In a significant move to promote girls' education, the Maharashtra government has announced that it will provide free higher education to girls from families with an annual income of up to Rs 8 lakhs. The scheme will cover nearly 600 courses, including medical and engineering.
The announcement was made by Higher Education Minister Chandrakant Patil at an event organized at Kavayitri Bahinabai Chaudhari North Maharashtra University.
"This scheme will benefit lakhs of girls from poor and middle-class families who aspire to pursue higher education but cannot afford the high fees of professional courses like medical and engineering," said Patil.
Following the conclusion of the program, Patil was approached by a group of boys who questioned why only girls were entitled to free benefits and advocated for extending the assistance to children from families below a certain income threshold. In response, Patil pledged to escalate their demands to the Chief Minister's attention.