Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today launched the ‘Mere Shahar Ke 100 Ratna’ programme, an initiative aimed at providing free coaching for various competitive examinations to 6,800 students across Himachal Pradesh. Under this programme, CRACK Academy will offer free coaching to 100 meritorious students from each Assembly constituency, with an estimated investment of Rs. 34 crore. To ensure a fair selection process, tests will be conducted in schools and colleges of each constituency, where students from Class VI and above can participate.
The top 100 students from each constituency will receive free coaching while the next 200 students will be given a 75 percent concession and the following 500 students will receive a 50 percent concession. The company will provide handholding of these children until they achieve their goals. The state government will extend full support to CRACK Academy for the successful implementation of this initiative. While the Academy will prepare the test papers, the Education eepartment will oversee the conduct of examinations. To raise awareness among students and parents, the Chief Minister also launched a mega awareness campaign.
The programme was initially piloted in Jawalamukhi Assembly constituency of Kangra district, where students from 50 schools participated and currently 220 selected students from Jawalamukhi are receiving merit-based coaching under this scheme. The Chief Minister said “This initiative will not only benefit talented students but also generate employment opportunities in the State. CRACK Academy plans to establish over 90 coaching centers, directly employing 5,000 people while creating additional indirect employment.” Academy will also invest Rs. 1.5 crore for the renovation and maintenance of the library at Ridge, Shimla. The Chief Minister directed the Academy to preserve the heritage value of the building while equipping it with modern technology to enhance learning facilities for students. Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Secretary Education Rakesh Kanwar, Director, Higher Education Amarjeet Sharma and Director, Elementary Education Ashish Kohli were also present on the occasion among others.
