Pune: Maharashtra school education department has discontinued two grant schemes — ‘Pathshalas and Sanskrit development’ and ‘Other special schools’ — after finding that they had largely existed only on paper, with no proposals or expenditure for years.
School education minister Dada Bhuse said, “No further budgetary provision will be made for the discontinued schemes and no administrative expenditure will be sanctioned for them.” The department has issued a govt order to implement the decision.
The decision follows directions from a committee headed by chief secretary to review govt schemes, simplify administrative processes, improve access to public services and ensure more effective use of funds. The state planning department approved the broader exercise to simplify welfare schemes and restructure govt processes on Aug 3 this year.
During the review it was found that neither schemes had seen meaningful implementation in years. While grants for pathshalas and Sanskrit development had received no proposals since 2017-18, with no expenditure recorded since 2019-20, the other special schools scheme had recorded no spending since 2022-23, according to a school education department survey.
Bhuse said, “The prolonged lack of activity raised questions about the continued need to retain the schemes in the department’s budget and administrative framework, particularly when other programmes with similar objectives were already operational.”
“The move is intended to reduce administrative burden and allow available resources to be used more effectively,” he added.
The decision is part of a wider effort to assess govt-funded programmes in the light of changing educational and administrative requirements. Education activist Sunil Mane said, “Several schemes were introduced over different periods to provide scholarships, financial assistance, and other educational concessions. However, changes in policy priorities and the availability of alternative programmes have prompted govt to assess whether older schemes continue to serve their intended purpose.”
Educator Vishwakarma Jadhav said, “The discontinuation also underlines the need for periodic reviews of govt programmes to establish whether they are reaching beneficiaries and delivering the intended outcomes. Schemes that remain inactive for long periods can continue to occupy space in administrative records despite the absence of proposals, expenditure or measurable benefits.”
Jadhav added that the order did not indicate a broader withdrawal of support for Sanskrit education or special schools through other existing programmes.
