2021 to be 'Year of Education', Rs 1,000-cr investment planned: Arunachal CM

Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government has dedicated 2021 as the 'Year of Education with a planned investment of Rs 1,000 crore for the sector, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Friday.

Participating in the budget discussion, Khandu told the assembly that his government will launch 'Mission Shiksha' to improve the standard of education in the next two years with six focus areas, including infrastructure development of schools, technology intervention through information and communication technology and digital initiatives.

"From a limited number of schools, today we have more than 3,000 schools but without quality education," he said. The House later passed the state budget for 2021-22 by voice vote.

On Wednesday, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein had presented a Rs 578.50-crore deficit budget in the assembly. Mein, who holds the planning, investment and finance portfolios, said the focus of the government will be on increasing capital expenditure to create assets in the state for overall development.

He projected a total receipt of Rs 22,581 crore for the 2021-22 fiscal, up from the revised estimates of Rs 22,000 crore in the current fiscal.

"Our share of central taxes has been pegged at Rs 11,693.94 crore as per the Union Budget Estimates for 2021-22, which is the highest source of resource for the state," the deputy CM said. In his budget speech, he said the state's own tax revenue is projected at Rs 1,900 crore and the non-tax revenue for 2021-22 estimated at Rs 850 crore.

"Arunachal is a challenging state due to its varied topography and central schemes that are based on population criteria, owing to which problems arise while executing the programmes," Khandu said. The Speaker then adjourned the House sine die.

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