TN's emphasis on education is more than in other states: CM

: The Tamil Nadu government is showing special interest in school and higher education, hence the huge grants received for education in the state, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Wednesday.

At the same, education for women education is essential. Therefore, parents should send their girl children to schools and make them educated, he said while attending the golden jubilee celebration of a private college here.

He said the number of students pursuing higher education was growing remarkably. About 48.6 per cent of students were going in for higher education, which is more than that in other states.

This is due to the several concessions granted by the state government for the students, he said, while referring to the distribution of free laptops and free cycles to each of the students.

Besides, sufficient scholarship was being given to the students, not to mention free education for the poor students in order to develop the state and make it to the top in terms of the percentage of the educated masses, the chief minister said.

The Chief Minister urged the students to pursue research-oriented education and they should follow the ideals of former president Dr Abdul Kalam.

Palaniswami said the district was seeing all-round development - in highways, construction of buildings, bridges and provision of uninterrupted electricity.

He said a bypass road would be built between Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam to ease traffic congestion on the route.

The Chief Minister said the Chithode-Gobichettipalayam Road would be converted into a four-lane road at a cost of Rs 250 crore.

Similarly, he said, a bridge between Chithode and Perundurai would be built at Rs 300 crore.

State Ministers K A Sengottiyan, P Thangamani, K P Anbazhagan and K C Karuppannan, MLAs, district collector C Kathiravan and Tamil Mannila Congress G K Vasan also spoke.