As a push to virtual education, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during the Union Budget 2022, announced that a digital university will be set up to provide equal access to education. "A digital university will be established to provide access to students. Across the country, for world-class quality universal education with personalised learning experience at their doorsteps. This will be made available in different Indian languages and ICT forms," said Sitharaman. She added that the university will be built on a networked hub and spoke model. "The best public universities and institutions in the country will collaborate as a network of hub and spoke."
The Finance Minister tabled the budget at 11 am on February 1. President Ram Nath Kovind kicked off the Budget Session of the Parliament on January 31, following which FM Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey.
Last year's budget was the first one to be presented amid the COVID-19 pandemic and extensive farmers' protest. Sitharaman replaced the Swadeshi 'bahi khata' and switched to a tablet, to go digital from 2021. She was seen carrying a tablet kept inside a red cover with a golden national emblem embossed on it. Announcing the Economic Survey last year, she had pegged the GDP growth at 11 per cent in the Financial Year 2021-22. But the Indian economy has come close to the projection. Advance estimates suggest that the Indian economy is expected to witness a real GDP expansion of 9.2 per cent in 2021-22, after contracting in 2020-21, said the latest Economic Survey.
Last year, the Union Budget allotted resources towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan extensively, be it in the social sector, energy, government reforms, migrant workers or agriculture. While the National Education Policy was the focus, the education sector saw a budgetary slash of 6 per cent from Rs 99 crores to Rs 93.2 crores last year.
Hundred new Sainik Schools were set up. On top of that, 750 Eklavya Schools were also to be set up in tribal areas and a Central University was supposed to come up in Ladakh and has already been set up.
