The Jharkhand government has initiated steps to establish a second Sainik School in the state, citing increasing demand and high student intake at the existing Sainik School, Tilaiya.
At a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari on Friday, the School Education Department was asked to begin the groundwork for the new institution.
Jharkhand is currently home to only one Sainik School—Tilaiya in Koderma district—which, with 875 students, is the largest in terms of student strength among all Sainik Schools in the country. States like Maharashtra and Rajasthan already operate two Sainik Schools each.
The Chief Secretary said that Jharkhand’s youth have shown increasing interest in military education and the armed forces, and a second school will meet both aspiration and national demand. Officials have been asked to study models of other states running multiple schools before finalising proposals.
The meeting also reviewed several pending infrastructure and administrative issues concerning Sainik School, Tilaiya. A new water supply scheme costing ₹9.49 crore has received technical approval from the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and will be implemented soon. The Chief Secretary directed officials to submit a proposal for setting up a sewage treatment plant for the campus.
Maintenance of staff quarters within the school campus will be taken up by the Building Construction Department, following reports of infrastructure deterioration. Additionally, the school has proposed that employee pensions, family pensions, NPS contributions, and other welfare benefits—estimated to cost about ₹7 crore annually—be borne by the state government.
The Chief Secretary asked the School Education Department to examine the financial and administrative models of other states where such benefits are extended to Sainik School employees.
In a move expected to benefit students directly, the Chief Secretary ordered that annual health check-ups for Tilaiya students be conducted in Koderma itself, instead of Hazaribagh. The change is aimed at reducing logistical challenges and improving access to regular medical monitoring.
Friday’s meeting was attended by Principal Secretary of Drinking Water and Sanitation Mast Ram Meena, School Education Secretary Umashankar Singh, representatives from various departments, and officials from Sainik School Tilaiya.