At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been celebrating the 100% percent electrification feat across the country, the government data collected by the Greater Kashmir about the status of power connectivity in Rajouri schools read otherwise.
As per the government figures, there are 1720 schools in Rajouri district and out of them 1484 (Over 86%) don’t have power connectivity while 66 schools in this hilly district have been working under the overhead high tension power lines.
Of 1720 government schools in Rajouri, there are 995 primary, 557 middle, 117 high and 41 higher secondary schools. Besides, there are 6 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalyas.
Most of these government schools are either yet to be electrified or there is limited scope of power connectivity.
“1484 government schools in the district have no power connectivity,” the data accessed by Greater Kashmir reads.
Constituency wise, 358 un-electrified schools are located in education zones of Darhal assembly segment represented by the education minister, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, 368 in Kalakote assembly segment represented by Abdul Gani Kohli, the minister for animal and sheep husbandry department, 105 in Rajouri represented by PDP legislator, Qamar Choudary and highest 653 in Nowshera, represented by BJP MLA, Ravinder Raina.
Among total 1484 government schools without electricity in the district, 930 are primary, 522 middle, 4 KGBV Hostels, 26 high and 2 higher secondary schools.
With this, students in 66 schools in the district are running under the overhead high tension power lines.
Among these 66 schools, 38 are middle schools, 12 high schools and 10 primary schools.
“Higher authorities in the district are very much aware about the schools functioning under the HT lines. They can convince the Power Development Department to shift the HT lines or shift the schools to some other locations by asking the education department authorities, but they are not,” an official of the education department said.
On schools functioning sans power connectivity, he said, “This is also in the knowledge of district administration.”