Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday approved 12 key proposals, including the landmark new scheme ‘Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education’, aimed at ensuring free education for students from Kindergarten (KG) to Post Graduate (PG) level. The decision was taken during a state cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the Lok Seva Bhawan here.After the cabinet meeting, CM Majhi described the new scheme ‘Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education’ as a historic decision, stressing that under this new scheme, the state government has approved free education for all students of Odisha from Kindergarten (KG) to Post Graduate (PG) level.“I had announced this initiative earlier, and the Cabinet today formally approved it. This historic decision will ensure that no student in Odisha is deprived of education or interrupted due to financial constraints. This is a historic step to make quality education more accessible, equitable and affordable for students across the state,” Majhi said.The Chief Minister stressed that students enrolled in regular courses in government and government-aided educational institutions under the School and Mass Education (S&ME) and higher education departments will be given complete exemption from admission and tuition fees.He announced that the new scheme will be implemented from the academic year 2026-27 and will cover students studying from classes IX to XII in government and government-aided schools as well as those pursuing regular undergraduate and postgraduate courses in state public universities, government colleges and government-aided colleges.Majhi said the benefits of the program will be available only to students enrolled in regular courses.As education from Kindergarten to Class VIII is already free in Odisha, this initiative fulfills the State Government’s vision of providing free education from KG to PG, the Chief Minister said.“The initiative is expected to increase enrollment by reducing the financial burden on families, especially those belonging to the economically weaker and disadvantaged sectors of society. Attendance at schools and colleges will improve, reduce the dropout rate and allow more students to pursue higher studies without any barriers,” added the CM.The scheme does not cover self-financed courses or institutions, private unaided institutions, institutions and courses operating under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode or professional and technical programmes.The Odisha Cabinet approved an estimated expenditure of Rs 895.57 crore in the first year and Rs 5,467.55 crore over five years to implement the scheme. Describing it as one of the government’s biggest investments in the education sector, Majhi said it would benefit more than 32 lakh students annually.“Gyanodaya – Prosperity through Education” is much more than a fee waiver scheme. It is an important step to ensure that all children and youth in Odisha have equal access to education, irrespective of their economic background. This initiative will empower all families through education, and is a testament to the state government’s firm commitment to realize the vision of a ‘Samruddha Odisha’ based on knowledge, opportunity and all-round development,” said CM Majhi.