Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan on Thursday honored three girl students who secured top three positions in PSEB Class 12 results. Mann praised Mansa’s Supneet Kaur and Ludhiana’s Suhani Chauhan and Divyanshi, who scored 500 out of 500. The Chief Minister gave a cash award of Rs 50,000 to each student for his exceptional achievement. Interacting with the students, Mann said, “It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that all three toppers are national and state level players, which clearly shows that they are excelling in every field.” He said, “All the toppers are from ordinary backgrounds and want to achieve excellence in life through hard work and dedication. The Punjab government will provide them full support and cooperation in realizing their dreams.” Highlighting the continued excellent performance of girls in education, Mann said, “It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for all of us that with the spread of education in the society, girls have outperformed boys not only in education but in every field.” “Time has proved that girls are not inferior to boys in any context and by excelling in education they have shown that their intelligence, skills and expertise are unmatched,” he said. Terming the achievement as a reflection of true empowerment, Mann said, “This is the real empowerment of girls, which marks a new beginning for their socio-economic resurgence and the stupendous progress of Punjab and the country.” Mann said that around 2.65 lakh students had appeared for the examinations, out of which around 2.42 lakh students passed, taking the total passing percentage to around 91.46 per cent. “The passing percentage of girls has been 94.73 percent, while the passing percentage of boys has been 88.52 percent,” he said, adding that Amritsar recorded the highest pass percentage in the state at 96 percent. Mann also said that Patiala district recorded the highest number of merit holders, with 59 students making it to the list. Continuing the trend of last year, girls have once again defeated boys in the results. Out of total 278 students, 217 are girls, while 61 are boys. 122 students from government schools have secured a place in the merit list, which is more than 50 per cent of the total merit holders. “It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that 416 government schools have recorded 100 percent results in these examinations,” Mann said. During the conversation, one of the toppers expressed his desire to join the Indian Air Force as a pilot. Encouraging her, Mann said, “Girls interested in joining the armed forces should enroll in Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls at SAS Nagar, Mohali.”