BARGARH : Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a slew of development initiatives for Bargarh district while addressing the public from the court of King Kansa during the famed Dhanuyatra festival which entered the seventh day on Tuesday.
The chief minister was the guest for the evening at Kansa durbar. He reached the Kansa durbar on an elephant after moving around Bargarh town and was welcomed by a symbolic title of ‘Kalinga Samrat’ by the king.
Responding to a symbolic query raised by the king about development works undertaken for Mathura turned Bargarh, Majhi informed that projects worth more than Rs 1,362 crore have been taken up across the district. While foundation stones were laid for 85 projects at an investment of Rs 980.58 crore, 38 projects worth Rs 382.26 crore were inaugurated during his visit.
From the stage, the chief minister also announced four new projects worth Rs 380 crore for the district. These include construction of a sewage treatment plant on Jira river at a cost of Rs 132 crore, development of a vending zone at Hatpada for Rs 30 crore, Atal Bus Terminal at Bargarh with an investment of Rs 65 crore, and an inland water reservoir at Grindola costing Rs 150 crore.
Highlighting welfare measures, Majhi said 3,41,614 women in Bargarh received Rs 10,000 each under the Subhadra Yojana. He also stated that during the 2024-25 kharif and rabi seasons, paddy was procured from 2,41,135 farmers amounting to 13.99 lakh tonnes, with Rs 4,338 crore paid towards MSP and input assistance. “Such large-scale financial assistance to farmers had not been provided earlier,” he said.
Referring to Dhanuyatra, the chief minister said the festival has played an important role in promoting local culture and livelihood through theatre, fairs and exhibitions. He announced that the state grant for the festival had been enhanced from Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore, while 200 leading artistes were given an honorarium of Rs 10,000 each. Efforts were also underway to seek UNESCO recognition for the festival, he added.
Among others, Bargarh MP Pradeep Purohit, local MLAs, senior district officials and members of Dhanujatra Mahotsav committee attended.