Himachal govt to set up 8 Rajiv Gandhi day boarding schools across Shimla district

Deputy commissioner Shimla, Anupam Kashyap, said that land for the proposed schools has been selected in all eight constituencies and concerned departments are working to complete formalities

The Himachal Pradesh government is set to open eight Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools—one in each assembly constituency of Shimla district—as part of its initiative to enhance the quality of education in the state.

Each school will be built over 50 bighas of land and include modern facilities. (HT File)

Despite the move, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government had previously de-notified 137 and merged 64 primary schools, de-notified 73 and merged 25 middle schools, de-notified four high schools, seven senior secondary schools and two colleges in Shimla district over the past two years due to low student enrolment.

Deputy commissioner Shimla, Anupam Kashyap, said that land for the proposed schools has been selected in all eight constituencies and concerned departments are working to complete formalities. The schools will come up at Bardash (Shimla Urban), Jaloog (Shimla Rural), Saraswati Nagar (Jubbal Kotkhai), Gajedi (Theog), Barada Road near Palkan (Rohru), Bodna (Chaupal), Chamiyana (Kusumpti), and Shingla (Rampur).

Each school will be built over 50 bighas of land and will include modern facilities such as smart classrooms, indoor stadiums, racing tracks, swimming pools and playgrounds. Hostel facilities will be provided for students wishing to reside on campus, while day scholars will also be accommodated.

Deputy director higher education, Lekh Ram, said that after land selection, layout plans will be prepared and uploaded on the Parivesh portal. The government has also approved ₹5 crore for a school in Sunni under Shimla Rural, out of which ₹1 crore has been released to the public works department.