*Bhagwant Mann Govt’s Shikhya Kranti Delivers Historic Results as 305 Govt School Students Qualify JEE Mains: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• Last year 187 students from government schools cracked JEE Mains, the number has nearly doubled within a year: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• Due to quality education in govt schools, several children from poor families have cleared such tough examination: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• AAP contested elections in Punjab on the issues of education and healthcare and formed the government with a thumping majority: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• Education standard in any state is measured by its results, and on this parameter Punjab ranks at top in country: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• From ₹1.2 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh annual income families, children of labourers, tailors and small workers shine in JEE: Harjot Singh Bains*

*• Bhagwant Mann Govt to organise special 3-week residential camp to prepare students for JEE Advance: Harjot Singh Bains*

CHANDIGARH, February 21:In a major boost to the Punjab Government’s education reforms under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, as many as 305 students from Punjab Government Schools have qualified in the first attempt of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains 2026, registering a remarkable 63 percent increase over last year’s 187 successful candidates. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, the Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains described the achievement as a defining moment for the state’s school education system.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination. He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.

“This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam. This feat represents a remarkable 63 percent increase from last year’s 187 qualifiers. Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab Sikhya Kranti initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress,” said Harjot Singh Bains.

Highlighting the human stories behind the numbers, the Education Minister shared that Bhavishya, a Grade 12 Non-Medical student from the School of Eminence, Town Hall, Amritsar, secured an impressive 98.182 percentile despite coming from a family with an annual income of ₹1.5 lakh. His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor. “Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success,” he said.

He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains. With a labourer father and homemaker mother and an annual family income of ₹1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study and PACE classes to excel. Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET. Coming from a family with an annual income of ₹3.5 lakh, she benefitted from PACE classes, mock tests and structured guidance.

The Education Minister stated, “Priyanka Sharma, a Grade 12 Science student of School of Eminence, Sangrur, comes from a supportive family where her father works as an accountant and her mother is a private school teacher. With an annual family income of around ₹3.5 lakh, she prepared with discipline and consistency, benefiting from PACE classes, regular mock tests and strong academic guidance. Her efforts resulted in an excellent 96.44 percentile in JEE Main achieved alongside her NEET preparation.”

Narrating another success story, the Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated, “Harmandeep Sharma, a Grade 12 Non Medical student of School of Eminence, Chhajli Sangrur, comes from a family where his father works as an accountant and his mother is a homemaker, with an annual income of around ₹2.5 lakh. Aspiring to pursue engineering, he prepared entirely through school support without taking any private tuition, relying on teacher guidance and PACE learning resources. His disciplined preparation resulted in an outstanding 98.75 percentile in JEE Main.”

The Education Minister noted, “Palak Kaur, a Class 12 student of a Government School in Amritsar, comes from a humble background and faced significant personal challenges after losing her father. She is being raised by her mother, a homemaker, with an annual family income of less than ₹1,00,000. Despite financial hardship and emotional difficulties, she remained focused on her education. Her perseverance resulted in a commendable 90.11 percentile in JEE Main.”

He further said, “Kajal, a Class 12 student of a Government School in SAS Nagar, comes from a modest family where her father works as a supervisor in a private security company and her mother is a homemaker. With an annual family income of around ₹80,000, financial limitations were a challenge, but her focus on education remained strong. She aspires to pursue Computer Science from IIT Madras. Her disciplined preparation resulted in a strong 92.66 percentile in JEE Main 2026.”

The Minister highlighted, “Pardeep, a Class 12 student of a Government School in SAS Nagar, comes from a modest family where his father works as a labourer in a water cooler factory and his mother is a homemaker. With an annual family income of around ₹1,20,000, financial challenges were constant. His aspiration is to secure a good job so that his father no longer has to work in difficult factory conditions. His disciplined effort resulted in a commendable 93.11 percentile in JEE Main 2026.”

“We have countless such stories of children from modest backgrounds dreaming of IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and BITS Pilani,” said Minister Harjot Singh Bains, crediting the success to the Punjab Government’s focused interventions, especially the PACE coaching portal that provides free, high-quality preparation support to government school students and narrows the gap for talented children from humble backgrounds.

Looking ahead, the Education Minister expressed confidence that the tally would further rise after the second attempt of JEE Mains. “This is only the first phase result. With the second attempt approaching, I am confident that our final figures will increase substantially and be even more impressive,” he said.

The Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains emphasised that no other state government has matched this scale of achievement in government schools. He congratulated all 305 students and their parents, and thanked the teachers for making what he described as a historic day for Punjab’s government school system.

The Minister said there has been a visible rise in girl students qualifying for JEE exams counting 134 girl qualifiers, reflecting growing gender equity in STEM education across government schools. “This success is attributed to structured two year JEE preparation under PACE, free residential coaching camps during summer and winter breaks, regular mock tests and performance analytics, access to digital learning through the PACE Portal, and mentorship by expert faculty from partners such as Avanti Fellows and leading coaching institutions,” he added.

=========================================

*Bhagwant Mann Govt lays foundation stone for ₹10 crore girls’ hostel at Mata Sundri University Girls College: Harpal Singh Cheema*

*122-bed hostel to be completed in 6 months, ₹13 lakh digital library also announced: Harpal Singh Cheema*

*Over 63,000 govt jobs provided in 4 years, youth migration declining: Harpal Singh Cheema*

*No one disturbing Punjab’s law & order will be spared, campaign against drugs and gangsters intensified: Harpal Singh Cheema*

Chandigarh/MANSA, 21st February 2026:Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a new girls’ hostel at Mata Sundri University Girls College, reaffirming the Bhagwant Mann Government’s commitment to strengthening higher education infrastructure and ensuring that daughters from every corner of Punjab have access to safe and quality learning facilities.

Addressing the gathering at the ceremony, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “The construction of this girls’ hostel, being built at an estimated cost of approximately Rs 10 crore, will be completed within the next six months. This facility will provide major relief to female students who travel from far-off areas to pursue their education.” He further announced, “A state-of-the-art digital library will also be established at the college at a cost of Rs 13 lakh. This digital library will significantly assist students in their academic pursuits and in preparing for competitive examinations.”

Emphasizing the broader development agenda of the state, the Minister stated, “Under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab is witnessing comprehensive development across all sectors.”

Recalling his earlier visit to the campus, he said, “During my previous visit, students shared the difficulties they were facing due to the lack of residential facilities. Taking immediate cognizance of their concerns, we coordinated with the concerned departments and initiated this multi-crore project under the PM-USHA scheme.” He added, “The hostel will have residential rooms capable of accommodating 122 students, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for our daughters.”

Highlighting the Punjab government’s record on employment, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Over the last four years, more than 63,000 government jobs have been provided to the youth of Punjab. These transparent and merit-based recruitments have restored public confidence and have led to a visible decline in the trend of youth migrating abroad.”

Reiterating the government’s firm stand on maintaining law and order, Harpal Singh Cheema asserted, “A special campaign is underway to eliminate the menace of drugs and gangsters from Punjab. Let me make it clear that no individual attempting to disturb the law and order of the state will be spared.”

Mansa MLA Dr. Vijay Singla also addressed the gathering and expressed his gratitude, saying, “I thank Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema for this vital infrastructure boost, which will greatly benefit the students of this region.”

The event commenced with welcoming remarks by College Principal Dr. Barinder Kaur and Dr. Amar Inder Singh, Director (CC) of Punjabi University Patiala, who appreciated the government’s continued support for strengthening educational institutions.

During his visit, Harpal Singh Cheema also witnessed kickboxing matches on the campus, encouraged the athletes for their dedication and discipline, and posed for commemorative photographs with them.

The programme was attended by Budhlada MLA Principal Budh Ram, Deputy Commissioner Mansa Navjot Kaur, District Planning Board Chairman Gurpreet Singh Bhuchar, OSD to Finance Minister Tapinder Singh Sohi, Director Aman Mittal, SDM Kala Ram Kansal, Municipal Council President Sunil Kumar Neenu, and several other administrative and political dignitaries.

==========================================

*RIMC Admission Open for January 2027 Term; Entrance Exam on June 7, Apply by April 5*

Chandigarh, February 21:Applications have been invited from eligible boys and girls for admission to the January 2027 term of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun.

An official spokesperson said that the written entrance examination will be conducted on June 7, 2026 (Sunday) at Lala Lajpat Rai Bhawan, Chandigarh. Candidates applying for admission should not be born earlier than January 2, 2014 and not later than July 1, 2015, and must either be studying in Class VII or have passed Class VII from a recognized school. Selected candidates will be granted admission to Class VIII. The written examination will consist of three papers—English, Mathematics and General Knowledge.

The prospectus-cum-application form along with details can be obtained online from the RIMC website www.rimc.edu.in by depositing the prescribed fee of Rs 600 for General Category and Rs 555 for SC/ST candidates. Alternatively, the form can also be obtained by sending a written request with a demand draft in favour of “The Commandant RIMC Fund”, payable at Dehradun.

The spokesperson further informed that completed application forms, along with required documents, must reach Directorate Defence Services Welfare, Punjab, Sainik Bhawan, Sector-21-D, Chandigarh on or before April 5, 2026. Applications received after the due date will not be entertained.

==============================================

*“LANGUAGE IS KEY TO IDENTITY”: HARJOT BAINS GREETS PEOPLE ON INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY*

*• Languages Minister reaffirms commitment to boost Punjabi language, highlights initiatives undertaken for promotion of Punjabi*

Chandigarh, February 21: On International Mother Language Day, Punjab Higher Education and Languages Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains calls on the people to embrace the mother tongue Punjabi in their day to day lives, citing its crucial role in education, communication, cultural preservation and sustainable development.

Extending greetings to people on the auspicious day, S. Harjot Singh Bains asserted that all languages are equally worthy of respect and reaffirmed Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government's unwavering commitment to boost Punjabi language and cultural roots.

Taking the linguistic pride to every corner of the state, S. Bains informed that the Languages department has organised 13 events across Punjab on International Mother Language Day. The celebrations include Kavi Durbars, dramatic performances, language seminars, student speech competitions and literary discussions.

Highlighting a sweeping range of initiatives aimed at the preservation and global promotion of the mother tongue, the Languages Minister said that to honour those who have dedicated their lives to literature, the department is providing a monthly pension/financial assistance of Rs. 15,000 to needy writers, literati and their dependent families, besides, conferring 10 awards across various categories under the Best Literary Punjabi Book Award Scheme for the year 2025. Furthermore, financial assistance was extended to 11 Punjabi literary societies to enable them to organise events dedicated to the propagation of the mother tongue.

Cultivating a love for the language among students, he said that the department has organised Punjabi literary creation and poetry singing competitions across 20 district language offices. Similarly, Punjabi Children's Literature Quiz Competitions were held statewide, with the finals hosted in Moga. Winners at all levels were felicitated with awards, fostering a competitive spirit in linguistic excellence.

The department’s year-long diverse array of literary events include five 'Ru-b-Ru' interaction programs with literary personalities, 'Kahani Durbar', 'Sawan Kavi Durbar' and a special seminar dedicated to Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Nawanshahr. The department also celebrated linguistic diversity through Tri-lingual poetry recitals, Urdu Mushairas, Hindi Day and Sanskrit Day. The year's calendar also featured religious poetry at the historic Shaheedi Jor Mel in Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, the Minister added.

The month of November 2025 was dedicated as 'Punjabi Month', featuring 10 major events across the state to immerse the people with their linguistic roots, he added, while saying that the department has launched a large-scale project to digitally archive 1.25 lakh books available in its library, covering Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit and English. This initiative will provide global readers with unprecedented digital access to classic and contemporary literature.

Further bridging the gap between tradition and technology, the departmental website already offers world classic literature in Punjabi, along with a rich repository of dictionaries and glossaries.

S. Harjot Singh Bains stated, "Language is not just a means of communication; it is key to our identity. From supporting the families of our writers to putting 1.25 lakh books online, our government is ensuring that Punjabi not only survives but thrives globally."