Bhubaneswar, Feb 29: All traditional kitchens in residential schools and hostels under the ST&SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare department across the state will be converted into LPG ones.
Commissioner-cum-secretary of the department Roopa Roshan Sahoo in a letter on Wednesday directed all the schools, hostels and establishments under it to adopt the eco-friendly campaign and convert the kitchens to LPG-based cooking environment.
As many as 1,736 schools and around 6,000 hostels are functioning under the administrative control of the department, including the hostels under Anwesha and Akankhya programme in which more than 5 lakh ST and SC students have been housed.
The decision has been taken for strengthening the cooking facilities in the institutions while phasing out the conventional methods by LPG so as to ensure a green and healthy alternative in and around the hostel kitchens. During the next two years, all the hostels will have LPG based cooking facilities, she added.
During 2024-25, all high schools (422), higher secondary schools (62), Biju Pattnaik Adarsh Vidyalaya (1), Kalinga Model Residential School (5) and Anwesha Hostels (93) including 1,222 hostels with 1,76,000 boarders will be included in the plan. The remaining schools and hostels will be covered during 2025-26.
During the first phase of 2024-25, all hostels in 50 high schools, 20 higher secondary schools, 5 Kalinga Model Residential Schools, 1 Biju Pattnaik Adarsh Vidyalaya and 25 Anwesha Hostels will be taken up and completed by June 30. “The selection of specific schools and hostels will be decided at district level and communicated to the department,” the letter stated. In order to implement the plan, additional funds have been provisioned in the amenities sector in 2024-25 Budget besides the fuel charges. The provision of cooking gas chulha, LPG cylinders, fuel has been incorporated in the entitlements and amenities guidelines.
