Punjab News- Dr Hargobind Khurana Scholarship Scheme launched in Punjab

Jalandhar, November 8, 2013: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today launched first of its kind scheme in the country ensuring scholarships to all poor meritorious students in government schools across the state.    
Addressing a mammoth gathering while launching the Dr. Hargobind Khurana scheme here at a state level function by distributing scholarships to the beneficiary students, the Chief Minister said that today the foundation has been laid for bridging the gap of education between the affluent and poor students. He said that with this initiative the poor and bright students securing 80% and above marks would get Rs 30000 per annum, which would enable them to study without any economic hardship.  He said that this unique scheme was the major initiative of the state government which would play a vanguard role in incentivising the students for securing more and more marks.   
The Chief Minister said that the state government was making all out efforts to ensure that the students of poor and weaker sections of society get quality education so as to compete with their convent educated peers. He said that another landmark decision in this direction would be the opening of the six ‘Special Schools’ across the state in which the meritorious students would be provided free boarding and lodging facilities along with quality education facility by the state government. Terming hard work as the key to success, Badal said that he was happy to note that the students from rural areas, majority of which were girls, were securing even more that 90% marks.
Badal further said that ever since day one of assuming the power in the state the alliance government has given top priority in developing the infra structure of Health and Education in the state. He said that the opening of nine new universities and 19 colleges was a step towards in this direction only. He said that in another unique initiative the state government has disbursed 1.72 lakh bicycles to the girls students under Mai Bhago Istri Vidya Scheme so as to enable them to go the schools from far flung areas.           
Slamming the Congress led UPA government at the Centre, Badal said that the sky rocketing prices of basic commodities like tomatoes and onions reflected the complete insensitivity of the Congress party towards the common man. He said that regular hike in the prices of diesel coupled with other anti-farmers’ policies of the Union government has broken the backbone of the common man adding that due to the long ‘misrule’ of the Congress our nation once known as ‘Golden Sparrow’ was facing a number of social maladies like corruption, illiteracy, starvation, unemployment and others. Squarely blaming the Congress for meting out step motherly treatment to the state, he said that due to its stringent and unrealistic parameters the farmers of the state were being harassed for the procurement of their food grains produced with sweat and toil.
In his address the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal lauded the Chief Minister for launching this ambitious scheme which would give the much required impetus to the education in the state. The Deputy Chief Minister said that it was on record that every welfare scheme, whether it was Atta-Dal, Shagun, Pension, free power or other, has been initiated in the state under the leadership of the Chief Minister. He said that due to the vision of Badal, all the 30 lakh beneficiaries of the Atta-Dal scheme would get Atta @ Re 1 per kilo from next month.
Assailing the opposition for spearheading malicious propaganda regarding the fiscal health of the state, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the coming three years would give a total facelift to the state as unprecedented development of the state was on cards. He said that Rs 14000 crore was being spent for the four and six laning of the every major road in the state. Likewise he said that due to the concerted efforts of the state government, Punjab would become the Power Surplus state of the country from the next month.
Later addressing the media persons, the Chief Minister asked the Union Government to ensure fool proof security cover to the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in view the high threat perception to him.  He said that Modi was the Prime Ministerial candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and it was the bounden duty of the union government to provide him the best available security.  He said that it was the responsibility of the Centre to make sure that stringent arrangement of security was provided to the Gujarat Chief Minister adding that the union government must show utmost concern in meeting all such requirements. He categorically said that the state government would make every arrangement to ensure that perfect security cover was provided to the Gujarat Chief Minister, whenever he visits the state.
Replying to another query, the Chief Minister said that a section of the state Congress leadership was itself keen in getting the party’s Punjab President Partap Singh Bajwa indicted in the land deal case. He said that the state government had never believed in the politics of vendetta by targeting their political rivals. Citing an example, he said that had the alliance government followed the footsteps of previous Congress government then they could have acted against the Congress leaders adding that he was the votary of morality in politics and have no faith in politics of vendetta and confrontation.
Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to promote trade and industry in the state, the Chief Minister said that the state government was always ready to listen to and address the grievances of this important catalyst of state’s growth and progress. He said that if anybody in the state was having some sort of problem then they could meet him to apprise about their difficulties so that a viable solution could be chalked out for it.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Cabinet Ministers Sikander Singh Maluka and Ajit Singh Kohar, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries KD Bhandari, Pawan Teenu, Avinash Chander, Inderbir Singh Bularia and Sohan Singh Thandal, MLAs Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Pargat Singh, Chairman of District Planning Committee Jalandhar GS Channi, Chairman District Planning Committee Kapurthala Sarabjeet Singh Makkar, Principal Secretary Education Anjali Bhawra, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister KJS Cheema, Deputy Commissioner Kapurthala DS Mangat and Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Varun Roojam.