Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet has approved the implementation of ‘Odisha Shikshanet’, a scheme to provide free, secure and high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity across 601 Government and aided colleges in the state, with an investment of ₹393.62 crore over three years.
The scheme will be implemented from the financial year 2026-27 to 2028-29, building on the first phase, which covered 130 colleges. Under the initiative, every authenticated student will be entitled to up to 1 GB of free internet data per day within the campus for academic, research and skill development activities.
The project will cover the installation of Wi-Fi infrastructure, bandwidth provisioning, network management, cybersecurity and operation and maintenance support. A centralised monitoring dashboard will also be put in place to track service delivery, network security, connectivity uptime and utilisation.
The free internet facility will enable students to access e-books, digital libraries, virtual classrooms, SWAYAM and other Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), research databases and competitive examination resources. It will also support access to digital skill development platforms and e-governance services, including the Student Academic Management System (SAMS), Higher Education Information Management System (HIMS) and scholarship portals.
The scheme is expected to benefit more than six lakh students and faculty members across Government and aided higher education institutions. Students from rural and remote areas and economically weaker sections are expected to gain from improved access to digital learning resources.
Odisha Shikshanet aims to bridge the digital divide and promote equitable access to higher education by making online academic resources available on college campuses.
The initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Digital India, Sustainable Development Goals 4, 9 and 10, and Odisha Vision 2036. It is intended to strengthen the state’s digital higher education ecosystem and expand technology-enabled learning opportunities.
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