Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. File | Photo Credit: ANI Taking forward its previous announcement on making education from kindergarten to postgraduate level free in Odisha, the Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi-chaired cabinet on Wednesday (July 1, 2026) approved ‘Gyanodaya – Shiksharu Samruddhi’, a new scheme, waiving admission fees beginning with the academic session 2026–27. Aimed at making quality education more accessible, equitable and affordable for students, the scheme says eligible students admitted to regular mode courses in government and government-aided institutions will be provided complete waiver of admission fees. The scheme will cover students enrolled in Classes IX to XII in government and government-aided schools, as well as students pursuing Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) programmes in regular mode in State Public Universities, government colleges and government-aided colleges, says a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting here. As education from Kindergarten (KG) to Class VIII is already free in Odisha, this initiative completes the State Government’s vision of providing free education from KG to PG, it says. “The scheme has been designed to …