Educational tour for Banihal students

BANIHAl: An educational tour from the Khari Area of Banihal was flagged off by the Sector Commander today. The two week tour comprises of 23 students and two teachers who will be visiting Pune, Mumbai and Nasik. 

The tour is being organized by Delta Force of Indian Army’s Rashtriya Rifles.  

The excursion titled `Safar-E-Gulistan’, shall witness the Passing Out Parade of the National Defence Academy. The student will also meet Sayema Tabassum, a class XII student in Abida Inamdar College, Pune who has been placed in the Pune College by Delta Force and belongs to Village Ghat, Dist Doda.

The initiative taken by the Army is to bring children from remote and educationally backward areas to the mainstream by giving them a chance to first hand witness the development in other parts of the country and emphasizing the importance of education. The children hail from the insurgency struck Khari Bowl where the insurgents had called for closure of schools. 

The tourists are slated to witness Haji Ali and Siddivinayak in Mumbai and also witness first hand, the city that never sleeps. A day out on the Juhu Beach has also been planned. The students were eager to see the vast expanses of the sea from Juhu Beach and Gateway of India.  The city of Nasik is also part of the itinerary and they will be hosted by Army Aviation Institute imparting training to pilots. 

Speaking  on the occasion, Abdul Rashid Manhas remarked that he had never travelled beyond Jammu and it was good fortune of the children to undertake the long train journey to Mumbai.  The Khari Bowl, which has constantly been addressed under the Operation Sadbhawna had earlier witnessed a Vocational Training course on Welding being organized by the Rashtriya Rifles. The training had been able to ensure sustenance and livelihood to youth from the area.

While interacting with the media during the flagging off Chairman Nachlana, Ghulam Akbar commended the Rashtriya Rifles and the army for bringing in initiatives which have brought the awaam and jawan together. He opined that he was sanguine that these efforts will help to wipe out the terrorism and ensure completion of the unfinished agenda of restoration of peace in Khari and Banihal.

It is only such well conceived efforts and firm resolve of the Rashtriya Rifles which can usher in the ‘Change; and help sustain development in the region. Rashtriya Rifles, he remarked, is the ubiquitous face of govt in the upper regions of Pir Panjal. The locals whose wards have been taken for the excursion stated that they were fully with the Rashtriya Rifles in their efforts to wipe out terrorism from their soil.