Union Budget 2023: What Will Be Done for Health, Education and Skilling?

Union budget 2023 has been announced at the Parliament, and the Government of India will pay a renewed emphasis on health, education and skilling said Nirmala Sitharaman, union minister for finance, Government of India. “Indian economy has increased in size from being tenth to 5th largest in the world in the last 9 years, we have made significant progress in many SDGs, economy has become lot more formalized, efficient implementation of schemes has brought about inclusive development,” said Sitaraman.

What has been Announced for Health, Education and Skilling under Union Budget 2023?

• The Indian Council For Medical Research Labs will be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty and private sector R&D teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation.
• Proposal to establish 157 new nursing colleges in co-location with 157 hospitals established in recent times.
• The Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad (Indian Institute of Shri Anna), will be supported as the centre of excellence for sharing best practices, research, and technology at an International level.
• Centre will appoint over 38,000 teachers for 700 plus Ekalavya model residential schools serving 3.5 lakh tribal students.
• Teachers' training to be reenvisioned through innovative pedagogy, continuous professional development and ICT implementation.
• District Institutes of Education and Training to be developed as vibrant institutes of excellence.
• National digital library to be set up for children.
• Financial literacy will be promoted.
• To build a culture of reading and to make up for the pandemic-time learning loss, National Book Trust, The Children's Book Trust, and other sources will be encouraged to provide Non-Curricular Titles in regional languages.
• New programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals to be taken up through centres of excellence, industry to also be encouraged to invest in research and development in priority areas.
• Dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices to be supported in institutions to ensure skilled manpower for futuristic medical tech and high end manufacturing and research.
• PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 will be launched to skill youth within the next three years, and training courses in coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, IoT, 3D printing, drones and other soft skills will be offered.
• Unified Skill India Digital platform will enable demand-based formal skilling, linking with employers (including MSMEs) and facilitating access to entrepreneurial schemes.

"The emphasis of the government on past mile access is extremely encouraging for the edtech sector. This involves digitization of content and training and skill development becoming part of every sector. Coming to the k12 school education bit, “We are thrilled to see the government's commitment to empowering students through innovative and futuristic learning solutions. The establishment of a National Digital Library for children and adolescents, physical libraries at panchayat levels, and a focus on teacher training are all steps in the right direction. As a company dedicated to providing cutting-edge edtech solutions, we are particularly excited about the plan to set up Centers of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence in top educational institutions. Additionally, the allocation for providing age-appropriate reading materials to inculcate reading habits is a step towards promoting literacy and lifelong learning. The commitment to establishing 38,800 teachers and support staff for the 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools over the next three years is a major boost for tribal students who will now have access to quality education and opportunities. With this budget, we see a promising future for education in India and look forward to supporting the government in its efforts to provide a brighter future for all students in the country” said Ritika Kumar, Founder & CEO of STEM Metaverse.