Chandigarh: The Punjab Government on Tuesday announced an ambitious scheme to provide free education to all girls up to Class 12 in the state.

'The government wants to empower the girl child by providing her free education up to class 12,' Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said in a statement here. The scheme will commence July 1.

He said that Punjab has taken this step to encourage poor families to educate their girl child without feeling any financial burden.

From July 1 all government and government-aided school would provide free education to girls up to class 12, Badal said, adding that the school would not even charge local funds from the girls.

Badal said: 'Under this scheme, funds like admission fee, re-admission fee, amalgamated funds, PTA funds, sports funds etc. would not be charged from girl child up to class 12 and she would be entitled to totally free education as her right.'

He said that the Punjab government had set aside Rs.26 crore for this scheme.

Badal further said that 1.46 lakh girl students from classes 11 and 12 would get free bicycles on Aug 15 from the Punjab government at a cost of Rs.75 crore. IANS