Naveen ends rural-connect prog with projects worth Rs 39cr
TNN | Jan 22, 2019, 22:18 ISTBhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday completed the exercise of connecting with people in all the 314 blocks of the state under the Ama Gaon Ama Bikash (our village, our development) initiative. Within a year of launching the programme, Naveen sanctioned rural projects worth Rs 1,555 crore for all the 6,798 panchayats across 30 districts.
In the last leg, he sanctioned projects worth Rs 39.53 crore for eight blocks in six districts under the initiative.
“The programme is a fine example of the government’s principle of 3Ts — technology, teamwork and transparency,” Naveen, who connected with the people through video-conferencing, said while announcing the completion of the scheme for the current fiscal.
Despite being dubbed as a BJD propaganda by opposition parties, the rural-connect exercise is believed to have helped the ruling dispensation garner support from the rural mass.
The programme was conceived by the chief minister following one-on-one discussions with representatives from panchayati raj institutions (PRI) across the state after the 2017 panchayat election. The initiative ensured direct interaction between Naveen and PRI members where local leaders aired their grievances directly.
The Ama Gaon Ama Bikash initiative was launched on March 5 last year on the birth anniversary of former chief minister and Naveen’s father Biju Patnaik, which is also observed as panchayati raj day.
At least seven to 10 days in a month were kept aside for the chief minister’s outreach programme under which, the state government claimed, more than 50,000 villages have been covered.
Under the programme, the chief minister instantly approved rural projects up to Rs 10 lakh at the request of people, community organizations and public representatives to bridge the gap in infrastructural development.
“Since it was one of the focus areas of the state government, the district administrations were asked to complete the sanctioned projects expeditiously. Since individual projects were less than Rs 10 lakh, it was comparatively easy to implement them,” said a senior panchayati raj department official.
State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty criticised the state government saying the initiative was meant for the development of the ruling party and not the villages. He alleged that the programme was launched to benefit the BJD workers in the state.
In the last leg, he sanctioned projects worth Rs 39.53 crore for eight blocks in six districts under the initiative.
“The programme is a fine example of the government’s principle of 3Ts — technology, teamwork and transparency,” Naveen, who connected with the people through video-conferencing, said while announcing the completion of the scheme for the current fiscal.
Despite being dubbed as a BJD propaganda by opposition parties, the rural-connect exercise is believed to have helped the ruling dispensation garner support from the rural mass.
The programme was conceived by the chief minister following one-on-one discussions with representatives from panchayati raj institutions (PRI) across the state after the 2017 panchayat election. The initiative ensured direct interaction between Naveen and PRI members where local leaders aired their grievances directly.
The Ama Gaon Ama Bikash initiative was launched on March 5 last year on the birth anniversary of former chief minister and Naveen’s father Biju Patnaik, which is also observed as panchayati raj day.
At least seven to 10 days in a month were kept aside for the chief minister’s outreach programme under which, the state government claimed, more than 50,000 villages have been covered.
Under the programme, the chief minister instantly approved rural projects up to Rs 10 lakh at the request of people, community organizations and public representatives to bridge the gap in infrastructural development.
“Since it was one of the focus areas of the state government, the district administrations were asked to complete the sanctioned projects expeditiously. Since individual projects were less than Rs 10 lakh, it was comparatively easy to implement them,” said a senior panchayati raj department official.
State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty criticised the state government saying the initiative was meant for the development of the ruling party and not the villages. He alleged that the programme was launched to benefit the BJD workers in the state.
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