Srinagar: The centrally sponsored scheme Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalaya (KGBV) has hit a road block as the J&K government failed to complete the construction of the buildings over the past more than seven years.
The buildings were sanctioned by the union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) from 2009 to run KGBV female residential schools in the educationally backward blocks of J&K state.
However, the J&K government has failed to complete the buildings besides making the KGBV schools functional at some other places.
The government was reprimanded during the recent project approval board (PAB) meeting of SamrgaShikshaAbhiyan convened by Secretary Education and Literacy (SEL) Government of India for its failure to complete the construction of KGBV buildings.
The meeting was convened in New Delhi in April this year to review and consider the annual plan for the year 2021-22 submitted by J&K UT.
As per the minutes of the meeting, the school education department has failed to operationalise 86 KGBV type-IV residential schools for girls in J&K.
Also, given the poor implementation of the scheme, the government has failed to have proper enrollment of girl students in these residential schools which are established in educationally backward blocks.
“The buildings for these residential schools were sanctioned in 2010-11 and are yet to be made operational. This is an area of concern,” the official document reads.
Also, around 50.9 percent of the seats are lying vacant in these residential schools for girls.
“Against the 6150 targeted enrollment in 88 functional KGBVs of Type I, 2075 seats are lying vacant,” the document reads.
The school education department has been asked to complete the pending construction of KGBV residential school buildings as early as possible.
Also, the government has kept several posts vacant in these residential schools.
As already reported, the J&K government has repeatedly made commitments to complete the construction of KGBV buildings. However, it has failed to fulfill the commitment due to which it cuts a sorry figure in all PAB meetings convened by Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) GoI.
KGBV scheme was introduced by the government of India (GoI) to provide educational facilities for girls belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, minority communities and families below the poverty line in educationally backward blocks (EBB).