99 Navodaya Vidyalayas being constructed in backward, minority-dominated areas: Naqvi

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education is constructing 99 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in backward areas and those with minority communities concentration across the country, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Tuesday.

Several of these Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are being constructed jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, he said.

Naqvi made the remarks while, along with Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank", laid the foundation stone for a new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Pakur in Jharkhand through video conferencing.

This school is being constructed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs under the "Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram" (PMJVK), he said.

Naqvi said that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Minority Affairs are also jointly constructing four Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas at Uttar Dinajpur and Howrah in West Bengal; West Kamang in Arunachal Pradesh; and Mamit in Manipur.

The Minority Affairs Ministry is extending a financial assistance of Rs 244 crore for construction of these Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, he said in his address via video conference.

The Minority Affairs Minister will also construct Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas at other places jointly with the Ministry of Education, he said.

"The Ministry of Education is constructing 99 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in backward, weaker and minority concentrated areas across the country for the first time in the history," he said.

The Minority Affairs Ministry has also provided Rs 36 crore for 1,173 smart class rooms in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in backward and minority concentrated areas of the country, he said.

Naqvi said that these Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas will play a crucial role in providing quality and affordable education to students from backward and minority communities in the rural areas of the country.

During the last six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has developed socio, economic, educational and employment oriented infrastructure across the country in backward, deprived and minority communities concentration areas under the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram'.

Naqvi said that with the commitment to provide equal opportunities to all needy sections of the society, more than 34,000 infrastructure projects including schools, colleges, hospitals, community centres, common service centres, ITIs polytechnic, girls hostel, Sadbhavna Mandap, Hunar Hubs have been developed in backward and minority communities concentration areas across the country.

While only 90 districts of the country had been identified for minority communities' development before 2014, the Modi government has expanded development programmes for minorities in 308 districts of the country.