Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh distributed merit certificates and medals to the meritorious students of both public and private schools who have excelled in academics in a function organised by a vernacular daily at hotel Peterhoff, Shimla today. There were as many as 55 students who were honoured by the Chief Minister. While speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the students from Himachal Pradesh have brought laurels by securing good ranks in the Indian Administrative Services recently and honouring meritorious students was in itself a great moment of honour for him. He said that government has taken an initiative to introduce Information, Communication and Technology syllabus in government schools.
The State government has also initiated various scholarship schemes for the students under Rajiv Gandhi Digital Yojana wherein laptops were being provided to the meritorious students of class 10 and plus two. In the year 2014-15 around 7500 net books /laptops were distributed to such students, he added, adding that as many as 10000 net books and laptops would be distributed to the meritorious students in this fiscal.He said that the State Government was also providing of Rs. 75000 as an incentive to those Himachali students who got admissions in Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management and All India Institute of Medical Sciences to encourage them and others as well. The Chief Minister congratulated the students who received honours during the occasion.
Information and Public Relations and Industries Minister, Shri Mukesh Agnihotri, Urban Development Minister, Shri Sudhir Sharma, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister, Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Rural Development Minister, Shri Anil Sharma, Chief Secretary, Shri P. Mitra, ACS, Shri V.C. Pharka and Shri P.C Dhiman, Director, Information and Public Relations, Shri MP Sood, Chairman HP Education Board, Shri Balbir Tegta, Director Education, Shri Dinakar Burathoki were also present on the occasion amongst students from all over the state who have excelled in academics and their parents.