Cong govt focussed on improving quality of education: CM

With an aim to provide quality primary and higher education to the students, Himachal Pradesh government has opened over 1,000 schools, 41 colleges, 24 new industrial training institutes and two engineering colleges in the state, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today.
"Besides providing qualitative education at the primary and secondary levels, impetus had also been laid on higher education by opening 24 new industrial training institutes and two engineering colleges.
"41 new degree colleges had been opened in the far flung areas of the state and3,355 new posts were created for these newly opened educational institutions," Singh said addressing a public meeting at Kanwar Durga Chand Memorial College, Jaisinghpur in Kangra district.

He said at present as many as 115 government degree colleges had been working across the state, especially in the remote areas, and most of them had been opened during the Congress government regime.
Singh said that the government was committed to provide qualitative education to the youth, and measures were being taken to open both academic and vocational education centres in the state so the students need not go outside.
"The students studying in the state government schools and central schools were being given free transportation facility in buses of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC)," he said.

Giving details about the steps taken by his government, Singh said, apart from these, modern infrastructure and teaching facilities have been created at two senior secondary schools in each constituency under the 'Mukhya Mantri Aadarsh Vidyalay Yojana' at a cost of Rs 30 crore.

Under the 'Mukhya Mantri Gyandeep Yojna', all Himachali students were entitled to get educational loan up to 10 lakh at an interest rate of four per cent per annum.
The Chief Minister inaugurated the new college building at Jaisinghpur completed at a cost of Rs 8.10 crore and also laid the foundation stone of the proposed Science block in the college complex to be constructed at a cost of Rs 3.11 crore.
Earlier, he dedicated the Fire Post at Jaisinghpur and inaugurated the newly upgraded Veterinary Hospital at Harsi.
He also laid the foundation stone for improvement of distribution system of Harsi Sanghol, Jaisinghpur, Harrot, Karanghat, Uttrapur, Sakoh, Liunda, Dalli-Bhulaunder water supply schemes to be executed at a cost of Rs 3.91 crore.