Chandigarh, June 18 -- With the Punjab government and the Centre finally signing the long-pending agreement for the existing Sainik School in Kapurthala, the path has now been cleared for setting up a second Sainik School in a border district of the state. The state had proposed a new school in Dalla Gorian village of Gurdaspur district nearly 15 years ago, but the plan remained in limbo due to a stalemate between the Union ministry of defence and the Punjab government over the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for Sainik School, Kapurthala. The defence ministry had made this agreement a prerequisite for approving any new schools in the state. Officials familiar with the matter said the agreement between the state government and the Sainik Schools Society under the ministry of defence was signed in March this year, outlining their roles, responsibilities, and financial commitments in establishing and running such schools. The announcement regarding the signing of the agreement, which had been pending since 2006, was made by Punjab's defence services welfare minister Mohinder Bhagat on May 27. As per the agreement, the state government will now provide financial assistance of approximately Rs.6 crore for staff salaries, pensions, NPS contributions, etc. So far, the funds were being given by the Centre as a special grant. "The signing of this agreement has paved the way for the new school in the Majha region. We have already taken up this matter with higher authorities," said one of the officials quoted above. The Sainik School in Gurdaspur was proposed by the Punjab government in December 2009, which also identified a 40-acre plot of land for its establishment. In June 2017, the central ministry conducted a site survey and found the area suitable for opening the school with a student strength of 250. "There was no progress for years thereafter, as the plan got stalled over the agreement for the school in Kapurthala. However, we are hopeful now," said the official, who did not wish to be named. The Kapurthala Sainik School was established in 1961 as a feeder institution for the armed forces. The school has been a source of pride for the state government, with an impressive list of alumni. During the previous government, Manpreet Singh Badal, the then finance minister, had met Union defence minister Rajnath Singh in 2021 and requested him to approve a school in Bathinda as well along with the one already proposed in Gurdaspur by the state government. At present, there are 33 Sainik Schools managed by the Sainik Schools Society, the nodal organisation for establishing and managing these schools across the country, with eight states having two or more of these prestigious institutions. The central government has also decided to set up 100 new Sainik Schools across the country in partnership mode with NGOs, state government schools, trusts and private schools....