Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced a major education reform under which students will receive free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level in all government schools and colleges across the state.
Describing the initiative as a transformative step for the state’s future, Majhi said the policy aims to make education accessible to every child regardless of economic background. He expressed confidence that Odisha could become the first state in India to implement such a comprehensive free education programme spanning all levels of learning.
The chief minister emphasized that while making education free is important, ensuring quality education remains the government’s primary challenge. However, officials have not yet disclosed the financial implications of the ambitious scheme.
Highlighting the government’s education agenda, Majhi said Odisha has already adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and launched the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Primary School project. Under the first phase of the initiative, 2,200 model schools are planned across panchayats, with foundation stones already laid for 322 institutions.
To strengthen the education system, the state will recruit an additional 45,000 teachers over the next three years, supplementing the 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff already appointed.
The chief minister also announced the launch of the Chief Minister Annapurna Yojana, under which beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will receive an additional 5 kilograms of rice every month free of cost. This will increase the monthly entitlement to 10 kilograms per beneficiary and is expected to benefit 3.28 crore people, covering nearly 80 percent of Odisha’s population. The scheme will involve an annual expenditure of ₹8,813 crore.
Reviewing his government’s performance over the past two years, Majhi said 121 welfare and development schemes have been implemented across the state. Under the Subhadra Yojana, financial assistance exceeding ₹20,600 crore has been distributed to more than one crore women between the ages of 21 and 60.
He further stated that over four lakh self-help groups have received bank credit worth ₹38,795 crore, while 23.5 lakh women have achieved the status of “Lakhpati Didi” through income-generation initiatives.
On governance and security, Majhi claimed Odisha has become free from Maoist violence and highlighted significant improvements in law enforcement. According to him, the conviction rate in crimes against women has risen sharply, while the overall conviction rate in the state has increased to 87.6 percent following the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He added that more than 21,000 new police positions have been created to strengthen the state’s policing and criminal justice system. The announcements were made during an event in Bhubaneswar marking key achievements of the Odisha government over the last two years.
