Bhubaneswar, September 23: The Odisha Government has released the second instalment of Rs 14.34 crore directly to the eligible higher education institutions under the KG to PG free education scheme, said an official release on Wednesday.
According to the Higher Education Department, under the ‘Gyanodaya’ - Shiksha Ru Samruddhi (KG to PG Free Education) Scheme, the Higher Education Department has released the second instalment amounting to Rs 14.34 crore or 15 per cent of the sanctioned amount directly to the eligible Higher Education Institutions through Student Academic Management System (SAMS) for the academic year 2026-27.
Earlier, the first instalment amounting to Rs 9.56 crore or 10% of the sanctioned, was released to the eligible Higher Education Institutions.
The remaining amount is proposed to be released in instalments of 25%, 25% and 25% during the academic year.
“In the coming days, funds towards the third instalment (25%), fourth instalment (25%) and fifth instalment (25%) will be released to the eligible Higher Education Institutions under the ‘Gyanodaya’ Scheme,” the department said.
Earlier on July 2, the Odisha Cabinet approved the landmark new scheme "Gyanodaya - Prosperity through Education" scheme, aiming to ensure free education for students from Kindergarten (KG) to Postgraduate (PG) level.
The Odisha Cabinet approved an estimated outlay of Rs 895.57 crore for the first year and Rs 5,467.55 crore over five years to implement the scheme.
After Cabinet approved the Gyanodaya scheme in July, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had announced that the scheme would benefit over 32 lakh students annually.
The scheme does not cover self-financing courses or institutions, private unaided institutions, institutions and courses operating under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, or professional and technical programmes.
