Bhubaneswar: Irked over the delay in implementation of Godabarish Mishra Model Primary Schools (GMMPS) programme, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Wednesday asked the district collectors to identify land for setting up at least 2,200 such institutions by March 2027.
The chief minister issued this direction while reviewing the progress in the GMMPS, a flagship programme of Odisha’s BJP government.
He said the programme is crucial for strengthening primary education across the state.
The state government has planned to build GMMPS in all the gram panchayats for which Rs 2200 crore has been allocated in the 2026-27 fiscal. The previous year’s allocation was Rs 50crore.
Majhi expressed wonder when he was informed about the difficulties in acquiring five acres of land for the model school.
He said it may be difficult to get one patch of a 5-acre plot in the coastal region, but there should not be any problem in other districts.
He asked the district collectors to acquire private land near schools if there is an inadequacy of government land.
Take help of local MLAs in acquiring land for setting up the GMMPS, the chief minister suggested to district collectors.
Majhi instructed 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 where foundation stones have been laid.
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.
Treat this as a top priority. Work with full commitment and ensure we meet our targets on time, he told the school and mass education department.