Minister of State (HRD), Shri Upendra Kushwaha has conveyed that A total sum of Rs. 23,500 crore has been provided for SSA for the year 2017-18 at Budget Estimate stage against the Ministry’s estimated resource demand of Rs. 55,000 crore.
Under the SSA programme, budgetary support, as per the existing funds sharing pattern, is provided towards implementation of the different components of the Scheme including the payment of teachers’ salaries etc. Further, Section 7(1) of the RTE Act, 2009, States that both the Centre and the State shall have concurrent responsibility for providing funds for carrying out the provisions of the Act. Section 7(3) states that the Central Government shall provide to the State Government, as grants-in-aid of revenues, such percentage of expenditure as it may determine, while, Section 7(5) states that the State Government shall, taking into consideration the sums provided by the Central Government to a State Government, be responsible to provide funds for the implementation of the provisions of the Act.
With the acceptance of the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission by the Government of India, the devolution of funds to the States has been increased from 32% to 42 % of the net Union Tax Receipts. With the enhanced devolution of funds, States may consider allocating more funds to SSA so as to carry out the functions and responsibilities conferred upon the States by Section 7(5) of the RTE Act, 2009.
It is, therefore, clear that the responsibility for meeting the fund requirement vests with both the Centre and the States.
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