Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Rohit Thakur on Wednesday informed the Vidhan Sabha that 419 government schools in the state with five or less students have been merged with nearby schools,  The move was taken to rationalize the deployment of teachers, Thakur said while responding to a question of BJP member Vipin Parmar, which was asked by his party colleague Rakesh Jamwal in his absence during the Question Hour. A total of 361 primary schools with less than five students have been merged with other schools within a 2 km radius, while 58 middle section schools have been merged with schools within a 3 km distance, the minister said. The enrolment of students in government schools dropped in the last two decades, Thakur said, citing parents inclination towards private schools and the opening of private schools in the vicinity of existing government schools. Further, the rising migration of people from rural to urban areas is also a factor for low enrolment in government schools located in rural areas, he added. Sharing figures on the declining trend, the education minister said the number of students in primary schools (up to Class 5) was 90 lakh in 2003, but it dropped to 2.99 lahks in 2023, while the strength in middle schools (Classes 6 to 8) reduced from 3.81 lahks to 2.50 lakh in the same period. In government senior secondary schools, the number of students dipped from 1.84 lakh to 1.34 lakh from 2003 to 2023, Thakur said, adding that the situation could turn worse in the next ten years. He said that as per the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), Himachal Pradesh has slipped to 21st position and students of Class 8 are now unable to read the books of Class 2.    In a cabinet meeting on July 25, the state cabinet decided to close 89 government primary schools (GPS) and 10 government middle schools (GMS) with zero enrolments and approved the merger of GPS and GMS with five or fewer students within two and three-kilometer radius. OVER 1400 PEOPLE TO GET JOB ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS IN 9 MONTHS: CM SUKHU    Dependents of more than 1,400 government employees who died in harness would be given jobs on compassionate grounds in the next nine months, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told the state assembly on Wednesday. Replying to a query in the House, Sukhu said 1,415 cases of job on compassionate grounds are pending before the government. He also said his government gave jobs to 180 people on compassionate grounds in the past 20 months. The government would also consider giving class III jobs on compassionate grounds and a cabinet sub-committee headed by Education Minister Rohit Thakur would submit its report to the government in the next six months. During the BJP government tenure, only class IV jobs were given on compassionate grounds, the CM added. Intervening in the reply, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said his government gave jobs to 4,500 people on compassionate grounds. COMPENSATION TO FAMILIES OF SNAKEBITE VICTIMS TO BE CONSIDERED: CM Himachal government would consider compensation to the families of people who die due to snakebites, Chief Minister Sukhu announced in the state assembly on Wednesday.  He also said the government will make necessary amendments in the Relief Manual. Intervening in the reply to a calling attention motion of Kewal Singh Pathania (Congress), Sukhu said the cases of snakebites rise during rains in areas along rivers and khuds and he has asked the revenue minister to study the issue.   Replying to the calling attention motion, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said the patients of snakebites would be given immediate treatment and anti-venom injections provided to the Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres.  Besides, these injections would also be available in ambulances, Shandil said.   At present, 473 anti-venom vials are available in the district store in Dharamshala and doctors, nurses and pharmacists have been trained for anti-venom vaccination, he added. Pointing at the shortage of doctors, Pathania raised the issue of two snakebite deaths at Lanj and Harchakian villages in Shahpur and demanded compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the affected families.

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