DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said moral education for children is a must to make India a developed nation. He said that students from classes 10 to 12 in the state have been distributed five lakh tablets, nearly 40,000 classrooms have been equipped with digital boards, and 1,201 IT labs have been set up.

Saini was addressing the Smart Class Expansion Programme, organised by the Sampark Foundation and the Education Department in Ladwa, Kurukshetra district on Wednesday.

Earlier, Saini launched a Smart TV Education Project from Ladwa.

The Sampark Foundation has provided Sampark TV Boxes in 7,000 state schools, he said. The package includes digital versions of Haryana board textbooks, videos, worksheets, and assessment modules. A total of 1,485 schools have been equipped with LED TVs, the chief minister said.

As many as 132 schools of Ladwa and Babain blocks have been developed as 'smart classes' with such TVs, he said. Saini said that education is not just confined to bookish knowledge but is a powerful medium that shapes the future of individuals, society, and the nation.

He said Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in all 22 districts of the state, and more than 5,000 schools have been provided with Wi-Fi connectivity. Sampark Foundation founder Vineet Nayar said his foundation aims to create curiosity for learning among children and focus on the application of knowledge.

At another event in Ladwa, Saini said the government has set a target to install solar panels on one lakh houses this year.

He said a team of officers will visit every village for the project under the Pradhan Mantri Muft Bijli Yojana.

Families with an annual income below Rs 1.80 lakh will be provided with a 2 kW solar panel under the scheme. Out of the total cost, Rs 70,000 will be borne by the central government and the remaining by the state government, he said.

He also said households with solar panels will not have to pay any electricity bills.

(editor@dailyworld.in)