Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Sunday, June 7, 2026, that his government has begun the first phase of a sweeping overhaul of government schools in the state, committing ₹12,000 crore to upgrade public school infrastructure. The initiative targets transforming 2,200 government schools into modern education centres by 2029, and comes with a pointed rebuke of the previous administration's record on public education.

Context

Posting in Odia, Chief Minister Majhi wrote that the previous government had 'neglected the future of Odisha's children year after year,' adding that 'where there is will, money is never an obstacle.' The post closed with a direct contrast: 'ସେମାନେ ବାହାନା ଖୋଜୁଥିଲେ, ଆମେ ସମାଧାନ ଆଣୁଛୁ' ['They were looking for excuses, we are bringing solutions']. The hashtag #GMAPV accompanied the announcement.

The BJP swept to power in Odisha in the June 2024 assembly elections, ending 24 years of rule by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Overhauling government school infrastructure was flagged as a priority from the outset of the new administration.

Policy Backdrop

The announcement aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), the central government's framework that calls on states to modernise physical and digital infrastructure in public schools. Multiple state governments have launched similar upgrade programmes since 2020, framing them as a break from years of underinvestment in public education.

The ₹12,000 crore first-phase outlay signals one of the larger state-level commitments to school infrastructure in eastern India. The government has described the programme as phased, with annual progress expected toward the 2029 deadline for all 2,200 schools.

Stakeholders and Impact

Odisha has a large network of government schools serving students, particularly in rural and tribal districts where private alternatives are limited. Teachers in the state government system are also directly affected, as upgraded facilities typically come with revised teaching resources and digital tools.

The investment is framed as a course correction for students who, the Chief Minister argues, were denied quality infrastructure under the previous dispensation. If the targets are met, the upgrade would affect a significant share of the state's public school ecosystem by the end of the decade.

What's Next

Attention will now focus on the phased rollout of the ₹12,000 crore allocation — specifically, the pace of tendering, construction timelines, and annual government reports on how many of the 2,200 schools have been upgraded. Civil society groups and opposition legislators are likely to monitor spending closely given the scale of the commitment.

The 2029 target also sets a political benchmark ahead of the next Odisha assembly election cycle, making delivery on this promise a measurable test of the BJP government's performance on education in the state.