Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat Wednesday exhorted students from Jammu and Kashmir to work hard and compete for Army’s ‘Super 30’ coaching programme and build their career through good education.
He was interacting with 18 girl students from various schools in the Valley, at the South Block here. “There is no other place like Kashmir when it comes to scenic beauty and a sublime environment. But, terrorism has vitiated the atmosphere,” he said.
“Unlike Kashmir, you do not see bunkers in Delhi or gun-toting security personnel everywhere. People roam here at night in peace. The Kashmir Valley also had peace and people in Srinagar even used to go for strolling in parks at night or for a movie, but it’s not there anymore,” he said.
In his address, Gen Rawat reiterated that “infiltrators come from Pakistan to our side and create trouble”.
“So, if you also want progress and development in the Valley, take this message from here, and tell the people there that guns are not good,” he said.
Rawat told them that the Army runs “Kashmir Super-30” — a free, special coaching programme for students to prepare them for entrance examinations for admission to IITs and NITs.
“We are working with NGOs to have a similar programme for medical examination aspirants. So, work hard, compete for ‘Super 30’ for engineering career, and for NEET exam too, once we have it in place,” he said.
The Army had earlier this year signed an MoU with a state-run firm and the National Integrity Educational Development Organisation (NIEDO) for medical aspirants, under which selected students will be provided with free residential coaching for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
The students, ranging from class 7-11 arrived here on Monday and have visited the Red Fort, Rajghat and Connaught Place market in Delhi, and will see the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah and take a Metro ride before heading to Chandigarh, an official accompanying them said.