Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented the Union Budget 2025 on February 1, 2025, outlining the government's plans for the education sector.
Here are the key educational initiatives announced during the Budget presentation:
1. Expansion of IIT infrastructure: The infrastructure of the five IITs that were founded after 2014 will be expanded further. "Over the last ten years, there has been a 100% growth in the overall number of students at the 23 IITs. The five IITs that were established after 2014 would get increased facilities to support the education of an additional 6,500 students. IIT Patna's hostel and other infrastructure will be upgraded.
2. National Centres of Excellence for Skilling: In order to provide our young people with the skills necessary for "make for India, for make for the world," five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling will be established for international expertise and collaboration. Program design, trainer training, skill certification framework, and periodic evaluations will all be covered in the program.
3. Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence: A total of ₹500 crore will be spent to establish a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Education.
4. Boost to Medical Education: According to the FM, the government plans to add 10,000 new medical college seats in order to increase medical education, with a goal of adding 75,000 new medical seats over the following five years.
5. PM Research Fellowship Scheme: The government will offer 10,000 fellowships for technical research at IITs and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) with increased financial support under the PM Research Fellowship Scheme, according to the finance minister.
6. ATAL Tinkering Labs: In order to "cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation and foster a scientific temper among young minds," 50,000 new ATAL Tinkering Labs will be established in government schools over the course of the next five years.
7. Bharatnet Initiative: The Bharatnet initiative would provide broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools in rural areas.
