Punjab Educational Infrastructure Expansion: Punjab set to expand educational infrastructure, says Higher Education Minister, ET Education
Chandigarh, The Punjab government is set to expand its educational infrastructure with plans to establish new government colleges in the state, having a special focus on border areas and underserved regions, Minister for Higher Education Harjot Singh Bains informed the assembly.While moving the Rayat Bahra Professional University, Hoshiarpur Bill -- 2025 and C.G.C. University, Mohali Bill -- 2025 in the Vidhan Sabha, Bains highlighted the state's remarkable progress in the field of education, citing an 85 per cent increase in enrolment in government colleges.The Education Minister said all the colleges in the state, government, private and aided, saw a significant rise in student enrolment, from 7 lakh in 2022 to 9 lakh in the last academic session.Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University in Bathinda witnessed a notable surge in enrolment, growing from 1,400 to 2,480 students.Furthermore, the state has expanded its ITI seats by approximately 35,000 in the past three years, with an impressive 99 per cent seat fill-up rate last year, and further, plans to add 5,000-7,000 more seats this year.He attributed this growth to the government's commitment to transform Punjab into a global education hub.Notably, the government has provided over 54,000 government jobs to the youth, which has significantly helped in curbing brain drain."The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the only party in the country's history to have made education a central plank of its agenda during the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls," Bains said, adding education is the topmost priority of the Punjab government.He highlighted that the state has introduced new-age courses in emerging fields such as data science, artificial intelligence, banking, financial services, digital marketing, hospitality and tourism, and event management.Furthermore, the government has also ensured the timely disbursement of Scheduled Caste scholarships so that no student should be deprived of quality education due to financial constraints.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
After Rahul Gandhi's nudge, Rohith Vemula Bill likely during Karnataka legislature's Monsoon Session
After a nudge from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a Bill named after Rohith Vemula, the Dalit PhD scholar who died by suicide in 2016, is on the anvil in Karnataka to prevent discrimination against students in institutes of higher education in the state. The Karnataka Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice)(Right to Education and Dignity) Bill, 2025, is expected to be tabled in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the legislature. The Bill aims to 'prevent exclusion or injustice and to safeguard the right to education and dignity for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minorities and to provide equal access and right to education in all public or Private or Deemed Universities established in the State of Karnataka'. Offence under the legislation, as per the draft accessed by The Indian Express, will be non-bailable and cognisable. Every person who discriminates and every person who aids or abets in the episode are liable for punishment. The first offence under its provisions will attract a punishment of one year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000, and empower the courts to grant compensation payable by the accused to the victim, which may extend to Rs 1 lakh. Repeat offence under the Act will be penalised with a three-year jail term apart from a Rs 1 lakh fine. If an institution violates the provision of being 'open to all classes, castes, creed, gender or nation', then it will attract a similar penalty. Moreover, the state government 'shall not provide any financial aid or grant to such institution' violating the provisions of the Bill. In April this year, Gandhi wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to bring a legislation named after Vemula to prevent caste-based prejudice in higher educational institutions. Following this, Siddaramaiah said the Karnataka Congress government was committed to ensuring that the oppressed classes did not face any discrimination in the educational system. The proposed legislation was also part of the Congress manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Vemula ended his life at the University of Hyderabad in January 2016 in protest against caste discrimination.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill has safeguards to prevent misuse, critics haven't read it: CM Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted on Sunday that critics of the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, which according to him would curb 'urban Naxalism', had not read it thoroughly. 'Those opposing the legislation have not studied it. And Those who have read are supporting it,' Fadnavis told reporters in Nagpur. Reiterating that the stated objective of the legislation was to prevent unlawful activities of left-wing extremist organisations with a focus on 'urban Naxalism', Fadnavis said, 'The safeguards in the legislation are so strong leaving no scope for its misuse.' Passed in the Legislative Assembly and Council, the Bill will now be referred to Governor C P Radhakrishnan for his consent, paving the way for its enforcement. 'I have repeatedly stated that the objective of the Bill is to combat Naxalism and banned Maoist extremist outfits. And take action against those organisations that are systematically operating to create anarchy. They are challenging the Indian Constitution, Parliament and institutions…' Fadnavis said. More than 12,000 suggestions received from various organisations and the public were taken into consideration while making the final draft of the Bill, the chief minister said. Fadnavis did not mention any individual leader or organisation. 'This legislation is not directed at any political parties or agitation or critics. All those working within the framework of the Indian Constitution and democracy have no reason to fear. Their rights and freedom remain intact,' he added. On Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray voiced strong opposition to the legislation. 'If the legislation is to combat Naxalism and terror, why are these terms not mentioned? Simply say the Bill is to fight Naxals and terrorism, ' he said while speaking to reporters on Vidhan Bhawan premises. Fadnavis further said that under the Bill, action cannot be taken against an individual but an organisation first. 'It would require consent from an advisory board headed by the chief justice of the high court or a retired judge,' he added. The advisory board will include district magistrates or government pleaders in the high court, and investigating officers will be of the rank of superintendent of police.
New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Congress outmanoeuvres rivals with BC ordinance decision
HYDERABAD: The state government's decision to take the ordinance route to implement 42% reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies instead of waiting for the BJP-led Union government to clear the state's Bill is being seen by analysts as a calculated political shot devised by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, with some even calling it a 'masterstroke'. By circumventing legislative processes, the move has not only outmanoeuvred the BJP and BRS but also redrawn the contours of caste-based electoral politics in the state, insist analysts. The ordinance, which amends the Panchayat Raj Act, signals more than just administrative urgency; it's a tactical move aimed at catching rivals off-guard. By doing so ahead of local body polls, the Congress is attempting to project itself as the only party willing to act decisively on social justice, while forcing the opposition into reactive mode. The BJP, after initially welcoming the ordinance, has begun hedging its support, raising doubts over its legal sustainability. It also accused the Congress of using BC welfare as a pre-election stunt, pointing out the party's failure to conduct a caste census during its decades-long rule at the Centre. On its part, the BRS has largely remained quiet, choosing instead to highlight procedural inconsistencies by questioning why an ordinance was needed when a Bill on the same issue was already pending with the Union government. Political observers believe that this silence from the BRS may not be accidental. The ordinance comes as a reminder of the reduced BC quota during the BRS's own tenure, and the current move puts the party in a tight spot, especially as Congress leaders credit the new policy to Rahul Gandhi's promise to align reservations with population data. The party's 'Kamareddy Declaration', which pledged enhanced BC representation in both governance and party structure, has now materialised into a legally binding order, creating pressure on other parties to match or counter the commitment. With the Governor yet to clear the ordinance, speculation is rife. If it is approved, the Congress will secure a major win. If rejected or legally challenged, the party appears ready to use that setback as ammunition against the BJP and BRS, accusing them of obstructing BC welfare.
