Chandigarh: There is a good to all students belonging to SC Community; the Haryana will soon supply free school bags to the students belonging to Scheduled Castes studying in first to eighth standards in all Government-run schools. Education Minister Mange Ram Gupta today informed that an amount of about Rs 7 crore has been earmarked for the purpose under a scheme for the current annual plan 2007-08.

Under the new plan, of 7.05 lakh students belonging to Scheduled Castes, 4.98 lakh students from class I to V and 2.07 lakh students from class VI to VIII would benefit from the scheme, he said. Besides, under a separate scheme, a sum of Rs. 300 would be given to each girl student from class I to V, and girls studying in class VI to VIII would get Rs 500 each, he said.

A total expenditure of Rs 11.98 crore has been allocated for this scheme and nearly 3.5 lakh girls would benefit from it, the minister said. Mange also added that the government would also offer scholarship of excellence to all Scheduled Castes students who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academic and extra-curriculum activities.