Rourkela: The Sundargarh administration is set to give a makeover to the ST & SC Development (SSD) department-run hostels. This will be in line with the Odisha government’s high school transformation programme under the 5T initiative.
The decision for the hostel makeover was made to ensure improved care, amenities to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students. A total of 48,000 students are there in 514 hostels of the Mass Education and the SSD department-run schools in Sundargarh.
According to the District Welfare Officer (DWO) Pabitra Mohan Pradhan, the proposed transformation plan includes hostel building renovation, augmentation of amenities like toilets, bathrooms, dining halls, common rooms and construction of new buildings, boundary walls and playgrounds wherever needed, reported The New Indian Express.
The necessary funds would be used from the three Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) and District Mineral Foundation for the purpose. The authorities will make use of the components of Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guaranteed Scheme to develop gardens and greenery to create a soothing ambience in hostels.
Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan in a meeting with senior officials formulated the modalities for implementation of the initiative on Tuesday.
According to official sources, 207 primary school hostels were built around three to four decades ago and most of these are in poor condition.
Students residing in some dilapidated hostels have been shifted to main school buildings. Similarly, 33 ST boy’s hostels and 211 ST girl’s hostels have come up since 2004-05.
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