PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 10 -- Officials in many districts of Uttar Pradesh have shown little enthusiasm for the state government's Project Alankar-an initiative aimed at aiding renovating and upgrading government-run as well as government-aided secondary and Sanskrit schools across the state. Despite repeated directives from the state government, 22 districts have not submitted a single proposal for financial assistance under the scheme for any government-aided secondary school for two consecutive academic sessions including the current one, officials from the secondary education department said. Under Project Alankar, 75% of the renovation cost is funded by the state government, while the remaining 25% be arranged by the school management. Schools can raise their share through MPs' or MLAs' local area development funds, CSR contributions, or donations from alumni, philanthropists and local benefactors, officials said. Last year, the state government eased eligibility norms by allowing schools with fewer than 300 students and even those built less than 50 years ago to apply for assistance. Earlier, such institutions were excluded from the scheme, leaving many unable to upgrade basic infrastructure. Expressing concern over the lack of participation, the education department has now directed officials in these districts to expedite the submission of proposals. "Officials of the 22 defaulting districts have been instructed to immediately submit renovation proposals for government-aided secondary schools under the Project Alankar," said Surendra Kumar Tiwari, additional director, secondary education, after a recent video-conference review meeting. Among the non-performing districts, Kanpur Nagar tops the list with 113 government-aided secondary schools yet to submit proposals, followed by Agra (109), Hardoi and Fatehpur (72 each), Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar (71 each), Kannauj (59), Sultanpur (58), Mainpuri (53), Gautam Buddh Nagar and Hapur (45 each), Sambhal (37) and Chandauli (34), among others. Officials have been warned that further delays could invite administrative action, sources said....