Guwahati: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Knowledge is power. Knowledge is strength and knowledge is a source of light which makes a person bright and wise”. Inaugurating Chief Minister’s Gyan Jyoti Scheme at Srimanta Sankardeva International Auditorium at Sankardeva Kalakshetra here today, Chief Minister Sonowal said that Gyan Jyoti Scheme is designed especially to stimulate knowledge base of the students by enabling them to undertake educational tours which have been instrumental to increase the mental horizon of the students. He also said, “Education makes a man perfect. It rekindles the human sensibilities and makes them good human beings who in turn can contribute to the formation of a good society”.
Stating that student’s life is a formative year for any human being, Sonowal asked the students present to study at least eight hours in a day and dedicatedly pursue their career. He also asked them to inculcate good habits, practice them in life and be disciplined and beautiful.
Referring to a pledge on Swachh Bharat that they took on the occasion, Chief Minister Sonowal appealed to the students to turn the pledge into their promise and dedicate themselves to cleanliness work. He also asked them to be ambassadors of Swachhata Abhiyan and motivate people for cleanliness. Referring to John Keats who said ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’, Sonowal asked the students to be admirers of beauty and try to do things which have permanent values. He also asked them to write their experiences they are going to earn from the four days Gyan Jyoti educational and exposure tour.
Giving a snapshot of the development journey that the new dispensation in the state has undertaken, Chief Minister Sonowal said that Guwahati has been tipped to be the gateway to South East Asian Nations in view of Centre’s Act East Policy and it is the students who need to be front runner in grabbing the opportunities and play the role of catalyst in making Guwahati an epicentre of Act East Policy. He also said that considering the key role to be played by Guwahati in the changing situations, the areas of Guwahati have been increased and has been named as State Capital Region encompassing areas up to Tihu, Sipajhar, Chhaygaon and Morigaon.
Sonowal also said that through education alone students can be empowered and therefore, his government has decided to give free text books, two sets of school uniforms, free admission in colleges besides other incentives to the students. He also released a souvenir on the occasion.
Sonowal flagged off buses for carrying students to different places as part of the educational tour. Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya who also spoke on the occasion gave a brief description of different policies that the State government is executing for the development of elementary, secondary and higher education in the state.
Member of Parliament from Guwahati constituency Bijaya Chakraborty, Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia also spoke on the occasion. Chief Minister’s Media Advisor Hrishikesh Goswami, Additional Chief Secretary Rajib Bora, Principal Secretary to Transformation and Development Department JB Ekka along with others also spoke on the occasion.
The four-day programme in which 1000 students and their teachers participated from 18 districts will culminate on 18 February.