The Himachal Pradesh government will spend about Rs 55 Crore to set up Cluster University in Mandi district said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. He was speaking on the occasion of the prize distribution function of Maharaja Lakshman Sen Memorial Degree College, Sundernagar in Mandi district on Thursday.
Out of the Rs 55 Crore, Rs 11 Crore each would be spent at Sundernagar, Drang and Basa under Cluster University and the remaining amount would be spent at Mandi campus. He said that this centre at Sundernagar would have school of applied sciences, Management and Pharmacy.
The CM said that 10 Adarsh Vidhya Kendras would be opened in different parts of the state for providing quality education to the students.
The state government has also proposed a new scheme for coaching to the meritorious student for competitive exams.
He said that the students passing out from their educational institutions would provide their old book to other needy students under the ‘Pustak Daan Yojana’.
Thakur said that the college life was very inspiring and motivating as this is the best period in every one’s life. CM said that Mandi district was the second largest district of the state and special emphasis would be laid on the development of the district.
Thanking the people of Mandi for giving thumping majority to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said that it was for the first time that BJP got such a support in the district.
He said that the state government has completed only two and a half months in the office, but still lot has been done. CM said that a lot has to be done in the field of education and the state government will lay emphasis on quality education, particularly in government school.
He said that instead of focusing on quality the previous government announced opening of 16 degree colleges in the state with a provision of Rs 1 lakh each for every announced colleges.
All this was done to gain political mileage, which has made mockery of the whole system, he added.
He said that the present state government was not against opening of these institutions, but there should be some rational thinking over the same.
There were many schools which have a very strange imbalance in teacher-student ratio, he said.
He said that since the students were the future of a nation, stress should be laid in best infrastructure and staff.
The state government would provide all possible help to the government aided colleges in the state as they were supplementing the endeavour of the government to provide good education to the students, said Jai Ram Thakur.