Edu. sector’s response to Union Budget a mixed bag

There are mixed reactions to the Union Budget declared on Tuesday as far as the education sector goes. The initiatives on skilling, job creation and support for small businesses align well with the goal of sustained economic growth.” Rahul Karad, managing trustee, MAEER, executive president, MIT World Peace University, said, “We welcome the finance minister’s progressive budget which demonstrates a strong commitment to education, employment, and skilling with an allocation of ₹1.48 lakh crore. The partnership will help boost the initiative to skill 20 lakh youth through internships with top companies and the Prime Minister’s Internship Programme to provide valuable practical experience and skill development.” Rajesh Pande, advisory committee member, National Service Scheme Maharashtra, said, “This budget has been presented to achieve the goal of India becoming a developed nation by 2047. Today’s budget is a very balanced one which aims to strengthen the foundation of the economy by providing loans of ₹10 lakh at moderate interest to students, financial assistance to youth in their first job, education, skill development and employment growth. Skill development training to 20 lakh youth in five years, upgradation of 1,000 industrial training centres, curriculum design according to the needs of the industries’ sector will boost industry, business and employment generation.” On the other hand, student representatives are not too happy with the Union Budget.