Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government was contemplating to raise the minimum age of marriage of girls from 18 years to 21.

He said a committee will be constituted for a detailed study in this regard, he added.

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Sukhu said this while presiding over the 7thconvocation of Shoolini University in Solan district on Monday.

He inaugurated the Centre of Emerging Technology and also conferred the PhD degrees to 63 students and honoured 77 students with Gold medals.

Expressing happiness over the 400 research works by the students of the Shoolini University and as many as 1300 patents under their belt, the Chief Minister said that this exhibits the hard work and determination of the students and the quality education being imparted by the University.

Congratulating all the students, he said that there was no substitute for hard work and success.

One should continuously strive to achieve goals in life and this was not only the day of achievements but a day to realize your dreams and future aspirations.

Giving the mantra for a successful career, the Chief Minister said that the youth should remain steadfast on the path of duty in any difficult situation.

“Work done with full devotion and dedication is also a form of national service and is essential for building a good career,” he said, adding that the youth should use their knowledge for the benefit of the society and the nation.

One should become a good person in life and then one should also learn to give back to society, he added.

“I always dreamt to serve my people through politics and to achieve this goal, worked with honesty and dedication and today I have got the opportunity to serve the society and head the State,” Sukhu said.

“It is not easy to come out of an ordinary family and attain a higher rank in politics, despite this I got the opportunity to lead on all fronts since my college days”, he remarked.

He said that one should remain steadfast while performing responsibilities and duties to achieve success in life in every type of difficult situation.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh is pioneering in the field of education and the state government was opening Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School in every assembly constituency of the state in a phased manner for the benefit of the students of rural areas.

Along with this, a loan of Rs 20 lakh is being provided to meritorious students at one percent interest. To provide self-employment opportunities to the youth, the government is providing a 50 percent subsidy on the purchase of e-taxi, e-truck and e-bus.

Apart from this, it is providing 40 percent financial assistance for setting up solar energy projects.

He appealed to the youth to take advantage of the public welfare schemes of the state government.