Jaipur: Three days after students of Maharav Shekhaji Govt Girls’ Sainik School in Sikar protested over alleged lack of basic facilities, the state education department has approved Rs 65.24 crore for developing infrastructure and facilities at the Sikar and Bikaner Sainik Schools.The department approved the revised additional budget proposal at a review meeting Tuesday. The funds will be used to develop hostels, teaching facilities, sports infrastructure, and other amenities at the two schools, which were started this year as part of the state’s flagship Sainik School project.The proposal covers construction and infrastructure work, modern ICT equipment, food, and daily operational arrangements. Libraries, physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, canteens, parking areas and auditoriums will be developed at both schools between 2026-27 and 2028-29.An academic block, approach road and toilet blocks will also be constructed at the Bikaner school.“A budget of Rs 1.27 crore has been proposed for a 10-month period, based on a capacity of 80 girls per school. Under this arrangement, services such as meals, sanitation staff, and vans or vehicles for the girls will be procured through outsourcing,” the education department said in a statement.The department said a provision had also been made to pay sanitation staff from the contingency fund.The budget approval comes after parents and students of the Sikar school staged a protest Sunday. Parents of all 80 students alleged that the school, operational for nearly five months, lacked basic facilities and clear guidelines.They claimed that books and uniforms had not been provided and that facilities related to food, drinking water, electricity and medical services were inadequate. Parents also alleged that no clear guidelines or standard operating procedures in line with All India Sainik Schools standards had been issued.Rajasthan is the first state to launch its own Sainik School model. The initiative, announced by the chief minister in 2025, aims to establish 10 such schools in two phases.The first phase includes five schools. Apart from the operational Sikar and Bikaner schools, three more are planned in Bharatpur, Ajmer and Ramganj Mandi in Kota.
