26 SC-ST students of Odisha govt-run school hostels died in last 8 months: Minister

As many 26 SC and ST boarders died in the Odisha government-run hostels since 1 July 2024, of whom six were suicide victims, the assembly was informed on Friday.

While replying to a question of senior BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare (ST & SC Development, M&BCW), Nityananda Gond said 26 SC/ST students died in various hostels in the past eight months.

Six of them died by suicide in the hostels while the remaining 20 lost their lives while undergoing treatment in various hospitals, he said.

As per the minister's reply, the deaths were reported in 14 districts of the state.

Rayagada district reported the maximum number of deaths at seven, while three such cases came to be known from Koraput and Malkangiri districts each.

The districts of Sundargarh and Bargarh accounted for two such deaths during the period.

Besides, Bolangir, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Subarnapur districts reported one such death case each, Gond said.

As per information provided by Gond in another written statement to the Assembly, a total of 1,762 schools are functioning under the ST & SC Development, M&BCW Department in which around 90 per cent of students enrolled are ST children.

He said that 5,841 hostels are functioning under the Department to provide residential education to ST children. In those hostels, more than 5 lakh students are staying out of which 90 per cent are STs and 10 percent are SC children.

Notably, a class 10 girl student gave birth to a baby at the hostel run by the department in Malkangiri district very recently.