‘Project Alankar’ to ensure makeover for Sanskrit schools in UP

‘Project Alankar’, initiated by the Uttar Pradesh government, has introduced amended financial aid rules, heralding a much-anticipated makeover for government-aided secondary Sanskrit schools in the state.

These revised regulations aim to rejuvenate institutions that have been serving the community for over 50 years.

Previously, the state government required school managements to cover 50 per cent of the renovation costs for their aging buildings, with the government subsidizing the remainder.

However, this condition led to reluctance among school management committees, resulting in Rs 28 crore going unclaimed in the last fiscal year, according to officials from the state’s secondary education department.

In response to this, the Secondary Education Department modified the aid conditions, reducing the school managements’ financial commitment to just 5 per cent of the renovation expenses.

Simultaneously, they allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore for renovation projects.

These revised rules have been met with enthusiasm from school management committees. The Directorate of Education in Prayagraj, UP, has already received proposals totalling Rs 22 crore from various institutions across the state, eager to take advantage of the scheme to enhance and develop their school buildings.

The proposals, which amount to Rs 22 crore, originate from government-aided Sanskrit schools in districts such as Basti, Muzaffarnagar, Sonbhadra, Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Balrampur, and Maharajganj.

Out of the 958 government-aided Sanskrit schools offering education from classes 6 to 12 in the state, officials have been instructed to prioritize those institutions with more than 100 students.

Prof. M.C. Chattopadhyay, manager of Shri Saudamini Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in Prayagraj, said, “Earlier, due to the requirement of a 50 per cent matching grant, which we couldn’t afford and we had not submitted a proposal for our school’s renovation. But now, we have submitted a proposal under the new guidelines.”