Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's ambitious plan to open large number of 'adarsh' (model) schools across the state has received flak from the opposition Congress party.

The Congress on Wednesday demanded that Badal, instead of wasting nearly Rs.10 billion of public money to fulfill his dream since 1979, should rather concentrate on providing half of that amount to put the 19,000 existing schools in the state in proper shape.

The Congress gave a detailed account of the state's poor school education report card prepared by young legislator from Kapurthala district Sukhpal Khaira.

"Here we have a chief minister who has been harping about 'adarsh' schools since he became chief minister in 1979 and has failed to implement it despite holding the chief minister's office for the fourth time. His idea of having 141 'adarsh' schools now is utopian. It is all talk and no substance," former chief minister and state Congress president Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said on Wednesday.

Bhattal questioned Badal's logic to spend so much of public money on model schools when the nine schools he opened in 1979 had failed to make any impact.

"His government has not provided any report on what happened to those nine schools and the 4,000 students enrolled in them," Bhattal said.

Badal had announced in September this year that his government will open 141 'adarsh' schools across Punjab with private participation.

"The government does not have any priority for improving the status of the existing 19,000 schools at all levels. There is need for 70,000 teachers but schools have only 50,000. The infrastructure is in shambles. He wants to spend Rs.50 million per new school and wants panchayats to give land. The whole project will cost nearly Rs.10 billion," she said.

Bhattal questioned the motive behind the 'adarsh' schools. "I want to know how many politicians send their wards to government schools," she said. IANS