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‘Will give new direction to youth’: PM Modi lays foundation stone of hostel built by Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj
This initiative in the field of education will help youngsters fulfill their dreams, Prime Minister Modi said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, on the occasion of Vijayadashami, performed “bhumi pujan” ceremony of phase-1 of boys' hostel constructed by the Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj in Surat. Addressing the gathering via videoconferencing, PM Modi said that the hostel will give a new direction to the youth.
“With this initiative in the field of education, the Saurashtra Patel Seva Samaj will help youngsters fulfill their dreams. I've been informed that the construction of both phases of the hostel will be completed by 2014,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi also recalled the time when, according to him, there was a shortage of good quality education and teachers in Gujarat. Describing the challenges he faced in this field during his tenure as the chief minister, he said, “Dropout rate among girl students was a challenge, and this was due to various reasons. One such reason was a lack of washroom facilities. However, with various schemes today, washroom facilities have been built, and the dropout rate among girls has declined.”
The true power of “sabka saath, sabka vikas,” he said, he saw in Gujarat.
PM Modi also praised the new chief minister of the western state, Bhupendra Patel, whom he described as a person who is attached to his roots. “He is a CM who has deep interest in technology. His experience of working at various levels will only help in the development of Gujarat,” Prime Minister Modi remarked.
According to a release by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the hostel building has residential facilities that can accommodate 1500 students. It also has an auditorium and a dedicated library for the students.
The construction of phase-2 of the facility, to accommodate around 500 girls, will commence next year.
