Cong promises health centres at Metro stns

NEWDELHI: Pre-schools at the community level, a Delhi City Leadership Academy (DCLA) to train teachers, primary healthcare centres at all Metro stations and free health insurance to all children studying in municipal schools were some of the promises made by the Congress ahead of municipal polls on April 23.

Releasing their roadmap on education and healthcare, the third in their series of election promises, the Congress leaders said that unlike other parties, they have come up with a solutions to improve the municipal schools and primary healthcare in the national capital.

Talking about institutional reforms the party has suggested on setting up of empowered group for quality education to monitor schools.

“We will set up the group within one week of coming to power. This group will consist of former principals, experts in the field of education, guardians, students and representatives of MCD and NGOs. This group will meet regularly and will be responsible to fill in vacancies of teachers in schools and monitor performance of schools,” said Ajay Maken, Delhi Congress president.

The party also said they will invite NGOs to impart primary education. They have also talked about improving the quality of education and said pre-schools will be provided at community level.

They said that the DCLA will provide regular training to teachers, principals. “We will also fill up the 6,500 vacant posts of teachers and bring down the teacher student ratio to 1:30,” said Maken.

Lauding the party for the vision, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said giving ₹ 1,000 to the child as fixed deposit will act as a great incentive to improve enrolment.

“This ₹1,000 will be a fixed deposit which the student will be able to use once he finishes the senior secondary level. This is a great move to improve enrolment in schools which have been decreasing in last five years,” said Tharoor.

On the healthcare front, the Congress has promised that if they come to power, six big hospitals under the MCDs would be handed over to the Delhi government, and they will focus on primary health and dispensaries efficiently.

They have also promised setting of primary health centres in all metro stations.

Citing the increasing number of deaths due to dengue and chikungunya in 2015 and 2016, the party has listed 10 point action plan against the vector borne disease.