Stating that the setting up testing labs everywhere in the State is the need of the hour, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said that the availability of water and food testing facilities to the citizens should be ensured under one roof so that they can avail the said testing facilities in a hassle-free manner. He also directed the officers concerned to prepare a blueprint for the same.
Presiding over the 55th meeting of the Water Supply and Sewerage Board held here, Khattar said that setting up testing labs everywhere is the need of the hour so as to ensure that citizens can easily get water and food items tested from time to time.
While directing the Public Health Engineering Department, the Chief Minister said that wherever water supply lines are being laid the work of repair of streets should be completed simultaneously. People should not face any kind of problem in this regard, he added.
The department should also ask the concerned agency to share the before and after work photographs so as to ensure that the streets have been repaired after laying the water lines there, directed Sh. Manohar Lal.
Khattar said that not a single drop of water should be wasted. The Public Health Engineering Department should ensure maximum use of treated water coming out of the STPs.
The Chief Minister said that the Irrigation and Water Resources Department should prepare a natural drainage system in the fields where there is water logging problem. The department should prepare a map of such places where there is a water logging problem. In places where there is no canal nearby, a natural drainage system should be prepared, directed Khattar.
Cheerag Scheme, a boon for the children of poor families
In another event, the Chief Minister said that the State Government is committed to provide qualitative education to all the children in the state. Emphasis is laid on providing education for poor students along with equal opportunity to the students of classes II to XII to study in recognized private schools from the on-going academic session. For this purpose, a progressive scheme “Chief Minister Equal Education Relief, Assistance and Grant (Cheerag)” has been started by the state government, he added.
The Chief Minister said that under the Cheerag scheme, Rs. 700 per student from classes II to V, Rs 900 per student from classes VI to VIII and Rs 1100 per student from classes IX to XII, per month or the declared fee amount in Form 6, whichever is less will be paid to the schools. He said that under this scheme, 381 private recognized schools of the state are going to give admission to the students on 24,987 seats.
The Chief Minister said that while successfully implementing Section 12(1) (c) in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 in the state, a separate provision has been made to provide free education to children of weaker section studying in Class I or previous classes on 25 percent seats in all recognized private schools.
Khattar said that from Classes I to XII, no fee is charged in all government schools of the state. From Classes I to VIII, uniforms, text-books, work books, stationery, school bags and lunch are being provided free of cost. In English medium, Bag-free Model Sanskriti Schools, there is a provision of free education for students having parents’ annual verified income of less than Rs. 1.80 lakh. Nominal monthly contribution is taken from the children of families having annual income above Rs. 1.80 lakh in the state, he added.