Anu Garg, the chief secretary of Odisha, met with Sudhansh Pant, the secretary of the Union Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, on Friday to discuss the implementation of various state and federal welfare programs. The topics of discussion included social inclusion, education, the creation of livelihoods, and the empowerment of vulnerable groups. The conference looked at initiatives being carried out by the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development Department, and the Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department.
Initiatives for the socioeconomic advancement of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, and backward classes were presented by Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the SC, ST, and MBC Department B Parameswaran. For 2025–2026 and 2026–2027, 2,033 villages from all 30 districts have been chosen under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, of which 1,519 have been designated as model villages. The program’s main objectives are skill development, livelihood creation, and rural development.
Bank loans and subsidies for livelihood activities in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fishing, industry, services, and commerce are provided under the Income Generation Scheme for SC women self-help organizations. Initiatives for infrastructure, revenue generating, and skill development are also being carried out by the state under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jati Abhyudaya Yojana. The conference was informed that 168 dormitories are presently operational for SC students from rural locations, and 4,628 people have received skill development training with employment-linked support.
In the field of education, 2,38,109 SC students received post-matric scholarships in 2025–2026, while around one lakh pupils received pre-matric scholarships. The Odisha State Scholarships Portal has made the application and payment procedure digital. Scholarships and dormitory accommodations are offered to students in underprivileged classes under the PM Yashasvi program, which divides the aid between the state and the federal government 60:40. Pre-matric scholarships were awarded to 2,08,745 students in 2025–2026, and the program awarded scholarships to 4,71,572 students.
