CHENNAI: During his maiden budget speech, Finance Minister D Jayakumar highlighted how the Centre delayed sanctioning Rs 1,266 crore under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), a Central scheme to strengthen secondary education in India. However, documents accessed by Express reveal that Tamil Nadu had returned a whopping Rs 400 crore allotted by the Centre under the same scheme to spruce up the infrastructure of government-run schools.
Sources said the State government had cited cost escalation for returning the fund.
Following a proposal from Tamil Nadu to strengthen 2,033 government schools, the Project Approval Board (PAB) of RMSA had sanctioned funds for 879 schools in 2010-11 and 1,153 schools in 2011-12. The board had directed the State to construct additional classrooms, libraries, computer labs and other basic facilities in these schools.
But three years later, when a review meeting was convened on March 2, 2015 to check the progress made by states in utilising the funds, “No civil works for strengthening of 2,033 existing schools were taken up by Tamil Nadu except for 474 toilet blocks, 213 drinking water facilities and 236 science labs,” noted the then Union School Education Secretary Vrinda Sarup who chaired the meeting.
Representing the State, the then School Education Secretary, D Sabitha, assured that necessary action would be taken.
The board met again on March 11, 2016 where officials from Centre and State held discussions on the annual work plan and budget for the 2016-17 academic year. It was during this meeting that Tamil Nadu surrendered Rs 400 crore.
According to the minutes of the meeting, a copy of which is available with Express, Tamil Nadu had said that it was difficult to complete the civil work due to excessive cost difference.
Explaining this, a senior government official said the Centre allotted funds at Rs 500 per sqft, whereas the State PWD charged nearly Rs 1,200 per sqft in 2010-11. “Despite getting the approval, we were not able to take up construction for three years because of this. The RMSA doesn’t allow funds allotted under one component to be utilised for a different purpose. So we returned it,” the official added.
State authorities said the government was keener on constructing new schools than strengthening the existing ones. The State had reportedly allotted more than Rs 1,400 crore for new schools, while the existing ones are largely taken care of by the development funds from local MLAs and corporate CSR activities.
The Centre too had its share in construction of new schools, and going by the PAB reports, it is evident that Tamil Nadu was not prompt in this component either. The Centre had repeatedly pulled up the State for delay in construction of new schools. “Out of the approved 1,096 schools, the State has completed the civil work of only 200 schools, whereas construction of about 845 schools is in progress,” read the minutes of the March 2016 meeting.
Officials here claimed that construction works began right after this meeting, and nearly 80 per cent work has been completed.
Responding to queries, School Education Secretary T Udhayachandran said, “The Centre has promised to allocate the fund during next year.” Officials added that the Centre had now revised their rate fixation policy, wherein funds would be allotted based on the State or Central PWD rate, whichever is lesser.