Dr K Laxman, a member of the BJP Parliamentary Board, has criticized the Telangana government for not utilizing funds released by the Centre under the Samagra Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme. The SSA is an integrated scheme for school education that includes pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary, and senior secondary levels. The scheme is based on a Centre-State sharing of funds, with each state preparing annual plans based on their requirements and priorities. The funds are released based on the submission of audited accounts, utilization certificates, physical and financial progress, and other documents as prescribed under the financial management & procurement (FMP) manual of Samagra Shiksha.
According to Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi, Telangana has only utilized less than 55% of the funds released by the Centre under the SSA in the past five years. Despite being sanctioned around Rs 12,000 crore since the financial year 2018-19, including the State share to SSA, Telangana’s expenditure stood at only Rs 5,000 crore, making the total expenditure for the last five years under SSA less than 50%.
It is important for the Telangana government to utilize the funds released by the Centre to improve the state’s education system. The Centre has provided financial assistance through various schemes, and it is up to the state to ensure that these funds are used effectively for the benefit of students.
