernisation of Schools – News18

A school will be raised as a model school in every district of Kerala. Rs 1032.62 crores have been allocated for the public education sector and 33 crores for modernisation of schools, Kerala’s Finance Minister KN Balagopal said while presenting the third full budget of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government in the Assembly. He also added that Rs 155.34 crore has been assigned for the distribution of free uniforms.

The budget announcement also includes five new nursing colleges in the state. Rs 13 crore has been allocated for waste management projects in medical colleges. The finance minister has also announced an Rs 2 lakh insurance scheme for Anganwadi employees.

Around 10,000 jobs will be created in the sports sector and an investment of Rs 5000 crore has been mobilised through the International Sports Summit. To attract more foreign students to the state, universities will be made technologically advanced, the minister added. Efforts will be made to establish foreign universities as per UGC norms.

Balagopal also announced a new pension scheme for state government employees. The announcement is that the current contributory pension scheme will be withdrawn and a new scheme will be introduced for the employees which will be secure.

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During the Union Interim Budget 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that more medical colleges will be set up and a committee will be formed to examine this purpose. “Our government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilising the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments. A committee for this purpose will be set up to examine the issues and make relevant recomendations,” she said. Sitharaman also said that there are plans for the “upgradation of aanganwadi centres” as well.