Badal announces cash prize for top 5 students of meritorious

To motivate bright students from economically weak background, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced cash prize of Rs 10,000 each for the top five students who secured admissions in the local Meritorious School this year.
Badal conducted a surprise visit to the school here this afternoon and had detailed interactions with the new entrants who have got admission in the school during the current academic session.
Satisfied over the fact that majority of the students in these schools were from rural background, Badal said that the basic aim of setting up these schools across the state has been fulfilled.

He said that in the absence of proper guidance from their parents these students were not able to choose career for themselves but now with the support of the state government, these bright students were all set to excel in their lives.
Going into the details of the boarding and lodging facilities being provided to the students, the Chief Minister, who spent nearly an hour in the school, assured that no stone would be left unturned to provide state-of-the art facilities to them.
Later, while having deliberations with the faculty members, Badal assured them that they would be given every facility during their service in this premier institute.

The Chief Minister further said that realising the unprecedented success of the 'Meritorious School' model in the state, the Punjab government has recently approved the setting of three more such schools at Sangrur, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur districts at a cost of Rs 30 crore each.

He said that these schools would be established on the pattern of already existing seven such Meritorious Schools at SAS Nagar (Mohali), Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Talwara (Hoshiarpur).
Badal said that these schools were not only imparting academic education but also providing coaching to students for the competition exams, communication skills and others so as to compete on par with their peers from public and convent schools.

Earlier, the Chief Minister mourned the demise of Swadesh Chopra, the wife of Editor-in-Chief, Hind Samachar Group, Vijay Chopra, who passed away few days back after a prolonged illness.
Badal called on the bereaved family here at their residence and shared heartfelt sympathies with them.