BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday said his government is working hard to bring transformative changes in the lives of rural people by bridging the gap between villages and towns.
Launching the ‘Bikashita Gaon, Bikashita Odisha’ (BGBO) scheme at Jankia in Khurda district, around 45 km from the state capital, the chief minister said this initiative aims to end the divide in development between urban and rural areas, bringing equality in basic infrastructure for ease of living. A provision of `5,000 crore has been made for the programme over the next five years.
“This programme will bring development to approximately 60,000 villages in Odisha, transforming them into growth engines. It will bring significant changes to the lives of rural people who constitute 80 pc of the state’s population, improving their daily lives and ‘ease of living’,” the CM said.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘transformational development model’ over what he called ‘piecemeal development model’, Majhi said, the new model aims to provide services to more people in less time and complete projects quickly. “Our government is working towards this goal to transform Odisha’s villages on the line of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’,” he added.
Emphasising that public opinion and their participation are integral to all government programmes, Majhi said now villagers will conceptualise and implement the development plans for their areas. The plan focuses on tribal development, with 40 per cent of the allocated funds reserved for Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDA) blocks.
Highlighting the importance of transparency in project implementation, the chief minister said collectors will oversee district-level work and conduct regular review of projects. Additionally, a social audit system has been incorporated to ensure transparency and accountability.
He said the aim of the programme is to develop sustainable basic infrastructure in villages, prioritising construction of pucca roads, bridges, culverts, developing community centres, kalyan mandaps, market sheds and improving connectivity to religious places.
The plan also includes development of educational infrastructure such as construction of additional classrooms and improving existing facilities, sports infrastructure, small tourism projects and other community facilities.
Majhi said each project will have a minimum cost of `3 lakh and the amount is allocated to ensure that even the smallest projects maintain a certain level of quality. There is no shortage of funds and no project will be neglected due to lack of funds, he added.