Bhubaneswar, Jul 9: The Odisha government has intensified efforts to strengthen primary education by fast-tracking the implementation of the Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalaya (Model Primary School) project, which has been identified as one of the flagship initiatives of the new government. A high-level review meeting was held at Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar to assess the progress of the ambitious programme.

The state government has allocated more than Rs 2,200 crore for the project in the current financial year, a significant increase from the initial budgetary provision of Rs 50 crore. The enhanced allocation is aimed at accelerating the establishment of modern primary schools across Odisha.

During the review meeting, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed dissatisfaction over delays in identifying land for the construction of the schools. He observed that while coastal districts may face challenges in securing suitable land, such difficulties should not exist in most other districts. The Chief Minister stressed that each mega campus requires five acres of land, with special emphasis on developing Greenfield campuses within panchayats.

He further clarified that in cases where existing schools have less than five acres of land, adjoining government or private land may be acquired to meet the requirement. The move is intended to ensure that infrastructure standards are maintained across all model schools.

The Chief Minister urged district collectors to take personal responsibility for the successful implementation of the project, stating that their commitment and active coordination are crucial to achieving the targets. He said that if the administration works with urgency and seriousness, the construction of 2,200 schools can be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

The state has set an ambitious target of establishing nearly 7,000 Model Primary Schools across Odisha. As part of the first phase, the government has fixed March 2027 as the deadline for completing the construction of 2,200 schools.

To ensure regular monitoring, district collectors have been directed to review the project's progress every week and submit weekly reports to the Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department. The Chief Minister also announced that he would personally review the project's progress every month. He instructed district administrations to seek assistance from local MLAs wherever required to resolve land-related issues.

The review meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner D.K. Singh, School and Mass Education Secretary N. Thirumala, and OSEPA Director Ananya Das, along with other senior officials.