CHANDIGARH, July 1 — The Haryana Cabinet today approved the new State education policy-2000 at its meeting chaired by the Chief Minister ,Mr Om Prakash Chautala, here.

According to an official communiqué, the new education policy aims at universalisation of elementary education by 2005, increasing public and private investment in education and spending of 6 per cent of the GDP on education by 2010, reorientation of the education system, introduction of computer education, removal of rural urban disparities, introduction of English from primary level, introduction of computer education in schools, introduction of vocational, IT, technical and need- based courses in higher education, enhancing accountability at all level, reforms in examination and evaluation system and recognising merit and promoting excellence of students and teachers.

The communiqué, quoting the Chief Minister, said that the State Government would support the endeavour of Union Government to declare elementary education a Fundamental Right of children besides amendments in Article 51 of the Constitution enjoining upon the parents the fundamental duty of sending their children to schools.

The government, Mr Chautala said, would endeavour to reorient the educational system so as to make it holistic, qualitative, socially and economically productive and relevant to fast changing environment. Emphasis had been laid on the acquisition of relevant knowledge, skills and values and their application on real life, he added. The elementary education institutions, he said, would be transferred to the Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies in a bid to empower the community and other shareholdres. To achieve this concerted efforts would be made at the government level, he said.

The communiqué said the main idea behind the introduction of English in all primary schools from first standard was to remove rural-urban disparities in education at the elementary level and to equip the rural children with necessary linguistic skills.

The Chief Minister said that to strengthen the teacher-school link, a new transfer policy would be evolved to ensure that rural schools in backward areas did not remain without a teacher and the whole issue of transfers became more transparent. He also said that all teachers would compulsorily do a five -year stint in rural schools on the first appointment.

The Government with a view to meeting futuristic demands would encourage private investment and self -financing in higher education. The government has also decided to strengthen the schools as institutions in order to make them truly effective for ensuring implementation of the new education policy.

The Cabinet also accepted the recommendation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee regarding horizontal reservation of ex-servicemen in direct recruitment to class three and four posts.

Following this, 15 per cent horizontal reservation for ex-servicemen would be in the order of 1 per cent each for the categories of Scheduled Castes 'A' and 'B', 2 per cent for the category of backward classes 'A', 3 per cent for the category of backward classes 'B' and 8 per cent for general category.

The Cabinet also decided to exempt agricultural implements, grams and cotton seed from the Local Area Development Tax (LADT) with effect from May 5.

The Cabinet also decided to reserve 50 per cent seats out of total 50 seats sponsored by the Mewat Development Agency for the special batch in diploma in education for girls belonging to minority community of Meos.

It was also decided that in case sufficient number of Meo girls from Mewat was not available, these seats will go to girls belonging to other communities from the Mewat area.

Meanwhile, an ambitious action plan involving an investment of Rs 16 crore was approved for the development of the Mewat area during 2000-2001 at a meeting of the Mewat Development Board presided over by the Chief Minister today. Mr Chautala, who is also president of the Board, sanctioned Rs 2 crores to accelerate pace of its ongoing schemes. It was also decided that 13 girls undertaking training at ANM Training School in Mewat will be given a stipend of Rs 125 each to encourage them.

Expressing his concern over the drinking water and irrigation water problem in Mewat area, the Chief Minister constituted a committee under the chairmanship of his Principal Secretary Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, who was also present at the meeting. He also directed the Irrigation Department to get a fresh survey of the Kotla lake for increasing availability of water and also for recharging ground water in an effective manner. He also stressed the need for early completion of the Banarasi distributory.

It was informed at the meeting that the action plan would lay stress on soil and water conservation, development of canal based irrigation, horticulture, arable crops and livestock. It would also cover areas of formal education and rural water supply.

Those present at the meeting were the Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, Town and Country Planning Minister, Mr Dhirpal Singh, Cooperation Minister, Mr Kartar Singh Badhana, Agriculture Minister Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Minister of State for Education, Mr Bahadur Singh, and Mr Zakir and Mr Bhagwan Sahai Rawat (both MLAs) and Mr Hamid Hussain from Nuh and senior officers . The Haryana Government today decided to reserve 50 per cent seats out of total 50 seats sponsored by the Mewat Development Agency for the special batch in diploma in education for girls belonging to minority community of Meos.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mr Om Prakash Chautala here. It was also decided that in case sufficient number of Meo girls from Mewat was not available, these seats will go to girls belonging to other communities from Mewat area.

Meanwhile, an ambitious action plan involving an investment of Rs 16 crores was approved for the development of Mewat area during 2000-2001 at a meeting of the Mewat Development Board presided over by the Chief Minister today. Mr Chautala, who is also president of the Board, sanctioned Rs 2 crores to accelerate pace of its ongoing schemes. It was also decided that 13 girls undertaking training at ANM Training School in Mewat will be given a stipend of Rs 125 each to encourage them.

Expressing his concern over the drinking water and irrigation water problem in Mewat area, the Chief Minister constituted a committee under the chairmanship of his Principal Secretary Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, who was also present in the meeting. He also directed the irrigation department to get a fresh survey of the Kotla lake for increasing availability of water and also for recharging ground water in an effective manner. He also stressed the need for early completion of the Banarasi distributory.

It was informed at the meeting that the action plan would lay stress on soil and water conservation, development of canal based irrigation, horticulture, arable crop and livestock. It would also cover areas of formal education and rural water supply.