Odisha bringing back students from north, west India: CM Majhi

NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said that amid the India-Pakistan military conflict, his government has made arrangements to bring back students studying in institutions from northern and western India. The state government made this arrangement after students studying at the Central Sanskrit University, Jammu, were ordered to vacate the campus.

The Office of the Chief Resident Commissioner, New Delhi and the Directorate of Odisha Parivar under the Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture, made the arrangements to bring back a total of 114 Odia students studying at Central Sanskrit University, Jammu, to Odisha. Some Odia students studying in Jammu were relocated to Delhi as a precautionary measure, and the first batch has already left for Odisha through train from Delhi, Majhi told reporters.

The students studying at Central Sanskrit University in Jammu were worried after Thursday night’s drone attack launched by Pakistan. A round-the-clock help desk has been set up at the Office of the Resident Commissioner in New Delhi and at the office of the Directorate of Odisha Parivar in Bhubaneswar. The students may contact the control room set up at the Resident Commissioner's office in Delhi at the numbers: 7428135044, 011-24679201. They can also contact the control room set up at Bhubaneswar (Contact number: 0674-2431945, 9583321964).

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Special train for Odia students

The state government has arranged a special train to shift the students from Delhi to Odisha, an official said. Odia students studying in northern and western India may contact the helpline number in Delhi to avail the opportunity, the official said. A special team has been formed and officers have been given the responsibility to ensure the safe return of Odia students, said Odisha's Higher Education minister Suryabanshi Suraj.

The minister added that four senior officers and 16 support staff from the Directorate of Odisha Parivar and officers from the Office of the Chief Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, have been deployed for the safe return of the students. The concerned officers are monitoring the evacuation work. The aim is to ensure that Odia students reach Odisha safely by Saturday, the minister said. A student from Odisha's Sambalpur, Jitendra Prasad, said that all Odia students have come to Delhi from Jammu and Kashmir.