LAccMI bus service covers all 30 dists

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government’s affordable bus service under the LAccMI scheme has now covered all the 30 districts of the State as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched it for five more districts. Naveen virtually launched the service for Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Nuapada and Boudh districts.

He flagged off 255 buses that will ply in 1,057 panchayats of the five districts, benefiting over 71 lakh people. ‘’LAccMI buses will play an important role in strengthening the rural economy. Our aim is to make panchayat the centre of development to strengthen the village economy,’’ the Chief Minister said.

‘Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative’ (LAccMI) scheme, under which affordable bus services are provided to people in rural areas, was first launched in Malkangiri district and later extended to the rest of the State, an official said.

A total of 1,354 buses ply in 30 districts benefiting 3.64 crore people in 6,031 panchayats, he said.