Khatima, Uttarakhand — In a significant step towards transforming higher education and improving access to competitive exam preparation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday inaugurated the state’s first “Saathi Center” at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Government Post Graduate College, Khatima. The center has been established in collaboration with IIT Kanpur under the ambitious Project Saathi initiative.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister emphasized that the social and economic progress of any nation depends on the quality of its education system. He highlighted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a landmark reform, designed to make education employment-oriented and competitive-exam friendly.
“Under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, Project Saathi was launched in 2023 to ensure quality education and equal opportunities for every student across the country,” the Chief Minister said. “Today, through this initiative, students are receiving guidance for engineering, medical, banking, railway, CLAT and other important competitive examinations, even from the most remote and economically weaker regions.”
The newly inaugurated Saathi Center in Khatima will provide offline coaching and mentoring facilities to 80 students, while online sessions will continue to be delivered by professors from premier institutions like IITs and IISc.
According to the Chief Minister, over 15 lakh students across India have benefited from Project Saathi so far, including 29,000 students from Uttarakhand. In the last year alone, more than 500 students from the state secured success in various competitive exams with the help of this platform.
The initiative is expected to bring direct benefits to talented students in Khatima and nearby rural areas, bridging the education gap for aspirants preparing for high-level examinations.
In addition to this, the Chief Minister also highlighted the state government’s broader efforts to strengthen Uttarakhand’s education ecosystem:
Introduction of cutting-edge courses such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data in state universities and research institutes under NEP-2020.
Development of Science City and Astro Park projects to promote scientific research.
Establishment of nine new colleges to expand higher education infrastructure.
Implementation of the Mukhyamantri Shodh Protsahan Yojana, offering research grants of up to ₹18 lakh to university and college professors.
Provision of incentive awards for outstanding research publications.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Higher Education Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, Union Minister & MP Ajay Bhatt, Municipal Council President Ramesh Chand Joshi, Minister of State Dr. Anil Kapoor Dabboo, Secretary Higher Education Dr. Ranjit Kumar Sinha, Director Higher Education Dr. B. N. Khali, Director IIT Kanpur Maninder Agarwal, District Magistrate Nitin Singh Bhadauria, SSP Manikant Mishra, College Principal Dr. Pankaj Kumar, along with several public representatives, teachers, and students.
