State govt to bear expenses of higher studies of poor students

Gangtok, Apr 14 (UNI) The Sikkim government will bear the expenses of poor students who want to pursue higher education abroad, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announced here today.

Addressing a meeting organised by All Sikkim Scheduled Castes' Welfare Association to celebrate the 116th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar here, Mr Chamling said his government accorded top priority to education as a state could not develop without knowledge.

Mr Chamling said the government would bear the expenses of the students willing to study at Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge universities but whose parents could not afford it.

He said his government had done everything possible to provide quality education and earmarked 20 per cent of the total budget for for this sector.

Mr Chamling said following persistent pressure of the state a central university would be set up in Sikkim soon.

''A central team is scheduled to visit the state later this month for site selection of the proposed university and to select the Vice- Chancellor,'' he said.

The chief minister said though his government had given importance to the creation of infrastructure and employment opportunities during the last 12 years of its rule, the people failed to avail it.

He said two per cent of the total budget had been earmarked for capacity building in order to make Sikkim an excellent human resource centre of the country.

Mr Chamling said Rs 15,000 crore was likely to be invested in the state by various entrepreneurs in the next five years creating a lot of opportunities for the unemployed.

Among others Mr Chamling's cabinet colleagues and some top bureaucrats were present in the meeting.

UNI