The Union Government has approved Rs 106 crore for digital school infrastructure in government-run schools under the Punjab School Education Department under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, reported Navneet Sharma of Hindustan Times. 

The funds, which were cleared at a supplementary meeting of the Project Approval Board (PAB) of the Ministry of Education, India,  have been set aside for setting up information and communication technology (ICT) laboratories in 2,065 government secondary and senior secondary schools, as well as smart classrooms in 10 schools across the state.

The move comes after previous reluctance by the Union Government to sanction requests for similar provisions. Earlier this year, the state’s proposal had included 2,407 schools, but a portion of these, particularly those already covered under the PM‑SHRI scheme and those with an enrolment of fewer than 40 students, were excluded, the Hindustan Times report said.

In its assessment, the PAB underscored the importance of a broader educational focus: emphasising not just digital infrastructure, but also improvements in teacher education, skill-based learning, girls’ education, equity and inclusion, and measures to support student retention.

According to the Ministry’s evaluation, Punjab has in recent years grossly underutilised its allocation: of approximately Rs 198.62 crore allotted between 2020-21 and 2024-25 for digital initiatives, the state utilised only about Rs 66.80 crore. This sum is barely one-third of the amount, as the remainder had been left unspent due to delays in implementation and other hurdles, reports Hindustan Times.

With this, the total approved allocation for Punjab under the Samagra Shiksha scheme now stands at Rs 1,710.15 crore for the current fiscal year, including Rs 927 crore for elementary schools, Rs 701 crore for secondary schools, and nearly Rs 80 crore for teacher education initiatives.

Officials also noted that recruitment has already begun for some 8,000 teachers in government schools, as per Hindustan Times.