Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today launched the state-wide 'shala praveshotsav' campaign from the remotest villages in the border district of Banaskantha by enrolling 57 students at Suigam, Rupanivas, Koreti and Mamana in the Vav taluka.

The campaign was launched with the twin objective of attaining cent per cent enrolment and zero percent dropout rates in the primary schools in the state. It was clubbed with 'Kanya Kelavni' special drive for enrolment of girl child, without which the overall performance could not be improved.

At Mamana, Mr. Modi himself served the fortified mid-day meal to the children and later joined the community lunch. He also distributed ready-to-cook premixed food kits to women.

The villagers contributed their mite by providing books, notebooks to primary students and toys to anganwadi pre-school children. Villagers distributed sweets. Border Security Force (BSF) jawans donated money to 'Kanya Kelavni' Fund.

Describing the campaign as Jnana Yajna', Mr Modi asked the villagers to be a part of the state government's mission to abolish illiteracy and ignorance from the state. Over the years, he said, the primary school dropout rate has sharply decreased from 40 per cent to just two per cent now.

Talking about 'Shala Gunotsav', simultaneously launched to improve the infrastructure facilities in the schools, he said that over one-lakh 'vidya sahayaks' have been appointed, 64,000 classrooms, 50,342 toilets and drinking water facilities added in 32,000 schools during the last ten years. This year, he said that 10,000 'vidya sahayaks' have been appointed for teaching English, Mathematics and Science in 5,000 primary schools.

Mr. Modi said that there are many schools in the state which are older than the state's 50 years, but the government has vowed to spread education in the state more vigorously in its golden jubilee year. He wished the educated children would next teach the elders who could not go to school.

He joined the Radhanpur legislator Shankarbhai Choudhary to express satisfaction at a backward district like Banaskantha progressing fast on the educational front too. Mr. Modi was accompanied by Mr. Haribhai Choudhry, ex-MP, BJP district president D. Mogra, village sarpanchs, District Collector R.J. Patel, DDO R.K. Patel and other officers.