TNI Bureau: The Odisha Cabinet approved “Gyanodaya – Shiksharu Samruddhi”, a landmark scheme that will provide free education from Kindergarten (KG) to Postgraduate (PG) level in government and government-aided institutions across the state.

Announcing the decision after the 43rd Cabinet meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the scheme will come into effect from the 2026-27 academic session and ensure that no student is deprived of education due to financial constraints.

Under the scheme, eligible students enrolled in regular courses in government and government-aided schools, colleges and universities will receive a complete waiver of admission fees. Students from Classes IX to XII, as well as those pursuing regular undergraduate and postgraduate courses in government and aided higher educational institutions, will be covered.

Since education from KG to Class VIII is already free in Odisha, the new initiative fulfills the government’s promise of providing free education from KG to PG.

The Cabinet has approved an expenditure of ₹895.57 crore for the first year and an estimated ₹5,467.55 crore over five years for the scheme. More than 32 lakh students are expected to benefit annually.

The government said the initiative will reduce the financial burden on families, improve enrolment and attendance, lower dropout rates and help more students continue higher education. However, self-financing courses and institutions, private unaided institutions, PPP-mode institutions and professional and technical programmes have been kept outside the scheme’s ambit.

The state government said the programme aligns with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Odisha Vision 2036 and Odisha Vision 2047, and aims to make quality education more accessible and equitable for all students.