Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday launched the 'Bikashita Gaon, Bikashita Odisha' (BGBO) scheme for rural infrastructure developmental projects in the state.

He said the implementation of the scheme will end the divide between villages and towns and people in rural areas will get all facilities that are available in the urban areas.

The chief minister launched the scheme at Jankia village, about 30 km from the state capital. He said the developmental activities under the BGBO scheme will reach all 53,845 villages across the state in a span of five years.

"We focus on the development of villages as 81 per cent of the state's population live in rural areas," Majhi said. The BJP government has announced the BGBO scheme after replacing the 'Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha' (AONO) scheme launched by the previous BJD government.

Majhi said the state government has made a budgetary provision of `1,000 Crore under the BGBO scheme for the financial year 2024-25 and `5,000 Crore will be spent in a span of five years. He, however, said that though the previous BJD government had launched the AONO scheme, it did not make any budgetary provision under it.

"The BJD government had launched the AONO scheme just before general elections in 2024 to mislead the people," Majhi said.

Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, local MLAs, and panchayat functionaries were present at the function. The chief minister said the BGBO has the provision to take up various sustainable rural infrastructure developmental projects like roads, bridges, culverts, school buildings, civic amenities, marriage halls, sports, and other infrastructure development.

"The facilities which are available in urban areas will be at the reach of people in villages and this is the objective of the scheme," he said, adding that the villages dominated by tribals, backward class, and dalit residents will get priority in the BGBO scheme.

A maximum of 35 per cent of the total allotted funds can be utilised for road projects while 40 per cent of the allocation will be earmarked for blocks that come under the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA). Stating that politics should not be a factor in the development of villages, Majhi said the incomplete projects under the AONO scheme in which a minimum 20 per cent expenditure has been incurred, can also be taken up and will be completed under the new scheme (BGBO). The chief minister said gram sabhas will prepare a need-based five-year perspective plan on the basis of which, an annual action plan for each financial year will be prepared by the blocks.