Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday laid the foundation stones for 471 new Gram Panchayat offices in 28 districts, except for Nuapada and Kalahandi, under a state-level infrastructure initiative aimed at improving administrative outreach and service delivery in rural areas.

The CM described these offices as “new temples of service”, which would function as one-stop service centres, ensuring respect, convenience, and timely solutions to citizens under one roof. “Service is our government’s core principle,” said the Chief Minister, emphasising that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gram panchayats are being developed as centres for public welfare and service.

“Each Gram Panchayat office will be built with Ts 35 lakh, funded through a partnership between the central and state governments. These offices will have dedicated rooms for sarpanchs, panchayat executive officers, junior engineers, gram rozgar sevaks, and accountant-cum-data entry operators, ensuring all services are available under one roof,” he said.

During the programme held at the Chief Minister’s Conference Hall in Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi also disbursed the first instalment of financial assistance to 48,693 beneficiaries under Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, providing secure and dignified housing for economically weaker and marginalised families not yet selected under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

Under this state scheme, the government will provide Rs 1.20 lakh in financial aid to beneficiaries for building pucca houses. “A total of Rs 7,550 crore has been allocated for the financial years 2024-25 to 2027-28 to construct 5 lakh houses. Excluding Nuapada and Kalahandi, 48,693 beneficiaries across 28 districts have received Rs 40,000 each as the first instalment, totalling Rs 194.77 crore. Beneficiaries will receive Rs 65,000 in the second installment and Rs 15,000 in the third, making a total of Rs 1.2 lakh per beneficiary,” Majhi said.

The scheme also incorporates other initiatives to provide essential facilities, including toilets through the Swachh Bharat Mission, LPG connections via Ujjwala Yojana, safe drinking water under Jal Jeevan Mission, and electricity connections through Saubhagya Yojana. It will cover victims of natural/man-made calamities, households displaced due to development projects, persons with disabilities (PwDs), widows, cancer patients, people suffering from other serious ailments who are earning members of the family, and beneficiaries of Forest Rights Act (FRA).

The Chief Minister further stated that beneficiaries who complete their houses within four months will receive an incentive of Rs 20,000, and those who complete within six months will receive Rs 10,000. Additionally, beneficiaries in Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts will get 95 days of wages under MGNREGA, while those in non-IAP districts will receive 90 days of wages.

“These initiatives will strengthen rural infrastructure and bring the state closer to realising the vision of a developed and self-reliant Odisha,” the CM added.