School students took center stage at a special event held at the Kushabhau Thakre International Auditorium in Bhopal, where Chief Minister Mohan Yadav interacted with young achievers and praised their remarkable academic milestones. Under the Meritorious Student Encouragement Scheme, the state government disbursed financial assistance exceeding Rs 304 crore directly into the bank accounts of more than 1.21 lakh students who scored over 75 percent in their Class 12 board examinations. Each eligible student received Rs 25,000 to purchase a laptop, aimed at making their higher education journey smoother and more digital.
Direct Interaction and Inspiring Ambitions
During the program, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav directly engaged with several students on stage to understand their future aspirations. A student named Virendra Singh Bundela shared his desire to join politics to address societal challenges that many choose to ignore. Another student, Himanshi Pathak, expressed her ambition to start her career as an air hostess before eventually becoming an entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of job creation over job hunting. The audience erupted into laughter when she mentioned that she had previously dreamt of sharing the stage with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav in a similar hall.
Overcoming Odds for Extraordinary Achievements
The event highlighted several inspiring stories of students from humble backgrounds achieving remarkable feats. Tanvi successfully cleared the NEET examination while simultaneously completing her Class 12 studies on her first attempt. Another student, Om चौकसे (Om Chouksey), shared that he cleared NEET, JEE Mains, and CULT alongside his school board exams, despite his father making bags to sustain the family. Abhishek, another young achiever, stated his goal of becoming a scientist at ISRO. The Chief Minister lauded these students, remarking that while their age is young, their ambitions and efforts are exceptionally grand.
Lessons on Resilience and Continuous Growth
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister advised students never to let success inflate their ego and urged them not to take failures to heart. He noted that true character is built from within rather than through numbers printed on a paper, and emphasized the importance of learning from past mistakes. Highlighting the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he stated that Madhya Pradesh is matching steps with the nation's rapid development trajectory. Knowledge and skill were described as the two vital companions in life, with the state government remaining fully committed to supporting every form of talent across the region.
Expanding Infrastructure in Education
School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh shared that the government has distributed financial support for laptops to nearly 2.75 lakh students over the past two and a half years, with total disbursements under the scheme reaching Rs 1620 crore for 6.5 lakh students so far. He noted that dropout rates in government schools have dropped to zero, and recruitment efforts are underway to fill vacant teaching positions. Furthermore, the state highlighted its rapid expansion in medical education, increasing the total number of medical colleges, both private and government combined, to 33 in order to significantly boost MBBS seat capacity across Madhya Pradesh.
