Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday launched affordable bus service to remote areas in five more districts of the state.
The chief minister has launched the bus service under LAccMI (Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative) in Bolangir, Bargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar.
Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said “his government is the people’s government and it launches schemes keeping the public’s aspirations in mind”.
After the visit of the 5T chairman and officials of the chief minister’s office to various districts, the government felt the problems of the people and as per the suggestions of the people, the LAccMI Bus service scheme was prepared to provide communication facilities to the people of the rural area, he said.
The affordable bus service was first rolled out in Malkangiri. In the first phase, along with Malkangiri, the scheme was launched in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Koraput districts.
In the second phase, three more districts were added. With the launching of the service in five more districts, so far, 14 districts have been covered under the scheme.
After launching the scheme in the five districts, 301 buses started plying on different routes in 1,340 panchayats. More than 83 lakh people in these districts will benefit from this move.
The Chief Minister also said, “Our aim is to make the panchayat as the epicentre of development. Our aim is to strengthen the rural economy and the LAccMI bus service will play an important role in this regard”.
The LAccMi bus service connecting one village with another will strengthen social connect as well as the economy of the state, he said.
Patnaik said the service will connect children to schools and colleges, farmers to markets Women, students and persons with disabilities can use the bus service by paying only Rs 5 bus fare, he added.
PTI
