Education spending has risen to 4.6% from 3.8% in 2014, Centre is targeting 6%, says Prakash Javadekar

Mumbai: Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the government expenditure on education has gone up from 3.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014 to 4.6 percent during the NDA rule. Educational infrastructure, too, is being expanded and reformed, the minister said at a convocation at DY Patil University in Navi Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_3308918” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar. PTI[/caption] “It is our priority that 6 percent of the GDP should be allotted to education… While total expenditure by the Central and state governments on education was 3.8 percent of GDP in 2014, it has increased to 4.6 percent now. This indicates that we are progressing towards 6 percent,” he said. “We are making continuous efforts to improve educational facilities… Seven new IITs, seven new IIMs, two new NITs (National Institutes of Technology), three Central universities and around 125 Kendriya Vidyalayas have been started,” he said. The portal SWAYAM offers 2,000 courses and “like ATM, this is ATL — ‘Anytime Learning’ for everyone for free,” Javadekar said. Besides, 32 educational channels have been launched, and free coaching for the IIT Joint Entrance Exam is offered through IIT-PAL (Professor Assisted Learning) programme, he said. The Union minister also said that the NDA government made a “historic decision of introducing graded autonomy, while ensuring quality education”. Saying that a “new India is emerging” under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, he told the graduating students that “we need to make a decision to live for society, as this is necessary for a new India that is free of corruption, uncleanliness, terrorism, poverty, communalism and casteism”. The BJP leader also pointed out that over 200 of 900 universities in the country have adopted the Indian costume for convocation, and he was confident that “DY Patil University, too, would conduct their convocation ceremony in Indian costume from next year”.