Study and inspire others to do so: Naveen

Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik advised the children to study hard and inspire others in villages to study.

He said this while inaugurating the three-day long ‘Sargiful’ festival here at the Tribal Exhibition Ground here on Wednesday.

Students from across the state are participating in this festival.

“Over six lakh children have been staying in SC and ST hostels, provided by the state government  to pursue their studies. Odisha is the only state in our country which provides maximum reservation facilities to SC and ST students from the state’s own resources. The State Government has also facilitated free schooling in the best private English medium schools for 20,000 SC and ST students,” said the Chief Minister.

The state government has also implemented ‘Akanksha’ programme for higher education of the SC and ST students and providing Rs 1,100 crore for pre and post-matric scholarships to over 19 lakh students.

“A total of 102 hostels for OBC and SEBC students and 40 hostels for minority students have been constructed,” informed the Chief Minister.

Sargiful festival is being organised to provide a platform to SC and ST students to showcase their hidden skills.

There are 4,300 residential schools and 6,300 hostels for the SC and ST students in Odisha.

The chief Minister also laid foundation stone of ‘Janajati Haat’ (Tribal Haat) at the Adivasi Padia.