Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on June 12 that education from kindergarten to postgraduate level in all government institutions in Odisha will be free. He also unveiled the Chief Minister Annapurna Yojana to provide extra free rice to food security beneficiaries.
The announcement came during a press conference marking two years of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state. Mr. Majhi stated, “Our government is committed to making education truly free and universal. Therefore, I announce that education from KG to PG level will be completely free of cost.”
The education measure is expected to help students from economically weaker sections and girls across Odisha. The Chief Minister also noted progress on the National Education Policy 2020 and the establishment of Godabarish Mishra Model Primary Schools, with foundation stones laid for 322 of 2,200 planned schools.
Under the new food scheme, beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act and the State Food Security Scheme will receive an additional 5 kg of rice per month at no cost. This brings the total to 10 kg of free rice monthly for each of the 3.28 crore beneficiaries, covering about 80 per cent of the state’s population at an annual cost of ₹8,813 crore.
Over the past two years, the government has recruited 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff, with plans to hire 45,000 more teachers over the next three years.
