Odisha Govt Waives Hostel Fees for OAV Students

Bhubaneswar: In a major step towards promoting equitable education, the Odisha government has decided to waive hostel fees for students studying in Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAVs) across the state.

The State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved the proposal during a meeting held today. With this move, the government aims to ease the financial burden on rural families and ensure wider access to quality English-medium education at the secondary level.

Odisha currently has 314 OAVs set up in different districts to cater to students from rural and remote areas. Each OAV is equipped with separate hostels for boys and girls. Of the total 628 hostels, 173 are funded under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, while the remaining 455 — comprising 314 boys’ hostels and 141 girls’ hostels — previously required students to pay ₹2,000 per month as hostel fees.

Under the new policy, the state government will bear the hostel expenses for these 455 hostels, benefiting nearly 45,000 students. The initiative is expected to cost ₹349.20 crore over a period of five years, from 2025 to 2030.

Officials said this measure aligns with the government’s vision to strengthen educational infrastructure and remove financial barriers for economically disadvantaged students in rural Odisha.