India to spend Rs 20 bn on building girls' hostels

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India to spend Rs 20 bn on building girls' hostelsNew Delhi: India will spend Rs 2,000 crore (US $424.6 million) on building girls' hostels for students of secondary and higher secondary schools in each of the country's 3,500 educationally backward blocks of the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its nod for a revised centrally sponsored scheme for construction and running of girls' hostels for students of secondary and higher secondary schools in each of the educationally backward blocks during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12), Finance Minister P Chidambaram said.

" The CCEA also gave its approval to incur expenditure of Rs 2,000 crore as the central share with a sharing pattern of 90:10 between the centre and the states, " he added.The revised scheme provides for construction of 3,500 hostels through state governments in all the educationally backward blocks in the country in addition to recurring grants to meet the needs of inmates, reports IANS.

This will help improve the educational level of girl students in these backward blocks, Chidambaram said.

-- Dr.V.N.Sharmahttp://canvas.nowpos.com/vnsharma