In Jammu, on February 11, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed grants totaling Rs 28,25,036.66 for the health and medical education, social welfare, and higher education departments through a voice vote.
Education, Health and Medical Education, and Social Welfare Minister, Sakina Itoo, presented a budget of Rs 12,98,872.13 for the school education department, Rs 8,65,476.57 for the health and medical education department, Rs 4,45,671.59 for the social welfare department, and Rs 2,15,016.37 for the higher education department. This budget was approved after a day-long discussion.
Concluding the discussion, Itoo assured the legislators that the relevant departments would examine the suggestions presented, and would make every effort to address the genuine issues raised during the discussion.
"Education, health, and social welfare are the most important sectors that form the foundation of a nation. Under the visionary leadership of the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, these sectors were given priority," Itoo stated.
Expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Itoo said that despite the challenges, he made significant provisions for education, health, and social welfare.
"This budgetary support will help improve the quality of education and health services, as well as the welfare of deserving individuals. No budget is perfect, but it is honest in intent, grounded in reality, and guided by compassion," she said.
"The budget (presented on February 6) reflects a strong commitment to human development, improved service delivery, and inclusive growth," she added.
Speaking about school education, the minister stated that before the current government took over, the education policy in J-K suffered from frequent experimentation without consultation, leading to overburdened teachers and students.
She also mentioned that the council of ministers made a significant decision to restore the academic session from March to November.
"The results of the 10th, 11th, and 12th classes in the winter zones, particularly in government schools, have shown significant improvement (85 per cent in 10th, 84 per cent in 12th, and 83 per cent in 11th class)," she said.
Reflecting on the achievements in school education, Itoo announced that 2,894 contingent-paid workers (1,050 in Jammu and 1,844 in Kashmir) have been regularized.
She added that to address the shortage of subject-specific staff, the department has hired cluster resource coordinators (CRCs) under the Samagra Shiksha initiative, with a monthly salary of Rs 25,000.
Regarding human resource management in middle, high, and higher secondary schools, the minister stated that 594 vacancies for lecturers in various subjects have been referred to the Public Service Commission, and the selection lists are in the final stages.
She also mentioned that 53 girls' hostels and 28 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) are being completed and upgraded in the Union territory.
On infrastructure development, the minister said that 2,356 projects of various types have been approved under Capex during the current financial year, including 288 additional classrooms.
She added that under Samagra Shiksha, 762 additional classrooms, 619 boys' toilets, 710 girls' toilets, and 604 boundary walls will be constructed.
For the next fiscal, the minister proposed 329 additional classrooms in high and higher secondary schools, along with 400 additional classrooms under Samagra Shiksha.
"The government has recently launched a dedicated educational DTH channel, 'JK e-Patshala', which is available free of cost to all students from Class 1 to 12," she said.
"The department will increase the number of DTH channels from one to 12 with an 'one class-one channel' initiative," she added.
Under the Beti Anmol scheme, 19,870 girls have been covered, with Rs 3.68 crore and Rs 8.69 crore proposed for the next fiscal (2026-27).
On the health sector, the minister stated that before the government took over in October 2024, hospitals had become symbols of neglect rather than healing.
"Healthcare will no longer be a privilege based on geography or income; it will be a right delivered at the doorsteps," she said.
