Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 12: All Zanskar Students Union (AZSU), an amalgam of students of Kargil, Zanskar and Drass Tehsils of Ladakh region of the State, presently putting up at Jammu in connection with their higher and professional education, organized ‘Losar’ -the new year of Buddhists, at Dogra Hall this afternoon.
Minister of State for Science Technology, Information Technology, Education and Youth Services and Sports Feroz Ahmad Khan was chief guest on the occasion.
Executive Councilor, LAHDC Kargil Skalzang Angdus was also present at the function.
Extending warm greetings to the people of Ladakh and Kargil especially the Budhhist community on the auspicious occasion of ‘Losar’,- the Minister hoped that the festival will prove harbinger of peace, progress and prosperity for the State and its people. He highlighted the centuries old rich traditions of communal harmony, brotherhood and co-existence of different faiths and cultures symbolizing high values of humanity.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that Government has expanded the opportunities of higher and professional education across the state, adding that focused attention is given to improve the basic infrastructure of education institutions in remote and far-flung areas with the aim to provide quality education to the students in every nook and corner of the State at their door steps.
The Minister said that a whooping amount of Rs 10.00 crore has been earmarked for creation of infrastructure for Government Degree College, Zanskar, during this financial year. He said the College, sanctioned last year is presently functioning from Higher Secondary School, Paddam, Zanskar, and will start functioning fully from April this year. He said the full-fledged College would have all modern facilities, adding that all streams including Science, Arts, Commerce and IT based education will be taught in the College which will be inaugurated in first week of April 2014. He further said that 6 more posts of lecturers of various streams have been sanctioned for the college.
The Minister announced setting up of a Sub Office of Board of School Education at Zanskar and said that the Sub-Office will start functioning at Paddam- the head-quarter of Zanskar Tehsil shortly, having a distance of more than 230 kilometers from the district headquarter Kargil. He said this was the long pending demand of the people of Zanskar which has been fulfilled. The students of this far-flung and remote area were facing tremendous problems in absence of the Sub-Office as the nearest Board office is situated at Kargil.
The Executive Councilor, LAHDC, Kargil, also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the problems being faced by the people of the area.
President, All Zanskar Students Union (AZSU), Rigzin Kalsang, presented a memorandum of demands which include opening of BOSE Sub-Office at Zanskar, upgradation of Tehsil Library, recruitment of qualified Bhoti teachers in Government schools, conducting SSRB Exams at Zanskar and funds for organizing career counseling, education and health awareness campaign.
Responding to the demands, the Minister announced Rs 5 lakh out of his Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for upgradation of Tehsil Library, Zanskar. He assured that the other genuine demands will be looked into sympathetically.
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