Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced that free textbooks will now be provided to students of Class IX and X in Odisha, expanding the state’s education welfare measures.
Addressing the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister said the government has been working for the last two years with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’ to build a “Samruddha Odisha” and “Vikasit Odisha”.
“For the past two years, with the immense compassion of Lord Jagannath and the blessings of four and a half crore people, our government has been working with a dedicated attitude,” Majhi said.
Highlighting the state’s demographic, he noted that about 25 percent of Odisha’s population belongs to tribal communities, 16 percent to Scheduled Castes, 50 percent are women, and around 60 percent are farmers, fishermen and livestock keepers.
“Without the all-round development of these communities, a Samruddha Odisha will remain just a dream,” he said.
On basic infrastructure, the CM admitted that even after eight decades of independence, not all villages have roads, electricity and drinking water. To address this, he announced the ‘Mission Power’ scheme, aimed at providing these basic amenities to all villages by the end of 2027.Focus on Education and Health
Calling education and healthcare the biggest aspirations of the common man, Majhi said Odisha is the first state in the country to make ‘KG to PG’ education completely free. “Education from nursery to postgraduate level has been made completely free in all government schools, colleges, universities and government-aided institutions,” he said.
He said 2,200 ‘Godavarish Mishra Adarsh Primary Schools’ will be set up in the first phase. To strengthen primary education, 26,000 teachers have been appointed in the last two years and the process to appoint 45,000 more teachers has begun.The CM also announced that mid-day meals have been introduced for Class IX and X students for the first time in the state.
“Earlier, free textbooks were provided in schools up to class VIII. Today, on this auspicious occasion, I am announcing that free textbooks will also be provided to Class IX and X students,” he said. To expand higher education, 18 new government colleges and 4 new universities will be established in remote districts.
In healthcare, Majhi said the joint implementation of Ayushman Bharat and Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana has made treatment in reputed private hospitals a reality for 3.7 crore people, or 80 percent of the state’s population.
He added that steps are being taken to set up medical colleges in Jajpur, Talcher and Kandhamal, along with 4 new modern medical colleges and 7 nursing colleges. Three new Ayurvedic and 2 homeopathic medical colleges will also be opened. Health infrastructure is being strengthened from primary health centers to the district level, he said.
