Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the LAccMI bus service in Deogarh, Angul and Dhenkanal districts on Wednesday.
A total of 101 state-of-the-art buses will connect 440 panchayats of these three districts under the scheme for the benefit of people in rural areas. It will benefit more than 27 lakh people of these districts.
While a fleet of 17 buses will connect 69 panchayats in Deogarh district benefiting over three lakh people, 29 buses will ply in 176 panchayats of Angul for the convenience of 11.50 lakh people.
In Dhenkanal, 55 buses will connect 195 panchayats benefiting over 13 lakh people, an official release said.
The scheme, first started in Malkangari district under the 5T initiative, facilitates bus service from panchayats to blocks in every district at a fare of just Rs 5. As per plan, more than 1,000 Laxmi buses will run across the state and they will be operated by Mission Shakti members, official sources said.
Launching the scheme through video conference, the Chief Minister said the first phase of the LAccMI bus service had started from Malkangari. Daily hassles for transit would be eased and people can now commute at low cost through this service.
In the first phase, 63 lakh residents in 1,131 panchayats of Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Gajapati, and Koraput districts had got the benefits of the service. Now, the scheme has been launched in three more districts.
This scheme has been started after knowing about the transportation problems of the people during district visits by the CMO officials. LAccMI buses will connect everyone. It will take children to school and college, patients to the hospitals, and connect farmers to markets. Mothers will also have access to various activities.
Stating that the progress of the state lies in the development of villages, Naveen said new awakening has come in the panchayats through the ‘Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha’ programme.
Digital infrastructure has evolved along with the spread of Jagannath culture, he said adding that development has become a mass movement and panchayats today and the Laxmi bus scheme has become the heart of development programmes.
The transformation of the village has paved the way for the transformation of Odisha, he said.
Stating that this development belongs to all of us, the Chief Minister expressed the hope that a new Odisha will be possible with the cooperation of all.
