Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday felicitated three girl students who bagged the top three positions in the PSEB Class 12 results. Mann hailed Supneet Kaur from Mansa, and Suhani Chauhan and Divyanshi from Ludhiana, who scored a perfect 500 out of 500. The chief minister presented each student with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 in recognition of their 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 added, “All the toppers belong to humble backgrounds and want to excel in life through hard work and dedication. The Punjab government will extend full support and cooperation to them in achieving their dreams.” Highlighting the continued outstanding performance of girls in academics, Mann said, “It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for all of us that with the spread of education in society, girls have outshone boys not only in academics but in every field.” “Time has proved that girls are not inferior to boys in any context and by excelling in academics, they have shown that there is no match for their wisdom, skills and expertise,” he added. Describing 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 around 2.65 lakh students had appeared in the examinations, of which approximately 2.42 lakh students passed, taking the overall pass percentage to nearly 91.46 per cent. “The pass percentage of girl students has been 94.73 per cent, while that of boys is 88.52 per cent,” he said, adding that Amritsar registered the highest pass percentage in the state at 96 per cent. Mann also noted that Patiala district recorded the highest number of merit holders, with 59 students making it to the list. Continuing the trend of previous years, girls have once again outshone boys in the results. Out of the total 278 students, 217 are girls, while 61 are boys. As many as 122 students from government schools have secured positions 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 per cent results in these examinations,” Mann said. During the interaction, one of the toppers expressed her desire to join the Indian Air Force as a pilot. Encouraging her, Mann said, “Girls aspiring to join the armed forces should enrol in the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls at SAS Nagar, Mohali.”