Affirming his government's commitment to develop urban areas, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched 100 new drinking water projects and eight 'Aahar' cheap meal centres in Odisha on Thursday, besides announcing a city bus service for Koraput district.
The drinking water projects would benefit around two lakh people in 46 urban areas of 21 districts in the state, he said while dedicating the three important programmes from the state secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
Earlier, 100 similar safe drinking water projects had been launched in the state. All these show the commitment of the government for ensuring the development of urban infrastructure and inclusive growth in urban areas, he said. The new water projects would go a long way in providing safe drinking water to the people in urban areas, Patnaik said.
Dedicating eight new 'Aahar' centres in urban areas, he said Housing and Urban Development department had launched the programme in five municipal corporations on April 1, 2015 to provide cooked meal (steamed rice and dalma) at Rs 5 per meal to the poor and needy people.
The 'Aahar' programme was meant particularly for patients, their attendants, construction workers, labourers, rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, street vendors and needy students visiting urban areas for different purposes. With the launch of the eight new 'Aahar' centres, the total number of such centres in the state has increased to 110, an official statement said.
The newly-launched Aahar centres were located at Udala and Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district, Anandpur in Keonjhar district, Nilagiri in Balasore district, Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, Chandikhol Chhak in Jajpur district, near Pattamundai in Kendrapara district and Konark in Puri district.
Besides, the Jeypore-Koraput-Sunameda city bus service would benefit the people of the region in a big way, Patnaik added.
