Sargiful Mahotsav 2025 Concludes Successfully Festival Provides Platform to Showcase Students’ Talent and Develop Skills : Hon’ble Minister

Bhubaneswar, December 2025: The state-level Sargiful Mahotsav 2025 concluded successfully, marking the end of a vibrant three-day celebration of students’ talent and creativity. The valedictory ceremony was graced by Shri Niyananda Gond, Hon’ble Minister, School and Mass Education, ST & SC Development, Minority and Backward Classes Welfare, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, who addressed the students and participants.

At the valedictory programme, several senior officials were prominently present. These included B. Parameswaran, Commissioner-cum-Secretary; Shri Laxman kumar Mallik, Director, SC, Smt. Jugaleswari Dash, Director, OBC, Shri Sudhakar Sabor, Director, SCSTRTI, Member Secretary, ATLC, Smt Sujata Mishra, Special Secretary; Smt Banita Das, Financial Advisor-cum-Special Secretary; and Shri Devendra Kumar Nanda, Additional Secretary, who were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering during the valedictory evening, the Hon’ble Minister encouraged the students and extended his best wishes for their bright future. He stated that “Sargiful” symbolizes purity and provides an important opportunity to discover and nurture the hidden talents of children. The enthusiastic participation of students, he said, made the festival more vibrant and dignified. The Minister further emphasized that the primary objective of the festival is to bring the talents of students studying in departmental schools and hostels to the public platform and to support the development of their skills. He also congratulated all officers and staff of the department for the successful organization of the state-level event.

Highlighting the government’s efforts to reduce the school dropout rate, the Minister informed that financial assistance is being provided to students through the Madho Singh Hatho Kharcha Yojana. In addition, initiatives such as the Child Tracking Survey and the “Aasa School Jiba” campaign are helping bring dropout children back to school. He stressed that collective efforts from all stakeholders are essential for the success of these initiatives.

The three-day festival witnessed the participation of 1,160 students and teachers across 22 different competitions. Meritorious students were awarded by the chief guest. Additionally, five best-performing Eklavya Model Residential Schools were felicitated, while 10 students who excelled in the CBSE board examinations from Eklavya schools were also honored. The department further recognized 50 best high schools and 10 best higher secondary schools under its administration.

Rojalin Sahoo,
PRO, SSD