New Delhi, Aug 11 (INB) The Centre released over Rs 17,233 crore for teacher salaries under the Samagra Shiksha scheme in 2025-26, while spending on school infrastructure stood at more than Rs 2,871 crore, the government has informed the Lok Sabha The figures were provided in a written response to Lok Sabha on Monday in reply to a question on allocation of funds for primary education, asked by MPs Dr Shivaji Bandappa Kalge and Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke, according to the Ministry of Education. Under Samagra Shiksha, the Centre provides financial assistance to states and Union Territories for implementing various elementary education interventions. The annual plans are prepared by states and UTs according to their requirements and priorities and are subsequently appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB), in consultation with the respective governments, the ministry said. According to data from the PRABANDH portal, expenditure on infrastructure under Samagra Shiksha increased from Rs 1,962.77 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 2,871.95 crore in 2025-26. Spending on teacher salaries, however, declined from Rs 17,234.40 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 13,508.69 crore in 2025-26, the data showed. Expenditure on free textbooks stood at Rs 2,551.33 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 2,353.23 crore in 2025-26, while expenditure on free uniforms was listed at Rs 3,845.93 crore for 2024-25. The government said funds are released to states and UTs subject to conditions including the pace of expenditure, receipt of the corresponding state share, audited accounts, utilisation certificates and updated expenditure statements. Unspent balances from the previous year are also taken into account while releasing funds. Some states are unable to receive all instalments because of a slow pace of expenditure, the government said. The Ministry of Education has also introduced the PRABANDH (Project Appraisal, Budgeting Achievements and Data Handling) system to monitor expenditure and implementation of Samagra Shiksha interventions. A dashboard under the system displays monthly physical and financial progress under major interventions, while regular follow-ups and review meetings are conducted with states and UTs to monitor implementation, the ministry said. On education cess, the government said its total share increased from Rs 63,252.86 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 65,890.50 crore in 2025-26. The proceeds are utilised through reserve funds, including the Prarambhik Shiksha Kosh (PSK) and Madhyamik and Uchchtar Shiksha Kosh (MUSK). Utilisation under PSK stood at Rs 40,900 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 48,049.09 crore in 2025-26, while MUSK utilisation was Rs 11,162.60 crore and Rs 10,314.31 crore, respectively.
