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Special Report

Resource mobilisation schema for public education

Through a national multi-partisan consensus it is possible for the Union government to mobilise substantial addi-
tional resources to provide high-quality public education for the world's largest child and youth population as under:
Expenditure outlay Budgeted Savings Comment
2024-25 (Rs. lakh crore) (Rs. lakh crore)
Establishment expenditure 7.83 1.02 Est expenditure is too high at 16.29 percent of total
budget expenditure. Reduce to 13 percent.
FFood, fertiliser, petroleum 4.28 0.21 Reduce by 5 percent by better targeting, reducing
& others gold plating etc
Non-merit middle class ____ 2.95 Non-merit subsidies are estimated at 10 percent of
subsidies (higher education, GDP (Rs.295 lakh crore). Prune by 1 percent.
electricity, piped water etc)
Interest payout 11.62 1.16 Reduce public debt through privatisation
of PSEs (10 percent)
Defence 6.21 0.31 Defence services can cut 5 percent and make it up
_________ ________ by undertaking civil defence contracts.
Sub-total: 22.94 5.65
Budget 2024-25 (Receipts) Budgeted Savings Comment
Corporate tax 10.22 0.10 1 percent education cess
Income tax 11.07 0.06 Rs.1,000 flat tax on all IT assessees (57 million)
PSE privatisation 0.78 2.00 Market value of PSEs is Rs 22 lakh crore. Raise
_________ ________ by accelerating privatisation
Sub-total: 22.07 2.16
Grand total: 7.81
EW recommendations for developing human capital
1) Invest Rs.1.81 lakh crore for libraries, laboratories and lavatories in deficient government schools
2) Invest additional Rs.1 lakh crore in ICDS/anganwadis
3) Invest additional Rs.1 lakh crore in national primary health care centres network
4) Invest additional Rs.1 lakh crore in digital infrastructure in public schools
5) Invest additional Rs.1 lakh crore in skilling centres & Atal Tinkering labs
6) Invest additional Rs.1 lakh crore in making 20 public universities world-class

of TVEs (town and village enterpris- years after India wrested its political growth, and ease of doing for domestic
es) that produced a powerful surge of freedom from foreign rule is a suf- and foreign enterprises is the way for-
strong and balanced growth. Most of ficiently long period for this country ward. Undoubtedly it is. Yet public ed-
the TVEs were run by private entre- gifted with an intelligent and high- ucation and mass human resource de-
preneurs who found a way, through potential population to have abolished velopment remains this government’s
these rural-based enterprises to in- illiteracy and attained middle class — as of its predecessor governments
crease their incomes and go beyond status. Therefore, the PM’s goals of a in Delhi and in the states — blindspot.
agriculture. And until the mid-1990s, Viksit (developed) India and $30 tril- Although there is no historical
these rural entrepreneurs (equipped lion GDP (cf. current $3.5 billion) by precedent of any nation — except
with robust foundational literacy and 2047 — the centenary year of India’s perhaps the oil rich countries of the
numeracy — Editor) accounted for 30- independence — are as overdue as Middle East — attaining high per cap-
50 percent of all private sector activ- they are legitimate. Yet there’s consid- ita income without banishing illiteracy
ity in urban China,” writes Krishnan, erable divergence of opinion on ways and achieving good learning outcomes
who adds that by 1985, these TVEs and means to attain these national in primary-secondary education, post-
employed 70 million people. goals. independence India’s governments
In terms of ambitious goals-setting, As evidenced by provisions of and the establishment have failed to
Prime Minister Modi and the BJP/ Union Budget 2024-25, the BJP/NDA make sufficient provision for high-
NDA government, now in its third government believes that greater in- quality public education.
consecutive innings in office at the frastructure expenditure, which will The result is rock-bottom pro-
Centre, can’t be faulted. Seventy-five have a multiplier effect for economic ductivity in all sectors — agriculture,

76 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2024