President, Smt Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the new Eklavya Model Residential school campus of Kuliana, Mayurbhanj during her visit to Mayurbhanj on 20th November, 2023, Monday. Shri Raghubar Das,  Governor of Odisha, Shri Arjun Munda,  Minister of Tribal Affairs , Shri Bishweswar Tudu, Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal affairs Govt of India and other dignitaries will also grace the occasion.

Eklavya Residential Model School is a flagship scheme of Government of India for imparting quality education to the tribal students.  In 2019, under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, 452 new Eklavya Residential Model Schools were sanctioned, one in every tribal block with 50% or more ST population and 20,000. Hon’ble PM launched the scheme on 12^th September 2019 from Ranchi Jharkhand. The recurring cost per student was also enhanced from Rs.  61,000 to RS 1,09,000.   Later in 2022, the construction cost of EMRS was enhanced from Rs. 20 cr and Rs. 24 cr to Rs 38 and 48 cr. in plain areas and  hilly areas respectively.   With 288 schools sanctioned before 2019 under the old scheme, Ministry of Tribal Affairs would be setting up total 740 schools by March 2026, including construction of 452 schools approved in 2019.  

Ministry of tribal affairs is implementing this scheme through National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) on the lines of Navodaya Vidyalayas..  The NESTS is also recruiting more than 38,000 teaching and non-teaching staff for these schools. 

The state governments are required to provide encumbrance free land of about 15acres for construction of these schools.  In Odisha, total 114 schools are to be constructed, of which 106 have been sanctioned. Of these 114 schools, 27 schools are under the old scheme and 87 schools under the new schemes.   At 8 locations, the process of provision of land is under process.  As on date 32 locations schools are functional and buildings of 31 schools are complete, including 4 under the new scheme.  

 President will inaugurate Kuliana, Mayurbhanj, for which budget of Rs. 38 cr is sanctioned by Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which is being constructed by Hindustan Steel Construction Ltd (HSCL), a public sector enterprise under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.     

Out of 87 new EMRS sanctioned in Odisha, Mayurbhanj district alone has got 19 schools one in every block, which is the largest for any district in India. In the last two years, in coordination with the state Government, the construction work at 48 places in Odisha is in progress of which 19 schools are in  Mayurbhanj.  Shri Bishweswar Tudu, Hon'ble union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal affairs is MP from Mayurbhanj.  The Kuliana EMRS campus is constructed in about 12 Acres of land. It will be having 16 class rooms for 480 students comprising of 240 girls and 240 boys.   There are separate boys and girls’ hostels, Mess, residential accommodation for Principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, administrative block, play ground, computer and science laboratories.   These schools will prove to be a milestone for the overall development of tribal students of this area. 

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