He said that to ensure that students get quality and affordable education, the government is committed not only to build state-of-the-art government schools but also to regulate fees in private schools.
“The NOC (No Objection Certificate) of schools violating the Fee Act, 2016 will be canceled and a fine of Rs 1 lakh will be imposed,” he said. Mann was speaking in the state assembly while concluding the discussion on the Governor’s address.
He said that the focus would also be on quality education in colleges and universities and lecturers in colleges and universities would be given UGC pay scales.
The Chief Minister also said that the Government is setting up 19 new Industrial Training Institutes to provide quality technical education.
He said that 44 new courses are being considered to be started in various Industrial Training Institutes as per the demand of the industry.
Mann said that the state government has already started the process of filling up the vacancies and recruitment of 5,994 elementary trained teachers and 8,393 pre-primary teachers is under process.
He said that from now on teachers would be posted for core teaching work and a separate cadre would be created for non-academic work.
Underlining the need to improve teacher training practices, the Chief Minister said that best practices from across the country and the world would be considered.
He said the state’s Department of School Education, in collaboration with the Regional English Language Office at the US Embassy, New Delhi, would train the faculty members.
On the health sector, Mann said that quality and access are the two key elements of an effective health system at the grassroots level.
For this he said that Mohalla clinics in urban areas and Pind clinics in rural areas are being started to provide affordable and quality treatment.
To commemorate the 75th year of independence, 75 Mohalla Clinics will be opened during the first phase and these facilities will cover the remote areas of the state.
Presenting his plans in the agriculture sector, Mann said the government has already promoted a third crop in the form of moong, which is being purchased at the MSP at Rs 7,275 per quintal.
“This will give an additional income of Rs 30,000 per acre to our farmers. The area under summer moong has been increased from 54,363 acres to 1,28,495 acres. Diversification of more crops will be encouraged and production of pulses, maize, cotton and oilseeds will be increased. The areas under water will be promoted. Should be increased as it will save our precious groundwater and also improve soil health.
The chief minister said a subsidy of Rs 1,500 per acre was being provided for direct sowing of rice, which he termed as “another historic initiative”.
He underlined the need for modernization and digitization in agriculture and said that farmers’ database is being integrated with land records so that subsidy and other benefits can reach farmers in a transparent manner.
Mann said that a portal has been developed to track seeds, fertilizers and pesticides from manufacturing to end user to provide quality inputs to the farmers.
Requesting the support of NRIs to restore the state’s pristine glory, the Chief Minister called upon them to set up industrial hubs in their villages to partner in the development of model schools and hospitals.
He said that NRIs can contribute 50 per cent in building infrastructure like school buildings, community services, hospitals, drinking water, sewerage, toilets, street lights, sports stadiums and other projects and the remaining 50 per cent will be invested by the state government.