Rairapur, Jan 2: IGNOU marked a significant milestone on the New Year with the successful inauguration of its Regional Centre and Skill Centre at Rairangpur, Mayurbhanj, Odisha. The Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, virtually inaugurated IGNOU’s Rairangpur Regional Centre and Skill Centre on Thursday, January 1, 2026 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, New Delhi. The inauguration was held in the benign presence of Sh. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education; Sh. Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge); Sh. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Sh. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of School Education and Literacy; Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; Prof. Uma Kanjilal, IGNOU’s Vice Chancellor and other esteemed dignitaries. The event was also attended virtually by participants from IGNOU Regional Centre and Skill Centre at Rairangpur, Odisha and other regional centres across India.
Addressing the august gathering, Hon’ble President expressed her pleasure inaugurating IGNOU’s Regional Centre and Skill Centre at Rairangpur. She said that making “higher education and learning support accessible to learners of this region is an important step”. She congratulated the central minister of education, Sh. Dharmendra Pradhan and his team for establishing the IGNOU Regional Centre at Rairangpur. She further added that “the establishment of IGNOU Skill Centre at Rairangpur in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is a commendable step and it will prove to be an asset, especially for women, rural and tribal populace in the region”.
Sh. Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated the prospective learners of Rairangpur on the establishment of IGNOU Regional Centre. He emphasised how Rairangpur Regional Centre and Skill Centre would benefit the farmers, tribal community and marginalised groups in the region which supports the vision of Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Sh. Jayant Chaudhary in his opening remarks supported the AI readiness courses as part of ‘Skill the Nation Challenge’ campaign. IGNOU has been successfully contributing to the national effort of implementing the life-long learning model under the National Education Policy.
The event concluded with a vision to empower India’s future-ready workforce through AI-driven technology. MSDE’s initiative SOAR is a step closer to AI readiness in India. IGNOU’s Rairangpur Regional Centre and Skill Centre’s effort is envisioned to contribute towards nation-building in a similar direction.