(MENAFN- IANS) Agartala, Oct 9 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday announced that the construction work of six more Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) will be completed by March 2026 to provide quality education to tribal students and to preserve the culture and languages of the indigenous people.

The Chief Minister after inaugurating the 480-seated Eklavya Model Residential School at Jampuijala in Western Tripura's Sepahijala district, said that EMRS is a flagship program of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

He said that after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, everyone experienced what EMRS is in India. PM Modi has physically and virtually inaugurated these schools to provide quality education and holistic development to tribal students living in rural areas, he added.

In Tripura, 21 EMRS were sanctioned and so far, a total of 12 such institutions have started functioning, said Saha, who also holds the education portfolio. By March 2026, six more EMRS will be constructed in Ampi, Hezamara, Amarpur, Chawmanu, Mandwai, and Manu.

“Once we complete construction of 21 EMRS, over 10,000 students can take admission in these institutions. We have also increased the pre-matric scholarship for the students,” he added.

In this newly inaugurated school at Jampuijala, 60 students have taken admission and around 480 students will take admission soon. The Chief Minister said that the main aim of EMRS is to provide quality education to Janajati (tribal) children from Class 6 to 12, and PM Modi always says that“we must provide proper education and all facilities to the last mile of the society".

Saha also said that in the Northeastern region there are still some places where EMRS have not yet started; however, Tripura has received 21 such institutions.

“From NITI Aayog, Tripura has received the Front Runner State status. Our state is the third fully literate state in the country. We are working for the development of education, and based on all criteria, our state has been declared a fully literate state. As per UNESCO guidelines, if 95 per cent of the population of a state is literate, it will be declared as 100 per cent literate,” he added.

Saha said that through these schools, culture and languages of the tribal will be preserved. Those who will be passing out from EMRS in the coming days will act as agents of change for their social, economic, and cultural development and help decrease the number of dropouts, he noted.

The Chief Minister said that the government is confident that these schools will provide quality education and will be beneficial for Tripura in the coming days.

“Not only education but also sports and skill development are included in the EMRS. These schools are following the CBSE curriculum and, keeping the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya model in view, these EMRS have started. Free boarding, dress, books, and everything are provided free of cost, along with special coaching classes,” CM Saha stated.

During the event, Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, Secretary K. Sasikumar, Tribal Welfare Director Subhasis Das, Sepahijala District Magistrate Sidharth Shiv Jaiswal, and SP Namit Pathak were present.

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