SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 427 schools selected under the Centre’s PM SHRI scheme, while Ladakh has 41, according to data placed by the Union Ministry of Education before the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The figures mean Jammu and Kashmir accounts for about 3.3 per cent of the 13,092 PM SHRI schools selected across States and Union Territories, while Ladakh accounts for about 0.3 per cent. Together, the two Union Territories have 468 schools, or around 3.6 per cent of the national total.
The Union Ministry of Education, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1140, said the 13,092 schools selected under the PM SHRI scheme include institutions across States and UTs as well as Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Jammu and Kashmir’s 427 schools place it ahead of Punjab, which has 419 selected schools, and Jharkhand, with 413, but behind larger allocations in Uttar Pradesh (1,888), Andhra Pradesh (982), Maharashtra (946), Madhya Pradesh (944), Bihar (904), Odisha (840) and Telangana (832). Ladakh’s 41 schools are among the lower allocations nationally, although several smaller UTs and States have fewer, including Chandigarh (six), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (10), Lakshadweep (13), Puducherry (18) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands (20).
The Ministry did not provide a population- or school-count-adjusted national ranking for Jammu and Kashmir or Ladakh. Therefore, the available data does not establish whether either UT is above or below the national average in terms of PM SHRI school coverage.
At the national level, the PM SHRI scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2022, with funding beginning in the financial year 2023-24. The Ministry said the approved Programme Approval Board (PAB) outlay stood at Rs 3,395.04 crore in 2023-24, including a central share of Rs 2,520.34 crore. Central funds released that year totalled Rs 1,216.68 crore, while Rs 870.72 crore was utilised, including the State share.
In 2024-25, the approved PAB outlay increased to Rs 8,067.26 crore, with a central share of Rs 5,808.72 crore. The Centre released Rs 3,571.08 crore, while Rs 3,636.23 crore was utilised, including State contributions.
For 2025-26, the approved PAB outlay rose further to Rs 8,849.50 crore, with a central share of Rs 6,056.41 crore. The Ministry reported Rs 3,105.63 crore in central funds released and Rs 3,903.01 crore utilised, including the State share.
For the current financial year, 2026-27, the approved PAB outlay is Rs 7,752.49 crore, including a central share of Rs 5,224.13 crore. The Ministry reported central funds of Rs 570.45 crore and utilisation of Rs 194.86 crore as of July 27, 2026.
The Ministry clarified that, since 2025-26, the PM SHRI scheme has been onboarded on SNA SPARSH, and the reported central funds figure for that year represents the Mother Sanction issued, except for UTs without legislatures and KVS, NVS and NCERT.
The Centre said PM SHRI schools are intended to serve as exemplar institutions for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and provide leadership and benchmarks for other schools in their neighbourhood.
The scheme provides for the saturation of selected schools with 21 NEP-aligned components, including computer and ICT laboratories, smart classrooms, libraries, internet connectivity, skill education, guidance and career counselling, integrated science laboratories, sports facilities, School Innovation Councils, youth and eco clubs, Building as Learning Aid (BaLa) features, ‘Jaadui Pitara’ for primary school children, 10 bagless days, child-tracking software, functional handwashing facilities and toilets, and green-school features.
The Ministry’s reply did not provide separate year-wise allocations, releases or utilisation figures specifically for Jammu and Kashmir or Ladakh. As a result, no direct comparison could be made from the data presented to Parliament on the two UTs’ financial performance under the scheme against the national average.
