The Delhi government on Tuesday allocated the highest chunk of the budget proposals to the education sector, amounting to ₹19,291 crore — 19.29% of the ₹1 lakh crore budget for the 2025-26 fiscal. This allocation was a significant increase from the revised estimate of ₹15,924 crore from last year’s budget.
Presenting this year’s budget, chief minister Rekha Gupta said ₹100 crore has been allocated for the opening of 60 new CM Shri schools from the upcoming 2025-26 session, in line with the PM Shri schools. “These schools will be fully compliant with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and will implement the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSC) 2023,” she said.
An additional ₹100 crore has been set aside for smart classrooms for grades 9 to 12, covering a total of 7,000 classrooms in a phased manner. In the first phase, about 2,000 classrooms will be converted into smart classrooms, Gupta said.
““We have kept a fund of ₹100 crore to make smart classes. Our target is to make at least 7,000 classes computerised and to make them smart classes, in a phased manner, so that we reach a level where every class can be called a smart class,” she said.
The government has also proposed a budget of ₹50 crore to provide 175 new computer labs in government schools as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) norms, and ₹7.5 crore to provide free laptops to 1,200 top performing students of class 11, based on board results, to encourage academic excellence.
Another project, the New Era of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Vision (NEEEV) programme, will be started in all schools from classes 8 to 12. “By integrating entrepreneurship education with financial and digital literacy and emphasizing on experiential learning, NEEEV will equip students with the skills they need to be equipped in the modern economy. A budget amount of ₹20 crore has been kept for this scheme,” Gupta said.
A budget of ₹618.00 crore has been proposed for various schemes under the technical education header, which includes an allocation for the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University, Netaji Subhash Technical University, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi Technical University, and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
A further ₹500 crore has been proposed to enable universities like DTU, DSEU, DPSRU, and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University expand their campuses on the 160 acres of DDA allocated land in Narela, with a “view to strengthen the education infrastructure in Delhi”.
In addition, the redevelopment of ITI Pusa and the construction of ITI Shahdara have been proposed, along with an allocation of ₹886.15 crore for the Department of Training and Technical Education.
“It is proposed to identify as many as possible skilled but unorganised sector workers and bring them into the formal or organised sector through standardized certification process and short-term courses in various institutions. This will improve their ability to get employment in the market and industry,” Gupta said.
Welcoming the allocations, state education minister Ashish Sood said the budget places a strong emphasis on Delhi’s youth and future generations. “To further strengthen the education sector, ₹19,291 crore has been allocated for the year 2025-26, which is 18% higher than the previous AAP government’s 2024-25 budget,” he said in a statement.
The budget also found appreciation from schools. Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, said, “The Delhi Budget 2025 lays a visionary roadmap for the education sector, reinforcing Delhi’s commitment to academic excellence and holistic student development.”
