98% Increase In High Schools Under ST&SC Dev Dept In Last 2 Decades

Bhubaneswar: There has been a 98% increase in the number of High Schools under the ST&SC Development Department in Odisha in the last 20 years.

This was revealed during a review of the achievements of the ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare (SSD & MBCW) Department by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the  Loka Seva Bhawan here today.

Here are the achievements of the SSD & MBCW Department at a glance as revealed during the review

EDUCATION

1. More than 6 lakh students from 2 lakh households are studying in 1735 schools functioning under the department.
2. In the last 20 years, no. of High Schools under the ST&SC Dev Dept has increased to 422 from 215. Similarly, 62 Higher Secondary Schools have been opened for providing Higher Secondary Education.
3. In 17 micro projects areas with PVTG communities, 17 dedicated educational institutions from class I-X are functioning from year 2007-08.
4. Anwesha programme started in 2015-16 with the objective of providing English Medium Education to ST&SC students in CBSE & ICSE syllabus by admitting them to different English Medium Public Schools in urban areas or areas adjacent to urban local bodies. Currently, 80 such hostels are operational and cater to close to 22,000 students. This year, 1500 more students will join the Anwesha scheme.
5. There are 10 Kalinga Model Residential Schools operating since 2019 for providing residential English medium education in CBSE syllabus (VI-XII) for the ST&SC children in Tribal Sub Plan areas.
6. One Biju Pattnaik Adarsh Vidyalaya has been established in Berhampur in the year 2018-19 for providing residential English medium education in CBSE syllabus (VI-XII @120 students per class).
7. To promote girl child education and reduce dropouts, the department has dedicated KBK hostels and 188 exclusive Girls High Schools.
8. These hostel students are provided with Free Textbooks, Uniforms and Meals. To take care of the Holistic Nutritional Development of the students, an additional Rs 1000 per child per annum has been provisioned.
9. “Parents as Partners”a new and unique initiative ensures 4 lakh parents to be stakeholder in education systems.
10. For promotion of sports and games in the schools a provision of Rs 10 Crores has been made.
11. To promote critical thinking in students 1405 Reading Corners and 500 Smart classrooms have been set up across schools.
12. Further all 422 High schools are equipped with ICT For children in Primary schools Tabs have been provided to make learning from engaging and fun.
13. Smart classrooms and all 5T facilities are going to be provided to all the high schools under the department along with Standard-VIII
14. As many as 8 Akankhya hostels have been established in the state for providing free lodging to ST&SC students perusing post matric education.
15. Mukhya Mantri Medhabi Chhatra Protsahan YojanaFinancial provisions financial assistance to meritorious ST & SC Students for higher education in national importance / premier state institutions. Free coaching for medical and engineering aspirants under this scheme.
16. As many as 5 lakhs ST&SC boarder students are provided with Rs 550 crores of pre matric scholarship annually.
17. For OBCs and minorities 100+23 dedicated hostels are on different stages of construction.
18. The department has a Multi Lingual Education (MLE) policy under which content has been prepared in 21 Bilingual and Trilingual languages for different classes. This is supported by language and curriculum-based trainings for the teachers.

LIVELIHOOD

• MMJJM (Mukhya Mantri JanajatiJeevika Yojana) is a state scheme for livelihood at household level intervention for three-years from 2022-23 to 2025-26 with budget of Rs 500cr. The scheme primarily focuses on tribal-dominated 119 blocks covering 931 GPs with provisions for critical input support to beneficiaries.
• OTELP:-It’s a community model approach, focusing on the 30 most backward blocks in Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, and Rayagada to enhance livelihoods and food security of impoverished tribal households through sustainable utilization of their natural resources and the development of off-farm/non-farm enterprises.
• OPELIP– It is a community model approach aimed to improve the living conditions and alleviate poverty among the targeted households belonging to PVTGs. The program has directly benefited over 51,000 households belonging to PVTGs.
• Mission Jeevika program started in 2019-20, aims to promote the livelihoods of tribal farmers through a cluster-based approach focusing on farm activities. It is benefiting approximately 4 lakh households.
• Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Limited The purpose was to facilitate the marketing of tribal produces and ensure fair and remunerative prices for the primary producers and collectors. TDCCOL achieves this by selling these products through its exclusive outlets called “Tribal World” located strategically. The products sold, including Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and Surplus Agricultural Produce (SAP), are marketed under the brand name “ÄDISHA.”

CULTURE

• SDC

Special Development Councils (SDCs) are formed under the Chairmanship of an eminent tribal person of the locality to focus on promotion, protection and preservation of the tribal culture and traditions, heritage and identity by involving tribal people.

2023. SDC started in 2017 covering over 60 lakh people in 117 blocks in 9 districts with more than 45% ST population. The number of districts was increased to 23 and blocks to 172 covering more than 84 lakh ST people in 2023.
2024. An amount of Rs 223.5 Crore has been budgeted for 23 SDCs for the year 2023-24 for 62 Tribal Groups including 13 PVTGs.
2025. SDCs achievements:

• Sacred Groves: 4731 in 9 districts completed
• Tribal Cultural Clubs:1609 set up
• Weekly Hats: 828 identified for improvement, (794) completed.
• Musical Instruments: 1870troupes benefited
• Dance Troupes: 1057troupes identified & empaneled, provided costumes
• Exposure Visits: About 10605tribal delegates availed exposure visits
• Artisan I-Card: I-Cards issued to 36309tribal artisans
• Sport Kits: Around 3019 Tribal Youth Clubs identified, 2249 clubs provided with sports kits
• Tribal Museum: Land has been identified for construction of Tribal Museum in 8 SDC districts (except Rayagada) and boundary wall construction has been completed in 6 districts.
• Tribal Resource Centres: 51 TRC constructed in Sundargarh district.

1. As we move on:

• Artisan Kits: More than 36,000 kits are to be distributed.
• Dance Costumes & Musical Instruments: 1872 troupes to be provided with dance costumes and musical instruments.
• Assistance to Cultural Clubs: 600 clubs to get assistance.
• Land Records and Record of Rights for places of Cultural and Religious Importance for more than 1000 cases.
• Identification of more than 6000 Tribal Influencers for capacity building
• Livelihood & Culture Infrastructure: Over 6000 interventions to be done
• Sports & Cultural Festivals: 516 festivals are to held in the new and old SDC Blocks across the State.
• ATLC

The ATLC plays a crucial role in safeguarding tribal languages, cultures, and identities, while also creating opportunities for their development and recognition in Odisha. It has several over 200 publications, more than 100 workshops, seminars and research & training programmes to fulfil its mission:

• SCSTRTI

It is a research and training organization established by the Government of Odisha with the objective of conducting research, providing training, and implementing various developmental programs for the welfare and upliftment of SC & ST communities in the state.

• STATE /DISTRICT/ BLOCK Level Festivals
• Adivasi Mela: An annual showcase of tribal culture, heritage and indigenous products in Bhubaneswar.
• SARAGIFUL: A state-level annual students’ festival to discover the latent talents of students studying in schools under the department.
• State-level Tribal Painting and Craft Competition: A competition to celebrate the artistic traditions and cultural heritage of tribal communities.
• Janajatiya Gourav Divas: Celebrated on November 15, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda to honour all the brave tribal freedom fighters for their contributions to the Indian Freedom Struggle.

ACCESS TO RESOURCES

FRA

Mo Jungle Jami Yojana ensures FRA rights recognition process, record correction of all titles and coverage of all title holders under different schemes of the government etc.

MFP

Under the Minor Forest Produce, 13 MFPs are procured by the department through TDCCOL. Close to Rs 95 crore worth have been purchased. It has benefited more than 1 lakh households.