BHUBANESWAR: In a move to provide quality coaching for competitive exams to meritorious students from economically weaker sections, Bhubaneswar MP Ararajita Sarangi is all set to establish a state-of-the-art community library and free coaching centre near the Khurda collectorate.
Touted as the first such initiative in the country, the project aims to support economically disadvantaged students aspiring to crack competitive exams such as those for railways, banking, and other government services, without the burden of expensive private coaching. The MP also announced her plans to impart free coaching to civil services aspirants at the centre.
The proposed 1,750 sq ft facility will be constructed at a cost of Rs 53 lakh, with Rs 30 lakh from the MP’s local area development fund and the remaining Rs 23 lakh sourced from the 5th state finance commission, MGNREGA, district mineral foundation (DMF) fund and Swachh Bharat Mission. It will be equipped with an air-conditioned training hall, library, reading room, coaching space, modern toilets and a lounge. The project is expected to be completed within a year. Once operational, experienced trainers will offer free coaching to job aspirants.
Laying the foundation stone for the library-cum-coaching centre on Wednesday, Sarangi said the initiative stemmed from the observation that many students aspiring to crack competitive exams do not have good books or financial resources to study. As a result, many talents are deprived of getting good jobs.
The MP also pledged personal oversight of the initiative. “I will regularly monitor whether the right books are available, and if the training is effective. I will also teach aspirants whenever I am free,” she said.
Sarangi further announced that similar centres will be set up across seven other blocks - Bhubaneswar, Jatni, Balianta, Balipatna, Begunia, Bolagarh and Tangi in her parliamentary constituency at an estimated cost of Rs 4.24 crore. Of this, Rs 2.4 crore will be provided from the MP’s fund and the rest from pooled resources.
Similarly, construction of libraries/reading rooms has been approved in 69 village panchayats across the constituency, each at a cost of Rs 10 lakh, which will be equally financed from the MP’s fund and state government schemes. These libraries will be managed by local youth. Plans are also in place to extend the initiative to all 156 panchayats in the constituency at a total estimated cost of Rs 6.9 crore.
Khurda collector Chanchal Rana, who attended the event, said an agreement will be signed with a reputed coaching institution to manage the training programmes.