Kataka: The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, has announced that the National Rural Talent Scholarship (NRTS) Examination 2026 will be held on September 22 and invited online applications from eligible Class IX students studying in recognised schools across the state.
The application process, which began on August 11, will remain open until August 20.
According to a notification issued by the Board on Wednesday, the scholarship examination aims to identify and encourage academically meritorious students from rural areas and provide them with financial assistance to continue their secondary education.
Students enrolled in Class IX during the 2026-27 academic session are eligible to apply. However, the Board has clarified that applications will be accepted only through the Headmaster or Headmistress of recognised high schools. Schools are required to complete the online registration process through the official BSE Odisha website, where detailed guidelines for submitting applications have also been uploaded.
Each candidate has to pay an application fee of Rs 100, as per the payment procedure prescribed by the Board.
The admit cards will be available for download from September 17, and candidates have been advised to verify all particulars before appearing for the examination.
The NRTS examination will be conducted from 10 am to 12 noon at designated centres across Odisha on September 22. It will comprise a single composite paper with four sections covering MIL, Mathematics, General Science and Social Science. The question paper will be based on the Class VIII syllabus, with each section carrying 25 marks, taking the total to 100 marks.
All questions will be of the multiple-choice type, and candidates will be required to record their responses on an OMR answer sheet by darkening the correct option from the four choices provided.
Students selected under the scholarship scheme will receive Rs 250 per month for 24 months, subject to satisfactory academic performance while pursuing their studies in Classes IX and X.
The scholarship programme is one of BSE Odisha’s key initiatives to recognise talented students from rural backgrounds and support them in continuing their education.
