BHUBANESWAR: The state government has asked the district administrations and field functionaries of the School and Mass Education (SME) department to ensure timely distribution of school uniforms to the students before commencement of the 2026-27 academic year.
School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond said the district authorities and officials concerned have been asked to ensure distribution of free uniform to the students at the earliest.
Sources said direction from the SME department came after the government drew criticism from different quarters over delay in distribution of school uniforms to the students in 2025-26.
As per reports, the department found significant delay in procurement and distribution of school uniforms to students in multiple districts that not only caused inconvenience to the needy students but also mounted financial stress on their parents and impacted the very objective of the initiative.
The department is now focused on distribution of the uniforms to the students before summer vacation begins. It is also planning to put in place a dedicated grievance redressal platform to address issues pertaining to the distribution of uniforms to the students and problems faced at the field-level.