bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday approved 12 key proposals, including the landmark new scheme ‘Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education’, which aims to ensure free education for students from kindergarten (KG) to postgraduate (PG) level. The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting held at Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.After the Cabinet meeting, CM Majhi described the new ‘Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education’ scheme as a landmark decision and emphasized that under this new scheme, the state government has sanctioned free education for all students in Odisha from Kindergarten (KG) to Post Graduate (PG) level.Maghi said, “I announced this initiative earlier and today the Cabinet has formally approved it. This historic decision will ensure that no student in Odisha is deprived of education or has his studies discontinued due to financial hardship. This is a historic step towards making quality education more accessible, equitable and affordable for students across the state.”The Chief Minister emphasized that students studying regular courses in government and government-aided educational institutions under the School and Mass Education (S&ME) and Higher Education sectors will get complete exemption from admission and registration fees.He announced that the new scheme will be implemented from the academic year 2026-27 and will cover students from grades nine to 12 in public and government-aided schools, as well as students pursuing regular undergraduate and postgraduate courses in state public universities, government colleges and government-aided colleges.Magee said the program’s benefits only apply to students enrolled in regular courses.The chief minister said that as education from kindergarten to class eight is already free in Odisha, this measure fulfills the state government’s vision of providing free education from kindergarten to primary school.“The initiative is expected to increase enrollment by easing the financial burden on families, especially those who are economically weak and socially disadvantaged. Enrollment in schools and colleges will increase, reducing dropout rates and enabling more students to pursue higher education without any barriers,” the CM added.This scheme does not cover self-financing courses or institutions, private unfunded institutions, institutions and courses operating under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, or professional and technical courses.The Odisha cabinet approved an estimated expenditure of Rs 895.57 crore in the first year and Rs 5,467.55 crore in five years to implement the plan. Majhi described it as one of the government’s largest investments in education and said it would benefit more than 3.2 million students every year.“Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education” is more than just a tuition fee remission scheme. This is an important step towards ensuring that every child and youth in Odisha has equal access to education regardless of their economic background. This initiative will empower every family through education and is a testament to the state government’s strong commitment to the vision of ‘Samruddha Odisha’ based on knowledge, opportunity and holistic development. CM Majhi said.
