OP Choudhary lays foundation stone for Rs 75 lakh school building in Raigarh

Raigarh, October 15: Chhattisgarh Finance Minister and Raigarh MLA OP Choudhary on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a new school building at Government Higher Secondary School, Rambhantha, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 75 lakh. He also felicitated meritorious students at a programme organised on the occasion.

In a special gesture, Choudhary entrusted the foundation-laying ceremony to Suman, the school’s student leader, and encouraged the student to aspire to achieve greater heights and lead development initiatives in the future.

Addressing the students, the Finance Minister highlighted the transformative power of education, citing his own life journey from a small village to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and subsequently to the office of Finance Minister.

Born in Bayang village, around 17 km from Raigarh, Choudhary said he lost his father when he was just eight years old. Despite difficult circumstances and limited educational opportunities in his family, education enabled him to overcome challenges and achieve his goals. He urged students to remain dedicated to their studies, dream big and work hard to realise their aspirations.

He said the Rambhantha school was upgraded from a high school to a higher secondary school in 2025, extending educational facilities from Class X to Class XII. The new building will strengthen the school’s infrastructure and provide students from Rambhantha and neighbouring areas with a better learning environment.

Choudhary said the State Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, was working to improve the quality of education and strengthen educational infrastructure across Chhattisgarh.

Emphasising the role of teachers, he said they played a vital role in shaping students’ character and building the future of society and the nation. Meritorious students were felicitated during the programme.

Raigarh Municipal Corporation Mayor Jeevardhan Chauhan, District Panchayat president Shikha Ravindra Gabel, Collector Mayank Chaturvedi, Municipal Corporation chairman Digrilal Sahu, school in-charge principal Narendra Patel, teachers, students and local representatives attended the programme.