Minister for Education, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today announced that the State government will provide free education to 120 girls across the state who desire to pursue their Graduation or Post Graduation from IGNOU. The State government will pay fees of these girl students, he said.The Minister was speaking during a program on “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan” organized by IGNOU centre 1287D at Teachers Bhawan, Gandhi Nagar here today.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that educating a girl and empowering her is a key for the development of the society and called for equal access to education for the girl child enabling her to play a proactive role in the socio-economic development of the country.Altaf Bukhari asked girls to motivate themselves to make effective contribution to the development of the country. Girls should be encouraged to stand up for their rights and express themselves with confidence that can only be possible by educating them, the Minister maintained.
The Minister appreciated the initiative taken by IGNOU to give free education to 20 girl students every year.Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Education, Tourism and Culture, Priya Sethi said that it is the duty of every citizen to advocate and promote girl child education to fulfill the objective of nationwide drive “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” led by the Prime Minister for empowering the women in the country. The message is to save and educate the girl child, thereby giving them equal opportunity in all aspects of life, she added.On the occasion, girl students also shared their views and opinion on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan. Later, the Ministers also presented mementos to the participatory students.Prominent among others present on the occasion were MLA Rajesh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Director Colleges Jammu, Zahoor Chatt, Director School Education S. Ravinder Singh, Regional Director IGNOU, Dr. Joginder Kumar Yadav and senior politician, Baldev Singh Baloria.