Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is set to inaugurate two significant educational schemes, the Namo Lakshmi Yojana and the Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana on March 9. These initiatives, worth ₹1500 crore, were announced in the 2024-25 state budget with the aim of enhancing Secondary and Higher Secondary education in Gujarat. The inauguration ceremony will be held at Ahmedabad’s Gyanda Girls High School, with Gujarat’s Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kuber Dindor in attendance.
The Namo Lakshmi Yojana is designed to encourage girls in secondary and higher secondary schools to complete their education from grades 9 to 12. The scheme will provide a financial aid of ₹50,000 to each girl who completes these grades. With an allocation of approximately ₹1250 crore in the Gujarat Budget 2024-25, the scheme aims to increase enrollment, decrease dropout rates, and empower girls through education and nutrition, targeting an estimated 10 lakh girls in government, aided, and private schools.
The Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana, on the other hand, is aimed at promoting science education for students in grades 11 and 12 starting from the academic year 2024-25. Eligibility for this scheme is based on students achieving more than 50% marks in their Class 10 Board Examination. The scheme provides a total assistance of ₹25,000 upon admission to the science stream in State Government, Aided, and Self-Supporting Schools affiliated with the Gujarat Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recognized schools. The Gujarat Budget 2024-25 has allocated ₹250 crore for this scheme.
Together, the Namo Lakshmi Yojana and Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana are expected to benefit around 15 lakh students in secondary and higher secondary schools each year, providing direct financial assistance through DBT (Direct Beneficiary Transfer).
In addition to these schemes, the launch event will also see the distribution of benefits worth an estimated ₹61 crore to over 60,000 students under the Gyansetu Merit Scholarship, Gyansadhana Merit Scholarship, Gyanshakti Residential Schools of Excellence, and Rakshashakti Schools.
Over the past five years, the budget allocation for school education has more than doubled. The introduction of these schemes is set to significantly improve the standard of education for primary, secondary, and higher secondary school students in the state, with a particular focus on benefiting girls.
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