'Adarsh School' to be set up at Maksudran village: Badal

Maksudran, Ludhiana, May 12 (UNI) The Punjab Gvernment's move to provide subsidized quality education to the poor got a shot in the arm today with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announcing the setting up of a sprawling 8-acre 'Adarsh School' in this NRI dominated village.

The school, to which the Government committed Rs one crore from the state exchequer, would be built with public-private participation, Mr Badal said while addressing a public function in the premises of newly inaugurated complex of school built by NRI brothers Harry Gill and Avtar Singh Gill over a cost of Rs 50 lakh.

Mr Badal called upon the NRIs to participate in the Punjab Government's bid to revolutionize education in the state and said the State Government would liberally fund any private endeavour to strengthen the network of educational institutions dedicated to the cause of quality education for the gifted poor.

He said that these projects could only be viable if they were developed according to the master plan.

He said that the concept of the Adarsh school was to provide free education to the bright and poor students to ensure them a level playing field in the sphere of education. He said that the state government had already set up three such schools at Khatkar Kalan, Tohra and Talwandi sabo.

Mr Badal said that state alone could not solve this problem without the support and cooperation of NRIs. He said that NRIs also owe a debt to their motherland and it was their bounden duty to contribute enormously for its development and the welfare of people.

The Chief Minister declared that the state government would immediately approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court to set up a judicial complex in the Payal sub-division, thereby conceding the long pending demand of the people of the area.

He announced schemes of cleaning of ponds and water tanks under the Centrally sponsored sanitation programme under which the people of the village were required to pay 5 % of the entire cost and the remaining 95 % was to be funded by the Government. He also announced the widening and strengthening of the road from Rara Sahib to Maloud and Payal to Bowani.

The Chief Minister acceded to the request to arrange doctors for the newly constructed hospital at Dhamot village by NRI at a cost of Rs.1 crore. He also announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for the execution of different development works in the village.

Earlier, senior Akali leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal welcomed the Chief Minister and raised local issues and demands.

On the occasion Congress party suffered a major jolt when hundreds of party workers from 18 families of the adjoining villages joined the Shiromani Akali Dal in the presence of Chief Minister.

Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion included Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal.

UNI