The Odisha Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved an outlay of Rs 12,000 crore to establish 2,200 primary schools under the Godabarish Adarsha Vidyalaya (GAV) scheme over three years from 2025 to 2028.
CM Majhi said the state Cabinet also approved proposals for the beautification of the Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon in Keonjhar district at a cost of Rs 226 crore.
The chief minister, briefing the media about the cabinet meeting, informed at least one model primary school will be developed at each Gram Panchayat (GP) under the GAV scheme.
Majhi criticized the previous BJD administration, alleging the primary education system collapsed during their 24-year rule, with only painting the broken walls of the schools in the name of 5T transformation (a governance model of BJD government that focussed on Teamwork, Transparency, Technology, Time, and Transformation).
The GAV scheme, named after poet Godabarish Mishra, is intended to be a transformative step toward building an inclusive and quality education ecosystem.
To strengthen the primary education system in the state, the government has approved the GAV scheme, CM Majhi stated.
The chief minister 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,.
This initiative is also in line with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 and the vision of NIPUN Odisha.
At least 2,200 model schools will be constructed between 2025-26 and 2027-28 in the first phase at an estimated cost of Rs 12,000 crore. Though approximately Rs 5 crore will be allocated per school, the final cost will be based on the Detailed Project Report (DPR), the CM added.
The Cabinet also approved Rs 226 crore for the beautification and peripheral development of the Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon in Keonjhar district.
The work will cover an area of 59.206 acres and is targeted for completion within 24 months.
Rs 80 crore is estimated for land acquisition, and Rs 146 crore will be utilized for developing facilities. These include a 216-bed guest house, a pilgrimage centre, an interpretation centre, a food plaza & watch tower, a market complex, and a Prasad serving room for 500 people, he said.
The CM stated that once the works are completed, the Maa Tarini Temple will be a major religious tourism destination in India.
