Officials said the decision is likely to benefit more than 10 lakh students. (File Photo)Students taking admission in government colleges and universities in Odisha will no longer have to pay fees, with the state government announcing that education will be “free and universal”.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday announced free education from kindergarten to postgraduate level (“KG to PG”) as the BJP government completed two years in office.“Probably Odisha is the first state in the country to make such a provision in the education sector. It will immensely benefit the scholars especially the economically backward section,” Majhi said.Officials said the decision is likely to benefit more than 10 lakh students.Education up to Class 10 is already free in Odisha. The new measure is expected to help students who struggle to pursue higher education because of financial constraints.While fees in government colleges and universities are relatively low, the move will cost the state exchequer nearly Rs 30 crore annually.Also Read | ‘He didn’t want to take up census duty’: Death of 2 teachers puts spotlight on process amid heatwave in OdishaMajhi also announced that the government will appoint more than 45,000 teachers in the coming years to improve educational quality, in addition to the over 26,000 teachers recruited during the past two years.Story continues below this adTo expand higher education capacity, he said four new universities will be set up in the state soon and budgetary provisions have already been made.Highlighting the achievements of his two-year-old government, Majhi stressed infrastructure development as a driver of economic growth and employment generation. He cited ambitious projects including the coastal highway, two expressways connecting southern and northern Odisha, and the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER).Also Read | ‘Quite harsh’: Death sentence commuted, Supreme Court questions convicts’ 35-year jail term without remissionResponding to opposition criticism over the law-and-order situation, Majhi said concerns were “more political in nature”. “There is no crime where the accused has not faced action,” he said.On crimes against women, the chief minister said the conviction rate had risen significantly under the BJP government.Story continues below this adMajhi also took a swipe at the previous BJD government, accusing it of shielding corrupt officials. He cited vigilance action against several senior officials over the past two years for alleged corruption.Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More Tags:Odisha