Govt plans system to rank colleges: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the Congress government was planning to adopt a ranking system for colleges in the state. “There are 138 colleges in the state and the formula for their ranking is being prepared. We want to strengthen the facilities in all colleges and other government educational institutions. The government is focused on providing quality education to the students and there is no dearth of funds for it,” he added.

Sukhu, while presiding over a programme of the at the Centre of Excellence at Government Degree College, Sanjauli, said that an arts block, a girls’ hostel and a parking facility would be built on the college complex in the next two years.

The Chief Minister said that the state government would bear the expenses of education of 23,000 children of widows till the age of 27 years under the Mukhyamantri Sukh Shiksha Yojana launched recently. “The Dr YS Parmar Student Loan Scheme has been started to provide higher education to meritorious students to ensure none of them is deprived of education due to the lack of money. Under this scheme, a loan of up to Rs 20 lakh is given for studies at an interest rate of one per cent and benefits under it can also be availed of for studies abroad,” he added.

He said that several changes would be seen in the next Budget and special emphasis would be laid on education. “The previous BJP government had looted the resources of the state but the Congress government is making efforts to provide the benefits of the resources to people,” he claimed.

Sukhu recalled his days at the college and said, “My media adviser Naresh Chauhan had contested elections against me in the college, but I had won.” Justice Sandeep Sharma of the Himachal Pradesh High Court said that it was good to meet old friends and refresh old memories. “This institution has contributed significantly to giving a new direction to my career, for which I will always remain indebted to it,” he added.