Berhampur, May 24: The state government will increase the total number of seats of Plus Two colleges in rural areas by 15 per cent from the next academic session.

“We were thinking of increasing the seats by 25 per cent. But because of infrastructure constraints, we have restricted the increase to 15 per cent,” said higher education minister Badri Narayan Patra today.

The higher education department has also taken steps to tackle shortage of lecturers in the colleges.

“We have asked the Odisha Public Service Commission to fill 271 junior lecturer posts. The vacancies of 588 posts of lecturers will also be filled up soon,” he said.

The state government is also planning to appoint lecturers of the junior colleges to the degree colleges on a seniority basis.

Four hundred surplus lecturers in private colleges will fill up vacant posts at government colleges.

Patra said Khallikote Autonomous College in Berhampur, Gangadhar Meher College in Sambalpur and Rama Devi Women’s College in Bhubaneswar would be accorded unitary status.

The government would provide laptops to 15,000 meritorious Plus Two students, including 5,000 tribal students.

Patra was here to attend a meeting to commemorate the 102nd birth anniversary of late Raghunath Prasad Padhi, the former vice-chancellor of Berhampur University.

The function was organised by local NGO Mahan Sangha at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital auditorium.

Governor S.C. Jamir, revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro, Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, former Union minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu and former director-general of police Nimai Charan Padhi attended the meeting.