Arjun Singh To Brief Media On Central Budget

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) With education dubbed a ''prime imperative'' in the new budget, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh will brief journalists tomorrow on the Central Budget of HRD.

This will be Mr Singh's first news conference in more than two months since he was admitted to hospital on December 20 ''for routine medical check-up.'' HRD officials say the Minister is also expected to update media on such issues as reservation and education facilities for minorities.

Among Budget 2007-08 proposals unveiled on February 28 were one extra per cent education cess, Rs 6,000 crore extra spending on schooling and Rs 50 crore for vocationalisation to take advantage of the so-called ''demographic dividend.'' ''We can take advantage of demographic dividend thrown up by an increase in the working age population only if our young men and women have the required skills,'' Finance Minister P Chidambaram told the Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told an interviewer that education was a prime imperative ''as far as this Budget is concerned.

''We need to improve the skill level of the youth. Therefore we need lot more emphasis on secondary education, or on those who leave the primary education and at the same time, strengthening the vocationalisation of education.

''We need to expand the facilities that are available through the medium of ITIs.'' Officials said an additional cess of one per cent on all direct taxes has been levied to fund secondary and higher education.

This would also be used in expanding capacity by 54 per cent for reservation for socially and educationally backward classes, they said.

They said the existing two per cent education cess to fund basic education would also remain.

UNI