Implementing scheme to provide free books to the students, Punjab Government has provided books worth Rs 216.65 crore to more than 1.31 crore beneficiaries since 2007 till date.
The scheme is aimed at uplifting the academic standards of the students belonging to the Scheduled Castes families in the State, said State Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike on Wednesday.
He said under this scheme, the children from Class I to X were given books right in the beginning of an academic session. “All the SC students, enrolled in the educational institutions of Government and aided, have been covered under this scheme,” he said.
During the academic sessions from 2007 to 2016, Rs 216.65 crore has been spent on as many as 1,31,52,590 students across the State, he said.
Ranike said the State Government introduced various welfare schemes for economically weaker sections of backward classes and others backward classes and it has already been provided across the State.
“Education is the only medium from which awareness could easily be generated among the weaker sections so that their economic and social status could be elevated,” he said while reiterating that the Punjab Government was committed to provide welfare services to the general public.
The Minister has also asked the officers of the department to ensure that the financial aid under various welfare schemes could reach the beneficiaries without any delay.