Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, on Wednesday, said the state has made unprecedented progress in the field of education and has even surpassed Kerala in several parameters in the field of education.

Thakur made these remarks at an impressive function held at Paddal Ground at Mandi to distribute free laptops among 20,000 meritorious students of the state under the Srinivasa Ramanujan Student Digital Scheme which cost the state government Rs. 83 crore.  All the state ministers attended the event in their respective districts and distributed laptops among meritorious students.

Addressing teachers, students, parents, and dignitaries on the occasion, the chief minister congratulated the meritorious students. He said an educated citizenry was the biggest asset for any democratic society and students are known for their readiness to fight for all the right causes since their thoughts are pure and honest.

The state government, he said is giving topmost priority to providing quality education to the students with a special focus on the education of girl students. In the past, people took female education casually, but now the times have changed and girls are excelling more than boys in studies ensuring women empowerment, he added.

Pointing out that the students are the future of the nation, the Chief Minister stated that it was vital for them to focus on education. The laptops would go a long way in assisting the students in their studies which saw a setback to due to Covid pandemic.

He further said that the change in technology has brought a sea change in the education system. Thus, modern equipment like laptops, computers, mobiles etc. have become necessary tools for studies.

The state government has opened a new state university in Mandi to facilitate the students of nearby districts to get higher education nearer their homes. This university would start functioning with full strength at the earliest and the university and college teachers would get UGC scales soon.

Thakur also interacted with the meritorious students of different districts. He advised the students to work hard and admonished them that there was no shortcut to success while wishing them all success in life.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister released a booklet brought out by the Directorate of Education. He also released the signature song of ‘Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ composed and sung by Dr. Gopal Krishan, Prof Surender Sharma, Dr. Satish Thakur, Dr. Lal Chand, and Dr. Hem Raj.

A documentary, ‘Shiksha Ke Naye Aayam’, highlighting the achievements and milestones the state has achieved in the field of education was also screened on the occasion.