Hours after being sworn in as the Himachal Pradesh chief minister, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu visited a shelter for girl students, distributed sweets and said his government would soon come out with a plan to provide assistance to underprivileged students to pursue higher education.

At the Balika Ashram at Tutikandi in Shimla, Sukhu distributed sweets among the students and advised them to set a goal and work hard with commitment to achieve it.

He said his government would ensure that students residing in the ashram get proper facilities.

The state government will soon come out with a comprehensive plan to provide assistance to underprivileged students so that they can pursue higher education of their choice without any hindrance, he said.

He directed officers to ensure proper maintenance of the ashram so that the girls do not face any inconvenience.

He also appreciated the talent of the students residing in the ashram and asked the officers to provide all possible help to them to excel in life and contribute to the development of the nation.

The chief minister announced a reward of Rs 51,000 from his discretionary fund to the students who presented a colourful cultural programme on the occasion.

Four-time Congress MLA Sukhu, 58, was sworn in as the 15th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh at a ceremony here on Sunday.

The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday.