Bhubaneswar, 28 September (H.S.): The two-day state executive committee meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Odisha East Province, began at Rajasthan Bhawan in Motiganj, Balasore. The meeting was inaugurated by regional joint organising secretary Bailochan Sahu, State organising secretary Buddhadev Bag, state president Debesh Hota and state secretary Diptimayee Pratihari.

The two-day meeting will deliberate in detail on the current educational and social situation in Odisha. According to the ABVP, more than one lakh students and other members enrolled with the organisation during its membership campaign in Odisha East Province this year.

In the first session following the inaugural programme, the current state of education in Odisha was discussed and a resolution was adopted. The ABVP welcomed the state government's 'Jnanodaya Shiksha Samruddhi Yojana' providing free education from KG to PG, implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 and steps to increase B.Ed seats.

The organisation demanded that self-financing courses in educational institutions be brought under a regularised framework to prevent financial exploitation of students. It also sought better hostel and campus placement facilities for students.

The ABVP further demanded that delayed admission and examination processes be streamlined and examination results be published within 45 days. It called for an end to the reappointment of retired teachers and sought recruitment of qualified youth through the State Selection Board (SSB). It also demanded immediate reconstitution of college governing bodies that have remained dissolved since 2024.

The second session focused on social issues in the state, following which another resolution was adopted. The organisation called upon the youth to play an active role in addressing social concerns. The resolution raised issues relating to a group attack in Rayagada, the Balipatna murder case and criminal activities in the state capital, and called for immediate measures to strengthen law and order.

The meeting also demanded a complete halt to the alleged illegal trade in ganja in districts including Kandhamal, Koraput, Gajapati and Rayagada, as well as the sale of gutkha and other intoxicating substances near educational campuses. It called for efforts towards building a 'Drug-Free Odisha'.

The organisation also stressed extensive plantation and wildlife protection to mitigate the impact of natural disasters such as landslides in Kalinga Ghati and floods. It further called upon the state government to formulate a coordinated policy and take effective measures to check illegal cross-border infiltration and address what it described as population imbalance.

Regional organisation secretary Apanshu Shekhar Sheel, Swavalambi Bharat's central head Dinesh Yadav and special invitee member Dilip Das were among those present at the programme and guided the participants.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda