Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today termed illiteracy as shame and asked each and every village to remove the blot of illiteracy from the state. Modi said: “for me, this girl child school enrollment campaign is not an occasion of joy, but it is a painful event.”

Speaking at various functions on the second day of the annual school enrollment drive in coastal villages of Vadhera, Mitiyana and Babarkot of Jafrabad taluka in Amreli district, Modi said it is the responsibility of social leaders, educated youth, teachers and even women to encourage children to enroll children in the primary schools.

He said that schools were set up in the past, too, but was not backed by campaigns to ensure children go to schools. He wished the ‘shala praveshotsva’ and ‘kanya kelavni’ campaigns launched seven years ago by his government would bear fruit. A number of schemes like vidya lakshmi bond have been launched to get more children and especially girl child enrolled. He regretted that there was criticism of even noble works like this.

He cited the example of Vadhera village where a school was constructed on this day 127 years ago, on June 18, 1884, but 65 per cent of the village is illiterate.

Mr. Modi said that thousands of crores have been spent on education in the past 50 years, with little gain. Now that the government is opening schools, appointing teachers and providing basic facilities like classrooms, it is the society’s responsibility to ensure children go to the schools.

Next to education is providing jobs for which he said the government is conscious of industrial development through ‘sagarkhedu vikas’ package. The government is also conscious about the health of the people, providing fortified foods to the needy.

Those who attended the functions included Mr. Hirabhai Solanki, MLA, taluka panchayat president Bhuagubhai Solanki, collector Mr. Sompura, and village sarpanchs.

Mr. Modi will be visiting tribal Ghoghamba taluka’s Paroli, Farod and Lalpuri villages for school enrollment campaign tomorrow.