Lucknow, Oct 15 (IANS): The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to double the number of Sainik schools in the state.

According to a release, the chief minister said, "By increasing the participation of private schools in opening Sainik Schools after the approval of the Centre, the number of Sainik Schools in UP will increase significantly. This will make the path of admission easier."

The Central government has decided to affiliate 100 government schools, private schools, and NGOs with Sainik Schools Society, Ministry of Defence, from the 2022-23 academic year.

These schools will be different from the existing Sainik schools and will focus on providing cost-effective ways to the larger populations across the country. This initiative has been taken under the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP).

Currently, the Sainik School Society is running three schools in the state while Captain Manoj Pandey Sainik School is under the state government.

After the decision of the Centre, the number of Sainik Schools will increase in UP. This will ease up the admission process and a large number of students can enrol themselves.

There are around 33 Sainik Schools that are run by the Ministry of Defence all over the country.

Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of Sainik Schools as compared to other states. Three Sainik Schools are being run by the Defence Ministry in the state -- Amethi, Jhansi, and Mainpuri, while a Sainik School is proposed to be constructed in Baghpat.

The construction work of a Sainik School in Gorakhpur has started, for which the government has also passed a budget of Rs 90 crore. These schools are affiliated with the CBSE.

A government spokesman said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sent a proposal to the Centre to set up a Sainik School in every division.

For those girls who are dreaming of joining the army, the Uttar Pradesh government has passed a proposal in the Budget to develop Captain Manoj Pandey Sainik School Sarojini Nagar and double its capacity. The state government is constructing a hostel with a capacity of 150 for girl cadets.