Union Budget 2025: 50,000 Atal Labs, Capacity Expansion Of IITs and Rs. 500 Crore AI Centre of Excellence Among Key Highlights

Broadband in all government schools, new skilling centres, and expansion of medical seats and Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme have been proposed to boost learning and job opportunities

NEW DELHI: More allocation to higher education sector, capacity expansion of IITs, 50,000 more Atal Tinkering labs, National Centre of excellence for skilling and Centre for excellence in AI for education are among the key highlights for the education sector in the Union Budget tabled by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.

Describing the next five years as an ‘unique opportunity’ to realise ‘sabka vikas’,  Sitharaman said, “The great Telugu poet and playwright Gurajada Apparao has said ‘A country is not just its soil, a country is its people’. In line with this, for us, Viksit Bharat encompasses zero poverty, 100% quality, good school education, access to high-quality affordable and comprehensive healthcare, 100% skilled labour with meaningful employment, 70% women in economic activities and farmers making our country the food basket of the world.”

 

Here are the key takeaways from the Union Budget for the education sector

Atal Tinkering Labs

Fifty thousand Atal Tinkering Labs will be set up in government schools in next five years to cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation, and foster a scientific temper among young minds, the Union Finance Minister said.

“The Atal tinkering labs will help in providing the scientific temper in youths,” she said.

Along with it, five national centres for training would be set up with the expertise of global experts. The tinkering labs will help in research in the STEM field where students can practise new ideas and approaches.

Expansion of Capacity in IITs

The total number of students in 23 IITs has increased by 100% from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years. Additional infrastructure will be created in the five IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more students. Hostel and other infrastructure capacity at IIT, Patna will also be expanded.

Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme

The Union Finance Minister has proposed to implement a Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme to provide digital-form Indian language books for school and higher education. This aims to help students understand their subjects better and make learning more accessible by offering study material in regional languages.

Under this scheme, students across schools and universities will have access to textbooks and learning resources in digital formats. The move aligns with the government’s push to integrate technology into education while promoting linguistic diversity.

National Centres of Excellence for Skilling

Building on the initiative announced in the July 2024 Budget, five National Centres of Excellence for skilling will be set up with global expertise and partnerships to equip our youth with the skills required for “Make for India, Make for the World” manufacturing. The partnerships will cover curriculum design, training of trainers, a skills certification framework, and periodic reviews.

Rs. 500 crore for Centre of Excellence in AI for Education

The Union Budget announced three Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for agriculture, health, and sustainable cities in 2023. Now, a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for education will be set up with a total outlay of Rs. 500 crore, Sitharaman said.

Broadband connectivity for government schools

All government secondary schools will get broadband connectivity under the BharatNet project, improving digital access for students.

Expansion of medical education

“Our government has added almost 1.1 lakh UG and PG medical education seats in ten years, an increase of 130 per cent. In the next year, 10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges and hospitals, towards the goal of adding 75,000 seats in the next 5 years,” Sitharaman announced.

Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0

The Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programme provides nutritional support to more than 8 crore children, 1 crore pregnant women and lactating mothers all over the country, and about 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the north-east region. The cost norms for the nutritional support will be enhanced appropriately.

Research, Development and Innovation

To implement private sector driven Research, Development and Innovation initiative announced in the July Budget, Rs. 20,000 crore will be allocated.

PM Research Fellowship

In the next five years, under the PM Research Fellowship scheme, 10,000 fellowships for technological research in IITs and IISc will be provided with enhanced financial support.

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