Odisha Waives Admission Fees for SC/ST Students as Flood Crisis and Crime Headlines Mount
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced this week that Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste students will no longer need to pay any fees at the time of admission to government medical and engineering colleges, a sweeping equity measure rolled out even as the state navigated mounting flood emergencies across Balasore and other districts and its law enforcement agencies scored notable successes against a kidnapping and a multi-crore banking fraud.
🎓 Chief Minister Waives Admission Fees for ST and SC Students in Government Professional Colleges
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on September 1 that students belonging to Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities will no longer be required to pay any fee at the time of admission to government medical and engineering colleges in the state. The directive, issued directly by the Chief Minister from Bhubaneswar, represents a significant step toward removing financial barriers that have long prevented students from marginalized communities from accessing professional higher education. For many ST and SC families, the challenge of arranging lump-sum admission fees has historically deterred otherwise eligible students from enrolling even when they secure a government college seat. Under the new directive, those students will be able to complete the admission process without depositing any upfront fees, reducing immediate financial strain on households that often operate on constrained budgets. Officials framed the announcement as part of the Majhi government's broader commitment to equitable access in higher education. The policy is expected to directly benefit thousands of ST and SC students seeking entry into government medical and engineering programs each academic year across Odisha, and is likely to be welcomed by advocacy groups that have long called for structural intervention to increase representation of tribal and Dalit communities in professional education. [4]
Odisha Police Rescue Seven-Year-Old Kidnapping Victim from Cuttack in 36-Hour Operation
Odisha police successfully recovered a seven-year-old girl who had been allegedly kidnapped from Cuttack, completing a 36-hour operation on Monday that ended with the arrest of the accused at Balikuda railway station. A senior police officer confirmed that the child, who had gone missing from the city, was found safe following coordinated tracking and pursuit by law enforcement teams operating across multiple jurisdictions. The accused was apprehended at Balikuda railway station, indicating the individual had been attempting to leave the region with the child. Police authorities confirmed both the child's recovery and the arrest of the suspect within the operational window, describing the outcome as a success given the time-sensitive nature of abduction cases involving young children. The case attracted significant attention given the victim's age and the speed with which police mobilized. The child was reunited with her family following the recovery, bringing relief to a case that had generated considerable anxiety in Cuttack and the broader Bhubaneswar region. The incident also renewed attention to child safety protocols and the importance of rapid inter-district coordination in kidnapping cases, an area where Odisha law enforcement has been working to strengthen response frameworks in recent years. [5]
Odisha EOW Arrests Bank Manager in Alleged Rs 2.12 Crore Gold Loan Fraud
The Economic Offences Wing of the Odisha Police arrested a bank officer on August 31 in connection with an alleged scheme involving the fraudulent sanctioning of gold loans and the misappropriation of approximately Rs 2.12 crore from the lending institution he served. EOW officials confirmed that the accused bank manager was identified as a central figure in the fraud, which appears to have involved systematic irregularities in how gold loan applications were processed and approved. Gold loan fraud schemes of this nature typically involve manipulation of collateral valuations, falsification of borrower records, or the creation of fictitious loan accounts to divert funds, and the scale of the alleged misappropriation in this case points to wrongdoing that unfolded over a sustained period rather than as a one-off transaction. The Economic Offences Wing, which handles complex financial and white-collar crime investigations, took up the matter following complaints about irregularities at the branch. The Odisha government has in recent months signaled a firm posture on institutional corruption, particularly within banking and financial sectors where public trust is paramount. The arrested manager is expected to face charges under applicable provisions governing financial fraud and criminal breach of trust, with the EOW continuing its investigation into whether others were involved in facilitating the scheme. [8]