BAHAWALPUR: The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has announced launching the `Education Voucher Scheme` (EVS) for providing (on a partnership basis) free-of-cost education up to secondary level across the province to the dropout children of poor and deserving families of katchi abadis and backward areas.

It is learnt the EVS will be introduced in the selected union councils of 10 districts -Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Muzaff argarh, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Mianwali, Pakpattan, Sargodha and Sheikhupura.

Under the scheme, the out-of-school children (who never attended the school), from the age of six to 16 years and those who left schools, will be covered.

The PEF will pay students of the selected schools at the rate of Rs450 per child for primary section, Rs500 per for elementary and Rs600 for secondary section.

In Bahawalpur district, the seven UCs selected for the purpose will be Goth Mehrab and Jalalabad in Saddar tehsil, Islami Colony UC No 14 in city tehsil, Bakkhtiari UC andHatheji in Ahmedpur East tehsil, Jhandhani in Khairpur Tamewali tehsil and UC107 in Yazman tehsil.

The PEF has invited applications from individuals and NGOs, who may be involved in the social sector and running of community-based institutions including schools.

These individuals or NGOs could neither demand nor recover any amount from the children seeking admission in such schools.

VACCINATION DRIVE: The livestock department haslaunched a10-dayvaccination drive to prevent pet animals and birds from the epidemics.

MPA Kazim Ali Peerzada inaugurated the drive by vaccinating horses at Khairpur Tamewall the other day.

About 300 cattle were vaccinated on the opening day.

RALLY: The JUI staged a rally after Friday prayers from Masjid Al-Sadig to Bazaar Chowk to condemn the blasphemous caricatures by the French cartoonist.

The protesters raised slogans against the French government. Speakers Maulana Mazhar Asadi and others urged the government to take up the issue with the French government and the United Nations.