Highlighting massive strides in the education sector, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal asserted that the BJP government remains deeply committed to the holistic development of higher education and youth employment.
Addressing a press meet at the state party office, Mr Biswal detailed the revolutionary transformations witnessed under Prime Minister Narendra ModiтАЩs leadership over the past 12 years. Nationally, the number of universities has surged by nearly 70%тАФclimbing from 760 before 2014-15 to 1,289 today. Total higher education enrollment has similarly jumped from 3.42 crore in 2013 to over 4.5 crore.
Medical education has experienced an unprecedented boom. Medical colleges across India increased from 387 to 846, while MBBS seat capacity more than doubled from 51,348 to 1,39,864. Concurrently, technical and premier institutions have expanded significantly: IITs grew from 16 to 23 (with student capacity rising from 65,000 to 1,35,000), IIMs from 13 to 21, AIIMS from 7 to 20, and degree colleges past the 48,000 milestone. Furthermore, India now boasts 56 institutions in global rankings compared to just 11 prior to 2014, reflecting a monumental leap in educational quality.
Turning focus to Odisha, Mr Biswal highlighted visionary state-level initiatives under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The implementation of free KG-to-PG education, the appointment of vice-chancellors and professors across 14 universities, and financial allocations totalling 677 crore rupees via PM-USHA and state schemes are redefining regional academia. Additionally, the five-year, 5,403-crore-rupee allocation under the Gyanodaya scheme and the introduction of fintech education in partnership with SingaporeтАЩs Global Financial Network position Odisha at the forefront of futuristic learning, alongside upcoming Artificial Intelligence and semiconductor ecosystems.
Echoing these sentiments, National Mahila Morcha Social Media Coordinator Smt. Sujata Padhy emphasised that the administration is building an education framework tailored to future demands. By effectively executing the National Education Policy (NEP), introducing greenfield universities, streamlining senate structures, and offering substantial grantsтАФsuch as 50 crore rupees for infrastructure and 25 crore rupees for laboratoriesтАФthe government is heavily prioritising smart classrooms, research, and innovation.
Smt. Padhy also underlined targeted welfare and merit-based schemes designed to uplift students, including the E-Medhabruti, Gopabandhu Education Assistance, Vyasakabi Fakir Mohan Scholarship, and the Godavarish Pragati Yojana for laptop distribution. Special provisions for residential hostels in rural and urban areas, higher education scholarships abroad, and coaching for civil services ensure that no meritorious or economically disadvantaged studentтАФparticularly among women, SC, and ST communitiesтАФis left behind.
тАЬInstead of merely awarding degrees, the BJP government is coupling education with skills, research, and robust employment opportunities to secure a bright future for OdishaтАЩs youth,тАЭ Smt. Padhi concluded.
