| SC and ST students, who gain admission to these institutes, will be awarded scholarship that will cover tuition fees, living expenses, books and a computer. |
| In 2005-06, the government will also introduce the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for SC and ST students for pursuing M Phil and PhD courses in selected universities, and provide funds for 2000 fellowships a year. |
| Sops for those below the poverty line |
| The Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme for those below the poverty line is to be expanded to cover 25 million families. |
| ICDS to be extended |
| The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is to be extended to create 188,168 additional centres, required as per the existing population norms. |
| Supplementary nutrition norms, an integral part of the ICDS scheme, are to be doubled and the central government will share half of costs with states for this purpose. The allocation to ICDS has been increased from Rs 1,623 crore in BE 2004-05 to Rs 3,142 crore in BE 2005-06. |
| More money for mid-day meal scheme |
| The allocation for the mid-day meal scheme for school children has been increased from Rs 1,675 crore in BE 2004-05 to Rs 3,010 crore. |
| Water quality to be tackled |
| All drinking water schemes have been brought under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission. |
| During 2005-06, emphasis will also be laid on tackling water quality in about 216,000 habitations in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal and some other states. |
| The outlay for the mission has been increased from Rs 3,300 crore in the current year to Rs 4,750 crore. |
| Sanitation becomes a priority |
| The Total Sanitation Campaign, which now operates in 452 districts of the country, will be extended to all districts. For the project, Rs 630 crore has been allocated. |
| Education for all |
| The allocation to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme "" the cornerstone of the government's intervention in basic education for all children"" has been increased from Rs 3,057 crore in the Budget Estimates for 2004-05 to Rs 4,754 crore. |
| A non-lapseable fund called "Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh", created for funding this programme, will get Rs 7,156 crore in 2005-06. |
| More work in rural India |
| The allocation for the National Food for Work programme, launched in November 2004, is to be increased to Rs 5,400 crore for the cash component and 50 million tonnes of foodgrain, leading to an overall allocation of Rs 11,000 crore. |
| The government plans to convert this programme into the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. |
| Institutions of excellence |
| The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has been selected by the government for further improvement as a centre of excellence in research and development. |
| The idea is to turn IISc into a world-class university in line with the Prime Minister's vision to build quality human capital. |
| The institute will be granted an additional sum of Rs 100 crore as a grant for the purpose. The government is keen to build world-class universities that can be ranked alongside universities such as Oxford and Cambridge or Harvard and Stanford. |
| Gender budgeting |
| The government has introduced gender budgeting. The Budget documents include a separate statement that highlights the gender sensitivities of the budgetary allocations under 10 demands for grants. |
| In course of time, all departments will be required to present their gender budgets as well as make benefit-incidence analyses. |
Top Section
Explore Business Standard