Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched the Laxmi Bus Scheme in Koraput district. As of now, 63 Laxmi buses will connect 234 panchayats of Koraput district.
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. More than 1,000 Laxmi buses will run across the state and they will be operated by Mission Shakti members.
Addressing the people of the Koraput district, the Chief Minister said that the first phase of the Laxmi bus service started from Malkangari and reached Koraput today. In the first phase, 63 lakh residents in 1,131 panchayats of Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Gajapati, and Koraput districts got the benefits of the Laxmi bus service. The Chief Minister said that daily hassles for transit would be removed and people can now commute at low cost.
The Chief Minister further said, “This scheme has been started after knowing about the transportation problems of the people by district visits by the CMO officials. Laxmi buses will connect everyone. Take children to school and college, patients to the hospitals, and connect farmers to markets. Mothers will also have access to various activities. The Chief Minister said that the Laxmi bus service is a blessing for everyone as it facilitates development.”
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also said that the development of villages is in progress in Odisha. A 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. “Odisha belongs to all of us,” he said
Stating that this development belongs to all of us, the Chief Minister expressed strong hope that the formation of New Odisha will be realised with the cooperation of all.
5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian said that the buses of Laxmi Bus Yojana were bought with the money of the people of the state. So he requested everyone to treat it as their property and take proper care of the vehicles. He informed the people the Chief Minister has approved the proposal to provide land for a new bus stand in Koraput.
Speaking on the occasion, Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu said that today, under the strong leadership and direction of the Chief Minister, the trend of development is continuing in all areas of the state. From the village to the city, everywhere there is development. The Lakshmi Yojana will bring prosperity to rural areas by facilitating transportation. She sought the cooperation of the people of Odisha so that the Chief Minister could make Odisha one of the best states in India.
Padmini Dayan of Kotpad, Patangi MLA Pitam Padhi, Jaipur MLA Tara Prasad Maharajpati, Lakshmipur MLA Prabhu Jani, Koraput MLA Raghuram Padal, Special Development Council Chairman Chandrasekhar Majhi, and District Council President Sammita Meleka spoke on the occasion.
