Rajasthan Sanctions ₹401.03 Cr for 472 School Buildings; CJP Flags Timing of Order During Udaipur Campaign

Jaipur/Udaipur: The Rajasthan Council of School Education has issued an administrative sanction of ₹401.03 crore for the construction and reconstruction of buildings in 472 government schools under NABARD RIDF-XXXII. The order, issued by State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, and Commissioner, School Education, Dr Rashmi Sharma, follows approval from the Finance Department dated 14 September.

According to the sanction, the 472 schools include 261 primary schools, 128 upper primary schools and 83 senior secondary schools. The approved amount covers construction, furniture and fixtures, laboratory equipment, smart classrooms, electricity and water facilities, and contingency and quality-control charges.

The order states that expenditure will be allowed only on approved activities, that final payment to contractors will be made only after required time extensions, extra items and deviation statements are approved and a completion certificate is issued, and that spending cannot exceed the sanctioned amount without competent approval. A school-wise list has been enclosed with the sanction.

Officials have described the package as part of a larger three-year school infrastructure roadmap of about ₹12,500 crore for 2026–27 to 2028–29, after government surveys flagged large numbers of dilapidated buildings, schools without their own premises, and shortages of toilets, drinking water and classrooms.

On Saturday, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) teams arrived in Udaipur as part of the second phase of their “School Thik Karo” drive, titled “Adivasi School Thik Karo”. Ranka publicly linked the two developments. In a post, he wrote that it was “a sheer coincidence that ₹400 Cr were released for 472 schools right on the day @Cockroachisback entered Udaipur,” and added that it was “a double coincidence that 30% of these schools happen to be in Udaipur.”

CJP launched the statewide “School Thik Karo” campaign on 15 August. The organisation says volunteers and citizens have since audited more than 15,000 schools nationwide. On 17 September, Ranka announced that CJP would light “Aashirvad ke diye” at schools and colleges it inspects, matching the state government’s month-long lamp-lighting programme around Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, in order to draw attention to poor facilities and infrastructure.

The tribal-school phase is planned across Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Jhalawar, Sirohi and Baran-Anta, with later visits proposed in other tribal states. Ranka has said CJP will document shortages and follow up with authorities, and that it does not support any government. The education department had earlier restricted outsider entry and photography in government schools, citing student safety and privacy, after CJP inspections began in August.