Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced that education will be provided free of cost from LKG (kindergarten) up to postgraduate degrees in all government schools and colleges across the state.
Speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar after the BJP government completed two years in office, the Chief Minister said the move is aimed at ensuring access to education for all sections, with particular benefit for economically disadvantaged students.
Majhi said Odisha has become the first state in the country to make education fully free across these levels. He added that the decision would strengthen the foundation of the state’s youth and contribute to long-term development.
He also highlighted steps taken by his government in the education sector, including implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and the launch of the ‘Godavarish Mishra Adarsh’ initiative to upgrade government schools in every gram panchayat.
According to the Chief Minister, the state has recruited 26,615 teaching and non-teaching staff in the past two years and plans to appoint 45,000 more teachers over the next three years. He said 18 new government colleges have been opened in rural areas, and four new universities are planned, with the goal of making Odisha a higher-education hub in eastern India.
