<p>Bhubaneswar" As many 26 SC and ST boarders died in the Odisha government-run hostels since July 1, 2024, of whom six were suicide victims, the Assembly was informed on Friday.</p><p>While replying to a question of senior BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare (ST & SC Development, M&BCW), Nityananda Gond said 26 SC/ST students died in various hostels in the past eight months.</p><p>Six of them died by suicide in the hostels while the remaining 20 lost their lives while undergoing treatment in various hospitals, he said.</p>.KIIT student suicide case: NHRC team holds meeting with Odisha Police, continues probe.<p>As per the minister's reply, the deaths were reported in 14 districts of the state.</p><p>Rayagada district reported the maximum number of deaths at seven, while three such cases came to be known from Koraput and Malkangiri districts each.</p><p>The districts of Sundargarh and Bargarh accounted for two such deaths during the period.</p>.<p>Besides, Bolangir, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Subarnapur districts reported one such death case each, Gond said.</p><p>As per information provided by Gond in another written statement to the Assembly, a total of 1,762 schools are functioning under the ST & SC Development, M&BCW Department in which around 90 per cent of students enrolled are ST children.</p><p>He said that 5,841 hostels are functioning under the Department to provide residential education to ST children. In those hostels, more than 5 lakh students are staying out of which 90 per cent are STs and 10 percent are SC children.</p><p>Notably, a class 10 girl student gave birth to a baby at the hostel run by the department in Malkangiri district very recently. </p>
<p>Bhubaneswar" As many 26 SC and ST boarders died in the Odisha government-run hostels since July 1, 2024, of whom six were suicide victims, the Assembly was informed on Friday.</p><p>While replying to a question of senior BJD member Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister for ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare (ST & SC Development, M&BCW), Nityananda Gond said 26 SC/ST students died in various hostels in the past eight months.</p><p>Six of them died by suicide in the hostels while the remaining 20 lost their lives while undergoing treatment in various hospitals, he said.</p>.KIIT student suicide case: NHRC team holds meeting with Odisha Police, continues probe.<p>As per the minister's reply, the deaths were reported in 14 districts of the state.</p><p>Rayagada district reported the maximum number of deaths at seven, while three such cases came to be known from Koraput and Malkangiri districts each.</p><p>The districts of Sundargarh and Bargarh accounted for two such deaths during the period.</p>.<p>Besides, Bolangir, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Subarnapur districts reported one such death case each, Gond said.</p><p>As per information provided by Gond in another written statement to the Assembly, a total of 1,762 schools are functioning under the ST & SC Development, M&BCW Department in which around 90 per cent of students enrolled are ST children.</p><p>He said that 5,841 hostels are functioning under the Department to provide residential education to ST children. In those hostels, more than 5 lakh students are staying out of which 90 per cent are STs and 10 percent are SC children.</p><p>Notably, a class 10 girl student gave birth to a baby at the hostel run by the department in Malkangiri district very recently. </p>