MALKANGIRI: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched the Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme from Malkangiri to connect panchayat and block headquarters with district headquarters by bus.
Addressing a massive gathering at the stadium here while launching the scheme, the chief minister said Malkangiri is close to his heart and the district is the launch pad for development of the state. The chief minister said he had launched schemes like rice at Rs 1 per kg and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) from Malkangiri. “Another important scheme, LAccMI has been launched today from here,” he said.
The chief minister said the proposal to enhance health insurance for women to Rs 10 lakh had been received from Malkangiri. He said the LAccMI scheme was conceived after officials from CMO visited the district and brought the grievances of people in this regard before him. Stating the scheme will usher in transformation in public transport system and further strengthen the state’s economy while bringing prosperity to village, the chief minister said it will connect all with the development process. Communication is the basis for development and buses will reach doorsteps of people, he said.
The chief minister said the scheme will connect children with schools and colleges, farmers with markets and also enable patients to hospitals easily. It will also help in the process of women’s empowerment, he said.
More than 1,000 buses will ply across the state under the scheme, the chief minister said adding 36 buses under the scheme started plying on different routes in Malkangiri district on Thursday. He said bus services have started in all 111 panchayats of the district. Buses under the scheme will also ply in Nabarangpur, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Kandhmal in the first phase.
Naveen said Malkangiri district will soon be included in the ‘Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha’ scheme. People of the district will now be eable to avail facilities as in urban areas including banking, internet and digital infrastructure. He also inaugurated projects worth Rs 200 crore and also laid the foundation for others worth Rs 600 crore at the stadium.
The chief minister travelled in a bus up to newly constructed Bus Queue Shelter (BQS)at MV-3 village near BSF sector headquarters covering a distance of around three km. 5T secretary VK Pandian accompanied the chief minister.