Several Congress-ruled states, including Delhi and Rajasthan, have demanded 90 to 100% funding from the Centre towards the implementation of the new law.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar may have taken the lead in demanding more central funds for implementing the Right To Education Act, but Congress-ruled states are also joining the race now.
Several Congress-ruled states, including Delhi and Rajasthan, have demanded 90 to 100% funding from the Centre towards the implementation of the new law, said a committee set up by HRD Ministry to suggest ways for revamping the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan scheme in the light of the new Act.
The implementation of the Act would require Rs 1.71 lakh crore in the next five years. The committee's report, which has given the comments of the states on funding pattern, said majority of them have expressed inability to bear the additional funds required to implement the Act.
These states are currently giving 45% share for the SSA scheme which would be the main vehicle for implementation of the RTE Act.
The report quoted Delhi education secretary Rakesh Mohan as saying that the existing fund sharing pattern under SSA needs to be changed to 90-10 between the Centre and the state. The financial liability on account of RTE Act will be high and additional burden should be borne by central government, the report said.
The panel, headed by former education secretary Anil Bordia, submitted its report to the HRD Ministry last week.
Umesh Kumar, Commissioner of Rajasthan Council of Elementary Education, has said that additional funds for RTE will be required from the Centre.
Andhra Pradesh has said that all the additional cost should be borne by the Centre. Similarly Congress-ruled Manipur and Meghalaya, where Congress-led government is in power, have said the additional liability on account of RTE Act should not be passed on to the states.
The other major states which have expressed inability to fund the new law include Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala.
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar would require the major share of the estimated Rs 1.71 lakh crore for implementation of the Act. While 24% of this fund would be required for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar will need 17% followed by West Bengal (8%), Rajasthan (7% and Jharkhand (6%).
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