November 12, 2009 : The State Government is giving scholarships to 9000 meritorious and deserving students at senior secondary school to ensure them pursue study. This was stated by Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister on the occasion of Satpal Mittal National Award ceremony organized by Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of first Prime Minister of India late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru at Ludhiana in Punjab today.
Chief Minister said that State had provided a model relief and rehabilitation package to the martyrs of Operation Vijay in Kargil. He said that the sacrifice made by such families would not go waste and will be remembered for all the time to come. He appealed to well off families to contribute a part of their income to help the needy especially vulnerable sections of the society to make their life reasonably comfortable which was a real service towards the society.
Prof. Dhumal said that illiteracy, pollution and malnutrition were the major impediments in the development of the society and Himachal Government was doing its best to overcome these so that common man is benefitted.
Chief Minister said that State Government had started Rs. 10,000 annual scholarships to the topper SC students in plus one and two under Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Thakur Sen Negi Scholarship for tribal students. He said that scholarships had helped some of the talented and deserving students to continue with their studies.
Prof. Dhumal presented Satpal National Foundation Award to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International for year 2009 for his outstanding contribution towards sanitation and environment protection. He congratulated Dr. Pathak and hoped that other NGOs would get inspired by the good work of Sulabh International Social Service organization which had revolutionalised the society towards sanitation awareness .
Chief Minister awarded the winners of declamation contest organized over ‘Challenge of global Warming’. He awarded Running Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Trophy to Khalsa College, Ludhiana and also distributed scholarship amount amongst the girl students from different colleges and schools in the area.
Later he also visited the Satpaul Public School and interacted with the students. Chief Minister paid his floral tributes to the first Prime Minister of India late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and late Shri Satpal Mittal Founder of the Trust.
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder Sulabh International and Padamshree Awardee thanked the Trust for conferring Satpal Mittal National Award upon him. He said that Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust was contributing significantly towards socio-economic upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. He said that 16 percent of the global population in India was being fed by 4 percent of water and 2.5 percent of cultivable land. He underlined the need to control population explosion which had been the root cause of all the inadequacies.
Dr. Pathak said that the Sulabh International had been motivating people especially in rural areas not be deficate in the open instead adopt ecologically safe modes to deficate. He said that sewage system was started in year 1850 which was gradually adopted by other continents later on.
Shri Rakesh Bharti, President, Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust, Ludhiana welcomed the Chief Minister and lauded endeavours of State Government towards social welfare activities. He detailed activities of the Trust. He said that Trust was imparting free education to rural girls in different states.
Shri Deepak Pandey, Vice President, Shri Vikas Garg, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, Shri S.S. Gill, S.S.P. Ludhiana, Col. Dr. B.D. Sharma, Organising Secretary, Shri Parveen Sayal, Treasurer, prominent people of the city and senior officers were present on the occasion.