Distributes laptops among meritorious students
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 22: Maintaining that every election is important for his party, Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of Science & Technology and Earth Science, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that BJP received much more vote share than other political parties including ruling National Conference (NC) in last year’s Assembly elections in J&K but could not form the Government due to number game.
Talking to reporters here, today after distributing laptops among the meritorious girl students of Class 10th Board examinations of his Parliamentary constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh said “As democracy is a number game and our party could not form the Government in J&K last year though our vote share in the UT was much higher than that of ruling NC and other political parties,. This is an encouraging sign and reveals that BJP is more popular among the people of the UT’’, he added.
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The Union Minister, while exuding confidence on poll prospectus of party in two by-elections of Nagrota and Budgam going to polls on November 11, said there is one sided contest in Nagrota Assembly constituency while his party is comfortable in Budgam also. “Nagrota is a safe seat for party which we had won last time also but due to sudden demise of Devender Rana the seat fell vacant but party will win it hands down this time while we are comfortable in Budgam also and our tally in UT Assembly will reach to 30’’, he added.
“Nagrota is our traditional seat and the party has won it in 2002, 2008 and 2024 elections and we will win it again’’, he said.
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In response to a question that will BJP increase the victory margin in Nagrota this time, Dr Jitendra Singh said it is a hypothetical question and he does not answer hypothetical questions. However, he made it clear that Nagrota is a cakewalk for the party.
When asked what will be the major issues in the by-polls for BJP, Dr Jitendra Singh said “Development and total integration of Kashmir with India in which we succeeded under Narendra Modi will be our main poll plank’’.
He said his party does not give special thrust to any particular election as every election whether Parliament, Assembly, DDC or Panchayat as well as that of local bodies is important for BJP.
Earlier, Dr Jitendra Singh felicitated school girl students from his Lok Sabha constituency’s each of the five districts by presenting a Laptop each, from his personal resources, to the toppers in the Board examination of Class 10.
Quite a few of the topper school girls, who were invited to the Minister’s Trikuta Nagar residence this morning for breakfast and sweets distribution, hailed from far flung areas like Chhatroo and Paddar in district Kishtwar, and Pogal in district Ramban.
This, Dr Jitendra Singh said, could serve as a real Diwali gift for these promoting little girls for whom over the last one decade, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had rolled out a series of schemes and initiatives for easy, accessible options to prepare for competitive exams but many of them sometimes found it difficult to afford certain essential gadgets for round the clock facility at home.
While presenting laptops to two topper girls each from the districts of Udhampur, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Kathua, Dr Jitendra Singh expressed happiness that the students facilitated today hail from little-known villages and towns of these districts. He said the laptops presented to students as a Diwali gift would encourage them to continue their academic pursuits.
While interacting with the students, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the last 11 years, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi-led Government has ensured ease of education and preparation for students in view of a surge in their aspiration. He said the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) has given students freedom to choose subjects according to their aptitude. He said the policy has given them wings to fly high in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations.
The students today, the Minister said, are no longer prisoners of their parental choice of subjects, adding that they now enjoy the freedom to make a choice out of a broad range of options, depending on their aptitude and evolving preferences. There is true democratisation of opportunities and aspirations in this country today, he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, he was prompted to start this novel tradition of felicitating and facilitating girl students after learning from his experience in the Ministries which deal with students and youth. He revealed that out of around 1.75 lakh registered StartUps in India today, nearly 50,000 to 60,000 were women led StartUps. As for Civil Services/ IAS Examination, even this year all the three All India toppers were girls while in 2022 Civil Services Exam, 11th All India topper was a girl from Poonch Degree College. He also recalled that in 2014, 15 and 16, for three consecutive years, the All India topper in Civil Services Exam was a girl. Even in the Space sector, he noted that important projects like Aditya L1 and Chandrayaan 3 had women in the leading role.
Urging the students to leverage technology for their academic growth and betterment of society, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Government has also ensured democratisation of opportunities for students belonging to all sections of the society and all genders. He said, the objective is to equip them with requisite skills so that they can stay fully-empowered. He said the NEP 2020 is a modern, transformative policy for India’s education system, focusing on access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability.
The Minister said the Government is making huge investments in youth to prepare them to take on the leadership of the country in the times to come. He said, the youth would be the architects of a developed India as envisioned by Prime Minister Modi, when India celebrates centenary of its Independence in 2047.
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