Punjab approves policy, 80 IAS, IPS officers to mentor as many schools of eminence

Addressing the media after the meeting, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The officers will be adopting these schools for five years each. They will have to keep visiting the schools, share their experience with the students, have a bond of love and affection with them. They can visit the schools once a week, twice a week, once a month. They will have to mentor the students of a school for five years, irrespective of their place of posting. They would be allowed to communicate with the students through video-conferencing also”.

A government statement said this move will further strengthen the atmosphere of education through conversation with the students and teachers. The officers will prepare the students for competitive exams and ensure training to the teachers for upgrading their skills. It further said these officers will act as a catalyst for mustering resources for development of these schools. These officers will work as mentors and not as bosses, he said, adding this work will be voluntary service and interested officers will have to perform it along with their already allocated duties.

Tirath Yatra

The cabinet also decided that those who are above 50 years of age can now visit the religious places, inside or outside the state, free of cost under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Teerth Yatra Scheme’.

“The government will bear the entire cost of the journey, including air-conditioned travel, comfortable accommodation and meals. To make the pilgrimage memorable, the government will also present a special gift or souvenirs to the travellers,” an official spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said this scheme “will be open to people of all castes, religions, income groups and regions”. The residents from both cities and villages of Punjab can benefit from this initiative, he added. The “objective of this journey is to showcase the state’s rich spiritual, religious and cultural heritage by covering major religious sites”.

Throughout the journey, spiritual discourses and devotional singing (satsang and kirtan) will be organized. A budget of Rs 100 crore has been allocated for this scheme and, if necessary, it will be further increased. The spokesperson said the registration for yatra will start from the last week of April and it will begin in May.