Odisha Assembly Data Reveals 24 Pregnancies in State-Run School Hostels Over 2 Years

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Bhubaneswar: Twenty-four female students living in state-run residential school hostels across Odisha were found to be pregnant over the past two academic sessions, according to official data presented to the state legislative assembly on Friday.

The figures surfaced in a formal written submission delivered by Nityananda Gond, who serves as Odisha’s Minister for School and Mass Education as well as Minister for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department.

The disclosures came in response to an unstarred question tabled by Congress legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati.

According to Gond’s written submission, the affected educational institutions operate directly under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department.

The data indicates a sharp year-on-year increase:

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 Academic Year 2024–25: 9 hostel residents were found to be pregnant.

 Academic Year 2025–26: 15 cases were recorded among boarders.

Geographically, the incidents were concentrated predominantly in southern and tribal-dominated belts. Kandhamal district logged the highest tally with five confirmed cases, followed by Koraput with four and Rayagada with three. The remaining cases were dispersed across multiple other districts.

Addressing criminal culpability and security within the residential facilities, Gond stated that in most of the occurrences, the perpetrators had no formal institutional ties or employment links to the schools.

Law enforcement agencies have registered First Information Reports (FIRs) against 13 individuals in connection with the matters, the minister confirmed, adding that police have arrested nine of the accused so far.

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