Parliament Question: Hostels and residential facilities for SC/ST students in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2930 ANSWERED ON- 18/03/2026 Hostels and residential facilities for SC/ST students in Odisha 2930 Shri Niranjan Bishi: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Ministry proposes to strengthen hostels and residential facilities for SC/ST students in Odisha; and (b) if so, the financial assistance provided? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) & (b): Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools come under the purview of the respective State and UT Government. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, State Government is supported based on annual plans prepared by the State based on their requirements and priority and this is reflected in their respective Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) Proposals which are then appraised and approved by the Project Approval Board (PAB) in the Department of School Education & Literacy in consultation with the State as per the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme, and physical and financial progress of the State for the interventions approved. Major objectives of the scheme include provision of quality education and enhancing learning outcomes of students and bridging social and gender gaps on the principles of equity and access for all. The initiatives which include various hostel facilities like Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, PM JANMAN, DAJGUA, EMRS etc. are intended to strengthen residential infrastructure for students from Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGS), reduced barriers to education to create an enabling learning environment for children from remote and disadvantaged communities including SC/ST students. The Status of residential hostels in the state of Odisha is as under:Rs. In crores S.No Hostel Approved Functional Amount approved during 2025-26 1 Kasturba Gandhi Balika 355 324 230.45 Vidyalayas (KGBVs), 2 Netaji Subhash Chandra 25 21 17.17 Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas 3 Pradhan Mantri Janjati 76 In progress 72.93 Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM- JANMAN) 4 Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram 40 85.79 Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA- JGUA), 5 Eklavya Model Residential 111 47 608.95 Schools (EMRS) (Amount released) Further, the State Govt. of Odisha has also informed that 5,967 hostels are run by SC & ST Development Deptt, Odisha in which 5,51,869 boarders are benefitted. ****