Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday launched ‘Bikashita Gaon Bikashita Odisha’ for rural infrastructure developmental projects in the state.
Launching the scheme at a function in Khordha district’s Jankia, Majhi said his government was committed to the development of every village. “We need to keep politics and development separate. “The previous government that ruled 24 years in Odisha had conspired to create a vote bank in the name of 5T. However, the BJP government will continue fighting against poverty and backwardness. Under the ‘Bikashita Gaon Bikashita Odisha’ scheme, each village will be developed within five years.” he said.
The programme will have a ₹5,000 crore budget for five years. The government has provisioned ₹1,000 crore for 2024-25. The scheme focuses on critical areas such as road connectivity, civic amenities, educational facilities, and micro tourism development.
The scheme is similar to those launched by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik in 2018 and 2023. In September 2018, the Biju Janata Dal government started the ‘Ama Gaon Ama Bikash’ (AGAB) scheme to accelerate local development through small and essential projects of local importance and providing missing links to existing development infrastructure. Projects, which were expected to contribute to the overall development of the community and wellbeing of the general public, were to be taken up under the scheme.
But the funding for the scheme dried up after two years. In contrast to the ₹1250 crore allocated to the scheme in 2018, the allocation reduced to ₹400 crore in 2019-20. No allocation was made for the scheme in subsequent years.
An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General into Ama Gaon Ama Bikash scheme later said projects were approved at the state level without supporting documents. This apart, the projects were neither consolidated at panchayat or block levels nor based on suggestions made by local people or public representatives. The CAG audit said projects were selected without the involvement of beneficiaries or their representatives, in a manner that was not compliant with the AGAB guidelines.
{{/usCountry}}An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General into Ama Gaon Ama Bikash scheme later said projects were approved at the state level without supporting documents. This apart, the projects were neither consolidated at panchayat or block levels nor based on suggestions made by local people or public representatives. The CAG audit said projects were selected without the involvement of beneficiaries or their representatives, in a manner that was not compliant with the AGAB guidelines.
{{/usCountry}}In 2023-24, the Naveen Patnaik government changed the name of the scheme to Ama Odisha Naveen Odisha and allocated ₹3,551 crore. of which ₹3,300 crore could be spent.