BHUBANESWAR: In order to help students of government schools reach their campuses conveniently, the state government on Wednesday notified free bus travel for them under the Mukhyamantri Bus Seva (MBS) scheme.
Commissioner-cum-secretary of the School and Mass Education department Shalini Pandit on the day wrote to the Commerce and Transport department to implement the free bus travel for students initiative.
As per the decision taken in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on August 21, all school students will be eligible for free bus travel by showing a valid student ID card or wearing their school uniform.
Officials of the School and Mass Education department said the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) has been requested to revise the bus routes and timings to include maximum number of schools in their operational routes. The district education officers (DEOs) have been asked to provide necessary information to help OSRTC in re-mapping the bus routes. The Commerce and Transport department will allocate funds to compensate OSRTC for the revenue loss expected from the implementation of this initiative.
Currently, the SME department extends transport allowance to students of secondary grades in government schools of nine districts - Deogarh, Ganjam, Keonjhar, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Rayagada.
From 2019 to 2024, this benefit was limited to primary and upper primary students of the schools situated in hilly areas, sparsely-populated habitations and forested regions. Students covering over a kilometre to attend primary schools and over 3 km to reach upper primary schools were eligible for a transport allowance.