Congress govt opened edu institutes without infrastructure, faculty: HP minister

Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said the last Congress government in the state had opened a number of education institutes without creating infrastructure and recruitment of staff.

"The last Congress-led government opened most educational institutions in Himachal without creating infrastructure and placement of staff. On October 21, 2017, just before the state assembly elections, the then chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who was holding the education portfolio, opened 21 colleges in a single stroke," said Bhardwaj at a press conference here on Saturday.

He said the present BJP government made 16 of these "new colleges" functional, by developing infrastructure and placement of faculty.

"However, five such colleges could not be operated due to non-availability of students," the minister said.

He said the ministry had organised the second seminar for proposed changes in the education policy of the centre in Dharamshala on Saturday. The first seminar was held in Shimla.

If we get more time to submit our proposal for the national education policy, then some more seminars shall be organised in Mandi and Hamirpur, Bhardwaj said.

The minister said, "We have suggested a separate education policy for all Himalayan states which suits their topographical conditions."