Bhubaneswar: Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Friday launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-IV in Odisha’s Rayagada district in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Chouhan handed over the PMGSY-IV approval letter to Majhi, in the presence of state Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik.
Under the initiative, 827 road projects covering 1,701 km will be taken up at a cost of Rs 1,698.04 crore, the Union minister said.
He said the projects will provide all-weather road connectivity to 898 habitations for the first time, improving access to schools, hospitals and markets, and boosting socio-economic development.
Addressing the gathering at Rayagada, Chouhan said it was former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream to connect every village with all-weather roads.
“Roads are not just roads; they are a lifeline for rural people and support for their livelihood. It is our commitment to connect every village with an all-weather road,” he said.
To provide livelihood support to rural people, more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore will be spent under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) scheme, Chouhan said.
The Union minister further said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to provide a pucca house to every family in the country. Central assistance of Rs 630.61 crore has been sanctioned to Odisha under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). As many as 32,516 people will benefit from the move, he added.
He informed that a scientific survey will be conducted in the state to promote integrated farming with the aim of enhancing farmers’ income.
“Odisha produces a high quantity of paddy during the kharif and rabi seasons. We will construct warehouses to store it using the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund,” Chouhan said.
