Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has approved the proposal to provide free textbooks to Class-IX and X students of government and government-aided Secondary schools (other than SC & ST) under the ‘Supply of Free Textbooks’ scheme.
The decision was taken during a State Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhawan here.
The scheme will be implemented for a period of five years from 2025-26 to 2029-30, with a total estimated outlay of Rs 284.07 crore. The scheme will benefit around 28.7 lakh students.
The objective of the scheme is to ensure equitable access to quality education, reduce financial burden on economically weaker families, improve enrolment in government schools, reduce dropout rate and facilitate higher transition from elementary to secondary education.
According to a Cabinet note, the procurement of paper, printing, transportation and distribution of textbooks will be undertaken through a transparent, competitive and economical procurement process in conformity with OGFR and applicable procurement guidelines.
The School & Mass Education Department will establish a robust mechanism for collection, verification and validation of beneficiary data from field level verification, and will ensure that textbooks are printed and supplied to all schools well before commencement of each academic session.
In the 48th meeting of the State Cabinet, 16 proposals from 11 departments were discussed and approved. These included 2 proposals from Fisheries & Animal Resources Development Department, 1 each from Industries, Skill Development & Technical Education, Finance, Electronics & IT, Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Housing & Urban Development, and Revenue & Disaster Management Departments, 3 each from Water Resources and School & Mass Education Departments, and 1 proposal regarding the prorogation of the 7th Session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly (Parliamentary Affairs Department).