₹300 crore cleared to rebuild dilapidated Rajasthan school buildings: CM Bhajanlal Sharma

The Centre has approved ₹300 crore for reconstruction of dilapidated government school buildings in Rajasthan , Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Sunday, describing the move as an important step toward improving school infrastructure and student safety.

In a statement, Sharma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Ministry of Education for sanctioning the funds. “Providing students with a safe, modern and conducive learning environment is a priority of the state government,” he said, adding that the assistance would help strengthen educational infrastructure and bring qualitative improvements in the education sector .

The funding comes against the backdrop of alarming findings from a statewide survey conducted after a tragic school building collapse in 2025. Rajasthan has 63,018 government schools with more than 5.26 lakh classrooms , but the preliminary survey revealed that 86,934 classrooms were completely dilapidated and unsafe , while 5,667 schools were found entirely unfit for use .

The survey also exposed serious sanitation problems, with 17,109 toilets declared dilapidated and another 29,093 needing urgent repairs , highlighting years of infrastructure neglect in government schools.

Concerns about student safety intensified after the Piplodi government school roof collapse in Jhalawar district on July 25, 2025 , in which seven students were died and 27 others injured when a classroom roof caved in shortly before the morning assembly. The tragedy prompted the state government to order structural inspections of schools and other public buildings and triggered judicial scrutiny of school infrastructure.

Soon after the incident, the Rajasthan High Court directed authorities to close more than 86,000 unsafe classrooms across the state and ensure alternative arrangements so that students could continue their studies safely. The court has repeatedly stressed that no school should operate without a structural safety audit and has sought a clear roadmap from the government to repair unsafe buildings.

Sharma said the state government has already initiated inspections and repair measures after the Jhalawar tragedy. “ The safety of our citizens is the topmost priority of the state government. We must ensure such incidents never recur, ” he said earlier while ordering structural audits of public buildings and directing officials to evacuate unsafe structures and arrange alternative classrooms where required.