RTE entitlements to be paid through cash transfer

Cabinet approves Samagra Shiksha scheme extension till March 2026

The Centre plans to pay students their Right to Education entitlements in the form of cash transfers, as part of a revamp and extension of its flagship school education scheme that was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday. The Samagra Shiksha scheme, which has been extended till March 2026, will have a financial outlay of ₹2.94 lakh crore, including a Central share of ₹1.85 lakh crore, and several new initiatives on early childhood education, foundational literacy and numeracy and language education. Samagra Shiksha is an integrated scheme for 11.6 lakh government and aided schools with over 15 crore students and 57 lakh teachers. It involves a 60:40 split in funding between the Centre and most States. The Centre’s share now works out to about ₹37,080 crore per year, higher than the amounts allocated over the last three years.