With a view to spruce up the educational infrastructure in the State, the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Monday gave nod to the recruitment of 10,880 posts vacant in education department related to various Cadres.Presiding over a high level meeting of various departments, the Chief Minister described education as the core sector which would be streamlined and kept under sharp focus. The Chief Minister also directed for creation of 2000 Physical Education teachers in primary schools and recruitment so as to ensure the robust health of the school students apart from focusing on the academic aspect.Advocating the formation of cluster in every village whereby the village having a primary, middle and the high school would be availing the services of a single physical education trainer, the Chief Minister asked the School Education Department to actively consider the proposal.
Besides, the Chief Minister discussed various issues related to various unions and directed that department may have discussions and after examining their demand may take up the matter with the Finance Department. Accepting the long pending demand of around 1000 headmaster and teachers recruited under RMSA, the CM directed Finance Department to release state share of salaries which were cut due to upper cap made by Government of India (in 2016). It will cost around 3.2 Crore to state exchequer.In another important decision, the Chief Minister gave go ahead to the recruitment of approximately 3400 various posts in the Health Department so as to further strengthen the healthcare mechanism.Further, the Chief Minister ordered that proposal pertaining to the inclusion of the Anganwadi/ASHA Workers and other Health workers in the Ayushman Bharat scheme be brought up in the Cabinet meeting.
The Chief Minister also announced that he would shortly lay the foundation Stones of Medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. The Chief Minister also announced that a new Medical College will be set up in Sangrur with 100 percent State funding. These new Medical Colleges will help in boosting medical education and research in the State. Among others present on the occasion included the Deputy Chief Minister O.P. Soni, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Medical Education Minister Dr. Raj Kumar Verka, Education Minister Pargat Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Hussan Lal, Principal Secretary Finance K.A.P. Sinha, Secretary Social Security, Women and Child Development Raji P. Srivastava, and Principal Secretary Medical Education and Research Alok Shekhar.