Shimla, Aug. 9 -- Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu handed over appointment letters to 312 newly selected drawing teachers posted in various schools of the state at a formal ceremony held in Shimla on Friday. On the occasion, he also gave a send-off to a group of five students from government schools who were embarking on an educational tour to Japan. These students would visit various academic institutions and historical sites across Japan. During the event, the CM launched several educational initiatives including the student-centric news platform edsk Express, Baseline School Ranking Accreditation Report, Geo-tagged and Geo-fenced Smart 'Upsthiti' (attendance monitoring system) and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra. Sukhu claimed that the previous BJP government had opened educational institutions in June 2022 without any staff or teacher requirement, just for political gains. "Our government brought reforms that led to Himachal jumping from 21st to 3rd position in overall education ranking. We merged the two directorates to create one Directorate of School Education. We introduced English-medium teaching from Class 1, rationalised schools, and started new model boarding schools," he said. Speaking to media on the sidelines of the event, On the leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur's allegation that a deal was struck to reintroduce lottery in Himachal, Sukhu challenged Thakur to prove the allegations and name the persons involved. "If he has any proof, let him name the person or entity with whom the deal was made. Lotteries exist in Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Kerala even BJP-ruled states. Ours will be online only. If someone doesn't want to play, they don't have to. What's the problem?" he said. Jai Ram has earlier slammed the state government for restarting the lottery in the state. The CM announced that robotic surgeries will now be available for Himcare card holders. "The Himcare card will be issued four times a year in July, October, December, and March. Emergency Himcare cards can be issued at all medical colleges by principals or medical superintendents, who have the power to issue up to 100 cards," he said. Reaffirming the government's stand on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), the CM said, "There was pressure to revert to the UPS, but we would not step back from OPS. We did not bring it back for political gains, but to ensure a dignified life for government employees post-retirement."...