Never before has the HRD Ministry been in such a soup. While its annual plan outlay for Higher Education is about to be reduced below the current year’s Rs 2,125 crore, the Elementary Education’s budget is not likely to cross Rs 4,900 crore as against the minimum requirement of Rs 7,096 crore fixed by the Planning Commission.Alarm bells are ringing harder at the Dept of Elementary Education as it has to carry forward the burden of two Constitutional obligations — of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and mid-day meal scheme (MMS) on which there is a Supreme Court directive. Ninety per cent of the outlay of the Department of Elementary Education is to be spent on SSA and MMS. ‘‘But we are afraid that we won’t be able to meet our statutory obligations,’’ a senior HRD Ministry official said.Since the last week, there’s been a flurry of activity in the HRD Ministry, including distress calls and two letters from HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi to Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, requesting him not to chop plan allocations. In response, Jaswant sent his advisor Vijay Kelkar, raising hopes that outlay for the coming year will be restored to the current year’s level. The Central share in the 10th Plan for the SSA was approved by the National Development Council at Rs 22,000 crore. ‘‘It is doubtful if even this would be reached,’’ Secy, Elementary Education, S.C. Tripathy said. ‘‘The Financial Ministry didn’t tell us in time to raise money from external donors. We are negotiating with the World Bank but it will take at least an year,” an official said.
