BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said his government will construct five lakh houses under Antyodaya Gruha Yojana in the next three years, provide tap water to all houses by 2026 and ration cards to six lakh new beneficiaries.
Launching a slew of programmes at a state-level function held in Puri to celebrate Panchayati Raj Divas, the chief minister virtually laid the foundation stones for construction of stadiums in all the 314 blocks at a cost of Rs 4,124 crore. He also distributed subsidies to beneficiaries of PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
Asserting his government’s commitment to strengthening the Panchayati Raj system and prioritising infrastructure development, including electricity, roads, and water supply, the chief minister said, “Our objective of launching ‘Viksit Gaon Viksit Odisha’ is to develop each village within five years.”
Taking a dig at the previous BJD government for rendering gram sabhas and palli sabhas, the core of the Panchayati Raj system, ineffective, Majhi said his government has taken steps to empower the village committees allowing people to make decisions for their own development.
He said the government has set a target to provide drinking water to individual households and roads to every village by 2026. More than 23 lakh houses have been constructed in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin), while another four lakh houses are under construction.
Assuring that all eligible people will have a pucca house, Majhi said the state government has planned to invest `7,550 crore over three years to provide homes to five lakh poor, destitute, persons with disabilities and people affected by calamities.
On this occasion, Majhi distributed new ration cards to eight beneficiaries from different blocks of Puri district. The newly-selected beneficiaries across the state will get the new ration cards in phases.
He also distributed financial assistance of `200 crore to over two lakh women beneficiaries under the Subhadra Yojana. These women received Rs 10,000 for two instalments. He also launched three portals of the Panchayati Raj department such as e-Panchayat Sabha, Panchayati Raj Project Management system (PPMIS) and Panchayat Monitoring System developed by NIC.
He also released incentive funds worth `32 crore to 613 gram panchayats and felicitated the sarpanch of Sainsa Sasan GP under Nimapara block of Uri district for being recognised as the best nutrition panchayat under the Poshan Abhiyan initiative.
Deputy chief ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Panchayati Raj minister RabiNarayan Naik, Sports minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister KC Patra and all local MLAs and MP were present on the occasion.