Majhi asks district collectors to identify land for 2,200 model primary schools by March 2027

Bhubaneswar, Jul 9 (PTI) Irked over the delay in implementation of the Godabarish Mishra Model Primary Schools (GMMPS) programme, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has asked district collectors to identify land for setting up at least 2,200 such institutions by March 2027. The chief minister issued the direction while reviewing the progress of the GMMPS, a flagship programme of Odisha’s BJP government, on Wednesday. He said the programme is crucial for strengthening primary education across the state. The Odisha government plans to build GMMPS in all the gram panchyats for which Rs 2,200 crore has been allocated in the 2026-27 fiscal. The previous year’s allocation was Rs 50 crore. The CM also asked the district collectors to acquire private land near schools if there is inadequacy of government land. “Take help of local MLAs in acquiring land for setting up the GMMPS,” Majhi told the district collectors. He instructed the district collectors to monitor the implementation of the scheme on a weekly basis and submit progress reports to the Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department every seven days. Majhi said he would personally review the progress of the project every month to ensure timely execution. The CM said the objective of the GMMPS programme is to set up world-class primary schools at the gram panchayat level in line with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009. According to an official statement issued by the CMO, construction has already begun for 322 GMMPS. The CM said the success of the programme largely depends on the effective coordination at the district level and the collectors have a key role to play in achieving the goal. PTI AAM NN RBT