Fillip For Girls’ Higher Education: Rajasthan To Provide Free Education To Girl Students In Government Colleges

During a press conference yesterday (30 January), Rajasthan Higher Education Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati announced that female students would be given free education at government colleges from the coming academic session, Times of India has reported.

"Girls studying in government colleges will be provided free education from the next academic session which starts in July. Also, the female students in colleges will be given sanitary napkins free of cost,” Bhati stated.

He, however, also accused the previous Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government of the state for creating colleges with poor quality infrastructure. Bhati promised to rectify the situation by making proper arrangements at the state's institutions. Rajasthan had been under BJP rule from 2013 till last month after a Congress rule from 2008 to 2013.

The minister also declared that a probe would be carried out into recruitments carried out under the previous government’s rule.

The move follows a similar initiative by the Karnataka government to provide free education to girl students in pre-university, graduation and post-graduate courses in government colleges.