Chandigarh, Dec. 5 -- After withholding approval for a similar proposal earlier, the Centre has sanctioned Rs.106 crore to Punjab for digital initiatives such as computer laboratories and smart classrooms in government schools under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for the current financial year, while also flagging the need to enhance focus on quality interventions, girls' education and skill education.

The additional budget was approved by the project approval board (PAB) of the Union ministry of education at a supplementary meeting held in Delhi last month. The funds have been sanctioned for procuring digital hardware and software for information and communication technology (ICT) labs in 2,065 government secondary and senior secondary scho...