Govt plans to develop birthplaces of eminent personalities
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Bhubaneswar: State govt is planning to launch a new initiative, 'Mahapurush Adarsh Gram Yojana', focusing on developing villages that are birthplaces of eminent personalities.
The govt has instructed district collectors to identify and create a list of eligible villages.
According to the panchayati raj and drinking water department, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has conceptualised the scheme that seeks to combine rural development with preservation of historical legacy.
Sources said the proposed programme will coordinate various existing govt schemes and departments to achieve complete saturation of development parameters in the villages.
Key focus areas will include infrastructure development, education, healthcare, sanitation and digital connectivity.
"This will be a new convergence-based scheme focusing on complete development of selected gram panchayats where eminent personalities were born. We are currently finalising the guidelines as per the CM's vision," Girish S N, secretary of the department, told TOI.
Sunik Pattnaik, a noted historian, welcomed the move.
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"This initiative will not only preserve our cultural heritage but also create sustainable development models. It's a fitting tribute to personalities who have contributed significantly to our state's history," he said.
The scheme envisions establishing memorials, museums and welcome arches in the villages, while also developing the ancestral homes of distinguished personalities. Under the project, information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns will be planned to raise awareness about the villages.
"Through the programme, we aim to create model villages that will serve as blueprints for rural development across Odisha. It is about honouring our legacy while building for the future," Girish said.
In Feb this year, an ambitious Rs 5,000 crore rural development programme — 'Viksit Gaon, Viksit Odisha' (developed villages, developed Odisha) — aimed at transforming around 60,000 villages across the state over the next five years — was launched by CM Majhi.
A similar initiative was launched by the previous govt in 2023. Freedom fighter Utkalmani Gopabandhu Dash's ancestral home in Puri district's Suando village was transformed into a tourist destination in 2023.
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