CURRENT AFFAIRS | 13 JUNE 2026
The Odisha government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has announced free education in all government colleges and universities, declaring that students will pay no fees from KG to PG (kindergarten right up to post-graduation). The state claims to be the first in India to offer ‘free and universal’ education across that entire span.
The measure is expected to cost the state exchequer roughly Rs 30 crore. To support the expanded access, the government plans to recruit more than 26,000 teachers immediately, with about 45,000 appointments planned over the coming years. Education in Odisha was already free up to Class 10; this announcement extends that guarantee through higher education.
The scheme is aimed primarily at economically backward students and is being positioned alongside the state’s broader economic-corridor and coastal-development ambitions, signalling a welfare-state push tied to human-capital formation.
Constitutional / Legal Framework
The constitutional anchor is Article 21A — inserted by the 86th Amendment, 2002 — which makes free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14 a fundamental right, operationalised through the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. Beyond that, the Directive Principles reinforce the goal: Article 41 (right to education within economic capacity), Article 45 (early childhood care and education below 6 years, post-86th Amendment), and Article 46 (promotion of educational interests of weaker sections, SCs and STs). The judiciary expanded this terrain in Mohini Jain v. State of Karnataka (1992) and Unni Krishnan v. State of A.P. (1993), which located a right to education within Article 21.
CLAT Angle
This topic is a goldmine for the fundamental rights vs DPSP interface and Right to Education jurisprudence. Expect questions on the 86th Amendment, the RTE Act 2009, and the landmark cases (Mohini Jain, Unni Krishnan). It also tests cooperative federalism — education is on the Concurrent List, so both Union and States legislate — and the idea of the welfare state.
Key Facts
| State / CM | Odisha — CM Mohan Charan Majhi |
| Scope | Free education from KG to PG in government institutions |
| Claimed first | First state to offer ‘free and universal’ education KG-to-PG |
| Estimated cost | ~Rs 30 crore to the exchequer |
| Teacher recruitment | 26,000+ now; ~45,000 planned over coming years |
| Prior status | Education already free up to Class 10 |
| Constitutional anchor | Art. 21A (86th Amendment 2002) + RTE Act 2009 |
Mnemonic / Memory Hook
“KG-to-PG, fee-free in Odisha-G.” For the cases, remember “Mohini Made it a right, Unni Krishnan Modified it” — Mohini Jain first declared education a right, Unni Krishnan refined it to ages 6–14, later cemented by Article 21A.
Why this matters for CLAT 2027
Welfare schemes that engage fundamental rights are frequent CLAT triggers. A candidate who can connect Odisha’s KG-to-PG announcement to Article 21A, the RTE Act 2009, the DPSP cluster (Articles 41/45/46), and the Mohini Jain–Unni Krishnan line of cases will handle both the GK and the legal-reasoning sections of CLAT 2027 with confidence.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
