Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday informed that 26 SC and ST boarders died in state-run hostels in the last eight months.
Six of them died by suicide in the hostels while the remaining 20 passes away while undergoing treatment in various hospitals, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Nityananda Gond told the Assembly.
He was replying to a question of senior BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain.
The minister further stated that these deaths were reported in 14 districts of the state with the highest of seven in Rayagada followed by 3 each in Koraput and Malkangiri. While Sundargarh and Bargarh accounted for two such deaths since July 1, 2024, one case each was reported from Balangir, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Sonepur.
Gond, in another written statement to the Assembly, informed that 1,762 schools are functioning under the ST & SC and M&BCW departments and around 90 per cent of the students enrolled are ST children. As many as 5,841 hostels are functioning under the department, providing residential education to ST children. While 90 per cent of the 5 lakh students staying in these hostels are STs and 10 per cent are SC children.
(with inputs from agencies)
