Odisha Cabinet approves free Wi-Fi scheme for colleges, lifts civil services exam attempt cap

Student will be entitled to use up to 1 GB of free internet data daily within campuses for academic purposes

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The Odisha Cabinet late on Monday approved a series of proposals, including a ₹393.62-crore scheme to provide free Wi-Fi facilities across 601 government and aided colleges. It lifted the limit on attempts for the civil services examination for general category candidates and gave the go-ahead to a nearly ₹100-crore water conservation project in Balangir.

The free Wi-Fi initiative, titled ‘Odisha Shikshanet, Empowering Students through a Free Wi-Fi Internet Facility to All Colleges and Universities’, will be implemented over three years from 2026-27 to 2028-29. Every student will be entitled to up to 1 GB of free high-speed internet data daily within the campus for academic, research and skill development purposes.

The scheme is expected to benefit over 600,000 students and faculty members in its first phase. It will involve installation of Wi-Fi infrastructure, bandwidth arrangements, network management, cybersecurity measures and operation and maintenance support. A centralised monitoring system will be put in place to track connectivity, network security, service delivery and data utilisation.

The facility will provide access to e-books, digital libraries, virtual classrooms, open online courses, research databases, competitive examination materials and digital skill development platforms. Students will be able to access e-governance services and scholarship portals.

The Cabinet approved a tender worth ₹99.99 crore for the construction of an in-stream storage structure across the Indra/Sundar river, a tributary of the Tel river, near Patharla village in Titilagarh block of the Balangir district.

The project is scheduled to be completed within 30 months to help conserve excess river water during the monsoon for use during lean periods. Nearly 90% of Odisha’s annual rainfall occurs between June and October, resulting in substantial river flows that eventually drain into the sea.

The project is expected to ensure sustainable domestic water supply to around 12 villages in Titilagarh and Bangomunda blocks. The stored water will support animal husbandry, fisheries and other livelihood activities.

The Cabinet approved amendments to the Odisha Civil Services (Combined Competitive Recruitment Examination) Rules, 1991, removing the restriction on the number of attempts.

The general category candidates below 42 will be eligible to appear in the examination without any restriction on the number of attempts. General category candidates were earlier allowed a maximum of six attempts. Candidates belonging to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes are permitted nine attempts. There is no restriction on the number of attempts for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates.

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  Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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