Haryana Budget: Scholarship for Martyred Soldiers'' Kids, Education Focus

Chandigarh, Mar 17 (PTI) The Haryana government's Budget for the 2025-26 fiscal presented by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday proposed a scholarship scheme for the children of martyred soldiers and paramilitary personnel.

Under this scheme, students of Class 6 to 12 will receive Rs 60,000 annually, diploma or graduation level students will get Rs 72,000 each year while postgraduate students will be awarded Rs 96,000 per year, Saini said.

The Budget also proposed the establishment of armed forces preparatory institutes in Charkhi Dadri, Hisar and Yamunanagar. Also, new Model Sanskriti Schools will be established in every 10 km radius in the state.

In line with the provisions of National Education Policy, 2020, a third language will be introduced in the curriculum for Classes 9 and 10 in the upcoming fiscal, said Saini as he presented the Rs 2.05 lakh crore budget, making various announcements with education being among the focus sectors.

"I also propose to start a dedicated helpline for soldiers and paramilitary personnel to support them with their needs and concerns," the chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said.

About ex-servicemen, Saini said that under the new "Veer Udaan Yojana", 2,000 ex-servicemen will receive training to secure employment.

He also proposed to build a Sainik Sangrahalaya in Rewari.

Saini told the House that the French government has promised to support teachers of the state with quality training to teach the French language to interested students in government schools, and an MoU would be signed soon.

In another initiative announced, the Haryana government will make it mandatory for the first and second-class officers of every department to visit a government school every month and spend time engaging with students.

They will dedicate at least two to three hours to discuss with students subjects of interest, the projects of their respective departments and provide career counselling, the chief minister said.

Saini said it is a matter of concern that till now, Haryana's representation in both international and national math olympiads has been very few and there is almost no interest among government school students for these competitions.

"Therefore, to promote mathematical thinking among children, a math olympiad will be organised every year for students of Class 10 to 12 of both government and private schools.

"In this, I propose to award an honorarium of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 51,000 and Rs 25,000 to the students securing the first, second and third positions, respectively," he said.

The Budget also proposed to set up a Haryana State Research Fund with an initial allocation of Rs 20 crore to promote research by students and teachers in colleges and universities.

Pointing out that the number of girls enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses in colleges is quite low, Saini said a Kalpana Chawla Scholarship Scheme will be launched to provide an honorarium of up to Rs 1 lakh annually to girls pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in science and engineering.

He proposed to waive the tuition fees of those girls pursuing BSc courses in government colleges whose family income is less than Rs 3 lakh.

To encourage students to set up startups, entrepreneurship competitions will be organised in every district from the 2025-26 academic session and Rs 1 lakh is proposed to be provided to selected teams to help them convert their ideas into a business model.

The government also rolled out a new initiative called Mukhyamantri Kaushal Padak Samman Vijeta, which aims to motivate the youth towards skill development and promote vocational education in the state.

Under another new scheme -- Mukhyamantri Yuva Kaushal Samman Yojana -- 2,000 final-year graduate and postgraduate students from the state will be provided internship opportunities in reputed companies.

During this period, they will be given an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month, the chief minister said. "This initiative will help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills, providing the youth with better employment opportunities.