Chandigarh: To increase enrolment, reduce dropout rate and attract students towards the Government Schools, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Cahnni on Tuesday decided to provide free uniforms to nearly 2.66 lakh left out boys of General Category studying in Government Schools from class I to VIII. Punjab Government will spend approx Rs. 15.98 crore in current financial year.
This decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting here at CMO this evening.
Notably, at present School Education Department is already providing free Uniforms costing upto Rs.600 per student to all the Girls, SC boys, BPL boys studying in Government Schools from class I to VIII in Government run schools and Adarsh schools being run by the Punjab School Education Board studying as per norms of SAMAGRA SHIKSHA and also as per RTE entitlement. The number of such students is 15.03 lakh for which Rs. 90.16 crore are being spent in the current fiscal. It may be recalled that boys students belonging to general category are not provided uniforms by the Department as such students are not covered under RTE entitlement.
APPROVES SETTING UP OF SIX CHAIRS IN GNDU & PUNJABI UNIVERSITY
The Cabinet also accorded approval for setting up of Sant Kabir Sahib, Bhai Jeevan Singh/Bhai Jaita Ji & Makhan Shah Lubana Chairs in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Guru Ravidas Ji & Bhagwan Valmiki Ji Chairs in Punjabi University, Patiala. Apart from these, another chair would also be set up soon in the name of Bhagwan Parshuram Ji.
This decision would help in undertaking extensive research on these prominent personalities with an objective to study their invaluable contribution for the society so as to enable the new generation to apprise them about the life and ideology of these great personalities.
APPROVES RESTRUCTURING PLAN OF ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT
In a bid to bring far more efficiency in the Elections department, the Cabinet also gave a go ahead for 898 permanent posts in the office of CEO, Punjab (Chandigarh), 23 District Election Offices, 117 Office of Electoral Registration Officers under its restructuring plan. These posts would include 746 already existing posts, 23 Group-D outsourced/Part-time posts converted in regular posts besides newly approved 129 posts on permanent basis.
The Cabinet also gave approval for requisite staff for newly created Malerkotla district.