Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann says educational institutions will not face any dearth of funds

NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday dubbed financial indebtedness of educational institutions as a social scourge, and said they will not face any dearth of funds so that no child of the state is deprived of the opportunity to get quality education.

Addressing a gathering on the 62nd foundation day of the Punjabi University here, Mann said it was the primary duty of the government to provide educational opportunities and it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that his government was doing this work efficiently.

According to an official statement, Mann said his government was constantly striving to raise the standard of education by providing the maximum support to educational institutions. "This university is the pride of Punjab and the Punjabi mother tongue. This premier education institute is also called the 'heart of Malwa'. I had guaranteed to free this university from the debt burden to restore its pride and pristine glory," he said.

Mann further said that in this year's budget, the state government has earmarked a grant of Rs 30 crore to the university every month. "I sincerely hope that this university will achieve great success in the field of higher education after coming out of financial constraints," he added. The chief minister said the Punjabi University was playing a vanguard role for the youths of the state. "This university inspired me to follow new ways and new ideas in my life. My creativity had taken wings in this university and the stage of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Hall realised my dreams,” he added. Mann further said the state government was making great efforts for promotion and dissemination of the Punjabi language.