Bhopal: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, on Juky 14th, inaugurated the Pradhan Mantri Colleges of Excellence in all 55 districts of the state from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Many dignitaries, including the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav, and Union Minister Savitri Thakur were present on the occasion.

Addressing the inaugural event, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to build such an India that when we complete our 100 years of independence in 2047, India should be at the top in every field in the world. He said that if such an India is to be built, it cannot be done without strengthening the foundation of education, so in line with his foresight, Modi introduced the New Education Policy in 2020. Shah said that the New Education Policy has been brought by visualizing our needs and requirements for the next 25 years. The New Education Policy will give the enabling environment for our students to compete globally, and at the same time remain connected to our ancient culture and languages.

Congratulating the Madhya Pradesh government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that MP has the honour to become the first state to implement the New Education Policy. He said that even in the past, Madhya Pradesh has been the only state in the entire country that took the initiative to translate the curriculum of engineering and medical science into our mother tongue. This has benefited many poor children to pursue medical science and engineering as higher education in their mother tongue.

Amit Shah said that the launch of Pradhan Mantri Colleges of Excellence is not merely renaming these colleges. He said that Rs 486 Crores have been invested to upgrade the colleges to match the parameters and criteria fixed for them to become eligible to get the recognition of Pradhan Mantri College of Excellence. He said that in these colleges, there will be no compartmental education. If a student wants to pursue BA and is also interested in a science subject, he or she can simultaneously pursue a diploma in that subject. The Home Minister gave the example that a student of commerce having an interest in art or language can simultaneously study these subjects. Even if someone is a commerce student and has an interest in technology, she/he can pursue a diploma course as per her/his interest.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Madhya Pradesh has scripted an important chapter in the New Education Policy by making it a reality today. He said that the purpose of education is to bring out all the strengths in the student, give them a platform and a chance to grow. Shah added that it is easy to get marks in the examination by memorizing topics and syllabus but it is very difficult to productively develop inner strengths and talents.

Amit Shah said that the 55 Pradhan Mantri Colleges of Excellence that have been inaugurated today will provide an opportunity for students to study as per their interest in many subjects like Biotechnology, Computer Science, Culture, Arts, etc. Courses like B. Ed and B. Sc Agriculture have also been introduced. A course like BSc Agriculture will connect the youth with agriculture and create many new opportunities for self-employment. He said that work has been done to connect a lot of diploma courses and certificate courses with IIT Delhi and many other prestigious institutions. Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy's books centre has also been started in all 55 colleges.

Amit Shah said that the 55 Pradhan Mantri Colleges of Excellence that have been inaugurated today will provide an opportunity for students to study as per their interest in many subjects like Biotechnology, Computer Science, Culture, Arts, etc. Courses like B. Ed and B. Sc Agriculture have also been introduced. A course like BSc Agriculture will connect the youth with agriculture and create many new opportunities for self-employment. He said that work has been done to connect a lot of diploma courses and certificate courses with IIT Delhi and many other prestigious institutions. Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy's books centre has also been started in all the 55 colleges.

The Union Home Minister said that Indore was till now considered a cotton hub and a cleanliness hub, but now it is also moving towards becoming an education hub. He said that Indore is moving ahead in pharma, automobile, textile, and food processing sectors.

Amit Shah said that a lot of initiatives have been taken for higher education under the New Education Policy in Madhya Pradesh. Many new courses have been introduced; many universities have also been created. Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formulated the New Education Policy to shape the future of the youth. Under the new education policy, children will be taught the 'syllabus of academics' as well as the 'syllabus of life'. Through the New Education Policy, the focus has been shifted from quantity to quality and a lot of measures have been taken in the New Education Policy to inculcate in students the habit of 'out of the box' thinking instead of 'orthodox thinking'. The new education policy also seeks to bridge the gap between industry and academics by providing vocational and skill training to the youth.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that under the new education policy our education system will come at par with the global standards of the 21st century. He added that the new education system will give emphasis on idea generation rather than on memorising books. He said that emphasis will be laid on the 360-degree development of students instead of just awarding them degrees. Union Home Minister Amit Shah made an appeal to the youth asking them to learn the importance of setting goals for themselves. He said that time drains an aimless life and failing to set a goal is like completely wasting time. He told the students that there is no alternative to hard work and it is high time that the youth of our country set a goal for herself/himself and works hard to achieve it. He said that destiny smiles only on those who prepare the foundation of success with hard work. Shah appealed to the students to set their goals in life and work hard from today itself.