India’s education system is transitioning towards a holistic, inclusive and outcome-oriented framework guided by the National Education Policy 2020 and SDG 4. Accordingly, education schemes in the country address the entire education lifecycle, from foundational learning and school infrastructure to higher education, research and employability.
As part of this, schemes such as PM SHRI, NIPUN Bharat and PM POSHAN aim to improve school quality, foundational competencies and child nutrition.
Here are 11 such government schemes that seek to build human capital and align education with India’s knowledge economy in the context of school students. These schemes address specific gaps across the school-education continuum through targeted interventions to improve educational quality, inclusivity and accessibility.
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
Nature: It is the umbrella centrally-sponsored scheme covering school education from pre-school to Class XII, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020.
Key Focus: It supports Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), teacher education, inclusive education, digital initiatives, infrastructure, vocational education, sports and gender equity.
Impact: From 2018–19 to 2024–25, 80,105 schools were strengthened, 1,38,802 schools received ICT/digital interventions and 9,477 schools were covered under vocational education.
NIPUN Bharat
Objective: Launched on 5 July 2021, NIPUN Bharat focuses on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) under Samagra Shiksha.
Target: It aims to ensure that every child achieves foundational learning by the end of Grade 3, consistent with the foundational stage under NEP 2020.
Implementation: All States/UTs are implementing the mission, with financial support provided through Samagra Shiksha and learning resources delivered through platforms such as DIKSHA.
PM SHRI
Nature: Launched on 7 September 2022, PM SHRI is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for transforming existing government schools into NEP-aligned exemplar schools.
Target: The scheme aims to strengthen more than 14,500 schools during 2022–23 to 2026–27, with a total project cost of Rs 27,360 crore.
Impact: As of July 2026, 13,092 schools had been selected, representing about 90% of the target, with more than 20 lakh students expected to benefit directly.
PM POSHAN
Nature: PM POSHAN is a centrallysponsored nutritional-support scheme providing hot cooked meals to improve children’s nutrition, attendance and concentration.
Coverage: It covers children in Bal Vatika and Classes I–VIII in eligible government and government-aided schools.
Impact: Around 11.80 crore students in approximately 11.20 lakh schools are being served nutritious hot-cooked meals on school days.
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
Objective: KGBV provides residential schooling to girls from disadvantaged communities to improve access and reduce dropout.
Coverage: The scheme has been expanded up to Class XII, with priority to girls from disadvantaged social and economic groups. It is currently implemented under the Samagra Shiksha framework.
Impact: By 2024–25, 5,133 KGBVs were operational, with enrolment increasing from 3.52 lakh in 2014–15 to 7.11 lakh in 2024.
STARS
Nature: STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States and is a centrally-sponsored scheme supported by the World Bank.
States: It covers Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.
Focus: It strengthens learning outcomes, assessment, teacher development, early childhood education and school governance; it also supports school infrastructure along with Samagra Shiksha and PM SHRI.
The Union Ministry of Education extended the STARS programme further by two years (till 31 March 2027).
National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)
Objective: NMMSS provides financial assistance to meritorious students from economically weaker sections to reduce dropout after Class VIII.
Benefit: It provides Rs 12,000 per annum to selected students from Class IX, with renewal up to Class XII subject to conditions; 1 lakh fresh scholarships are offered annually.
Impact: For 2026–27, applications opened on the National Scholarship Portal, with the application deadline extended to 30 September 2026; as of 31 August 2026, 79,398 fresh and 1,87,208 renewal applications were submitted.
PM e-VIDYA / DIKSHA
Objective: PM e-VIDYA integrates online, digital, television, radio and other modes to expand access to education and bridge the digital divide.
DIKSHA: Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the major national digital platform providing learning resources, QR-linked textbooks and teacher-support material.
Impact: As of 12 August 2026, DIKSHA had 2.35 crore registered users, while SWAYAM had crossed 6.5 crore enrolments.
Vidyanjali 2.0
Objective: Vidyanjali connects government/government-aided schools with volunteers, alumni, professionals, NGOs and CSR organisations.
Areas of Support: Contributions include teaching, mentoring, career guidance, remedial learning, sports, arts, vocational skills and school infrastructure.
Impact: In the preceding year, 1,27,884 schools, 32,581 volunteers and 1,126 CSR organisations/NGOs/institutions were newly registered on the Vidyanjali Portal.
PARAKH
Establishment: PARAKH stands for Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development and was established as the National Assessment Centre under NCERT on 8 February 2023.
Objective: It seeks to shift school assessment from rote and summative examinations towards regular, formative and competency-based assessment.
Role: It develops norms, standards and guidelines for assessment and promotes comparability and competency-based evaluation across school boards.
PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024 report cards at the national, state and district levels are available, providing evidence on learning outcomes.
NISHTHA
Objective: NISHTHA means National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement and focuses on strengthening teacher and school-head capacity.
Focus: It covers pedagogy, FLN, assessment, competency-based learning and holistic education through professional development.
The government has implemented NISHTHA 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 as part of NEP 2020 implementation, covering different stages and aspects of school education.