India, Jan. 5 -- More than 1,700 students from Punjab government schools will receive free residential coaching for national-level competitive examinations such as IIT-JEE, NIT and AIIMS under the state government's Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) programme.

According to Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains, a total of 1,728 students have been selected for the Winter Residential Coaching Camps, which will be conducted across three centres-Bathinda, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar (Mohali). The Bathinda centre will accommodate 601 students, Ludhiana 573 and Mohali 554.

The camps are aimed at preparing government school students for entry into premier professional institutions and form part of the Mann government's efforts to ex...