President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday virtually inaugurated two Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) in Telangana from Bhadrachalam.

While one school has come up in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district, the other has been built in Mahabubabad district.

The Centre has decided to establish one EMRS in every block with more than 50 per cent population of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and at least 20,000 tribal persons.

Construction of the EMRS Sirpur in Komaram Bheem Asifabad and the EMRS Bayyaram in Mahabubabad district started in December 2020 and Phase I of construction has been completed recently. At present, these schools are functioning from other government buildings with 448 students studying from Classes 6 to 9.

In all, 740 such EMRS will be established across the country. The objective of the EMRS is to provide quality upper primary and secondary and senior secondary level education (Class 6 to 12) to ST students in remote areas.

The EMRSs have been established with an aim to enable tribal students to have access to the best opportunities in education. Each school will have 480 students, with 240 girls and 240 boys in classes from Classes 6 to 10 class with two sections and Class 9 to 12 with three sections.

The facilities in the EMRSs will be at par with the Navodaya Vidyalaya. In Telangana, a total of 23 EMRSs will be set up, and construction of 11 schools has already been completed.

Earlier, the President visited Sri Seetharama Chandra Swamyvari Devasthanam at Bhadrachalam and offered prayers. She laid the foundation stone for the development of tourism infrastructure at the Bhadrachalam Temple under Pilgrimage Rejuvenational and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry.

She also inaugurated Sammakka Saralamma Janjati Pujari Sammelan, organised by the Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad, Telangana.