CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal has called upon the religious Saints  and organizations to come forward to set up quality educational institutions  to ensure improve the  quality of education in the rural areas of the state, so that the youth could be properly educated and diverted towards the nation building.  
                                       

Badal expressing his serious concern over the deterioration in the standard of education in the rural areas said that  a large number of youth  were being deprived of the opportunity of quality education to compete with the youth educated from the urban public schools. He  said that in the absence of congenial environment for quality education, the youth in large numbers was falling in the trap of  drugs and intoxicants,  which ultimately ruin their lives. Chief Minister said that Saints/Heads of the religious organizations (Sampradas) in the rural areas were commanding   substantial   influence and respect in the hearts of the people  and they listen to the advise of the Saints with full respect. Referring to the plan of the Govt. to improve the standard of education, Mr. Badal said that top priority was being accorded to ensure free education to the   intelligent poor students. Under this program the government has planned to set up one Adarsh School with the latest teaching equipments and other facilities in each constituency of  the state. Apart from this, he said that three Senior Secondary Schools  in each constituency  were also being updated   with latest techniques and vocation to  impart  vocational training to the rural students to enable them to get jobs in the industry and start own ventures.

The chief Minister said that our Great Gurus  had propounded the philosophy of service to the suffering  humanity and of strengthening  mutual brotherhood among  all the sections of the society from time to time and the gates of all the Gurudawaras had been kept open on all the four   sides indicating equality for every body. He said that our Great Gurus had also been preaching for the communal harmony  and caste less society, which was most relevant during the present times. He said that  we should strive hard to preserve the brotherhood  in the different sections of people. Paying his rich tributes to late Sant Baba Nand Singh Ji Nanaksarwale, S. Badal said that he was great Saint, who   through out his life  had  preached Gurbani and motivated a large umbers of Sikhs to get baptized and to serve the humanity. He said that the followers of Sant Baba Nand Singh ji all over the world were serving the needy people and spreading the mission of great Gurus.   He said that Sant Sadhu Singh ji and other religious personalities at Nanaksar were also taking the mission of Sant baba nand Singh ji and were mobilizing the   people against the social evils like  drugs, toxicants and dowry etc.

Among others who  were present on this occasion including mrs. Surinder Kaur Badal, S. Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal Ex-Minister, Mr. Ishwar Singh DIG, Mr. Sumer Singh Gurjar DC,  Gurpreetr Singh bhullar SSP,  Gurdeep Singh Bhaini MLA, S. Bhag Singh Malha Ex-MLA, Sant Baba Lakha Singh, Sant Baba Harbhajan Singh, Sant Baba Gurcharan Singh and Sant Baba Ghala Singh, Harsurinder Singh Gill,  Satpal  Singh (both Member SGPC),  Gurcharan Singh President Sikh Students Federation and   S. Gurcharan Singh Galib Ex-MP