By ANI,Times Now Digital
Copyright timesnownews
The Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore to set up 2,200 primary schools under the Godabarish Adarsha Vidyalaya (GAV) scheme in three years from 2025-26, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said. The state Cabinet meeting, chaired by Majhi, also approved three other proposals including beautification of the Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon in Keonjhar district at a cost of Rs 226 crore. Briefing media persons after the meeting, the chief minister said at least one model primary school will be developed at each Gram Panchayat (GP) under the GAV scheme. Targeting the erstwhile BJD administration, he alleged: The primary education system collapsed during the 24-year rule of the previous government. They had just painted broken walls of the schools in the name of 5T transformation. The 5T Initiative was a governance model of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, that focused on Teamwork, Transparency, Technology, Time, and Transformation. To strengthen the primary education system in the state, the government has approved the GAV scheme, Majhi said. He further said that the objective of the GAV scheme is to establish model schools at the panchayat level with emphasis on inclusive and quality education in line with the objectives of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. While the cost for each school is estimated at around Rs 5 crore, the actual cost will be determined on the basis of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for each school, the CM said. The GAV scheme, named after poet Godabarish Mishra, is a transformative initiative towards building an inclusive and quality education ecosystem in Odisha, further strengthening the state’s commitment to equal educational opportunities and basic empowerment of every child, Majhi added. The chief minister said the Cabinet has also approved Rs 226 crore for beautification and peripheral development of Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon. These works will be undertaken over an area of 59.206 acres and are targeted to be completed within 24 months. It was estimated that Rs 80 crore will be spent on land acquisition, while Rs 146 crore will be utilised for development of various facilities including 216-bed guest house, pilgrimage centre, interpretation centre, food plaza & watch tower, market complex, coconut store and Prasad serving room for 500 people and cloak room, he said.
