The North News
Chandigarh, February 28
The Punjab government has announced a ₹15 crore grant to improve reading habits among government school students, aiming for their holistic development. The funds will be used to purchase books for school libraries across the state, Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said on Thursday.
Under the scheme, ₹5,000 will be allocated to each primary school, ₹13,000 to each middle school, and ₹15,000 to each high and senior secondary school. A state-level committee of experts has been tasked with selecting books to ensure a diverse and high-quality reading collection for students.
Bains, who has been conducting school visits to assess education standards, said: “My goal is to make Punjab a leader in education. I am personally gathering feedback from students and teachers to shape future policies.” He urged educators to encourage students to read extensively after their final exams, highlighting the importance of books in understanding literature, heritage, culture, and global affairs.
The government claims that this initiative is part of a broader effort to modernise school libraries and elevate Punjab’s education system to global standards, in line with the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. However, questions remain about whether this one-time grant is sufficient to instill long-term reading habits in students.
