No plan to discontinue State-sponsored schemes: CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday informed the Assembly that there are no plans to discontinue any State-sponsored schemes, as no proposals to that effect have been received by the Planning and Convergence department.

The Chief Minister said this in a written statement while replying to questions raised by senior legislators Ranendra Pratap Swain (BJD) and Taraprasad Bahinipati (Congress). Majhi’s statement addressed concerns regarding the continuity of schemes like Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), both introduced during the previous BJD government’s tenure. Regarding new schemes proposed by the BJP government, the Chief Minister advised lawmakers to await details in the upcoming budget.

In a separate response to an unstarred question from BJD member Ganeswar Behera, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena clarified that there have been no in-principle decisions to terminate the ongoing ‘Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative’ (LAccMI) scheme.

This initiative provides affordable bus services in various blocks across Odisha. Jena also noted that buses under this scheme have not been converted into the ‘Mukhya Mantri Bus Service.’ He confirmed that no government funds were spent on changing the colour of buses from green to saffron.

Currently, Odisha boasts a fleet of 8,902 public transport buses, including 422 operated by the State-run Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), serving various regions across the State.