Eight states submit proposals for Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas

The process of setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas has gained momentum in eight states which have identified land and submitted detailed proposals for the purpose.

The government has already approved setting up of 20 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in 20 districts with a large concentration of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe population.

The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti had accordingly requested the state governments to provide 30 acres of land free of cost for the construction of these schools. The state governments of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Assam have identified the land and have submitted proposals to the Samiti.

HRD Minister Arjun Singh has ordered opening of new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in these states, officials said. Each school will have hostel accommodation for 560 students, besides academic and administrative blocks and sports facilities. Residential quarters for teachers and staff will also be constructed in each school.

These schools would start functioning from 2009-10. About Rs 13.50 crore will be spent on the construction of a school. The HRD Ministry and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti are in touch with the other state governments to open more such schools.