LAccMI scheme to be launched in Odisha on Aug 15 to foster rural bus service

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will launch a new scheme to boost communication in rural areas of the state.

The state government is all set to launch Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15 to provide bus communication from each gram panchayat to the block headquarters, said an official.

The scheme will be launched in undivided Koraput, Gajapati and Kalahandi districts in the first phase, he added.

The meeting of the executive committee for implementation of LAccMI scheme was recently organised in the capital city here. Commerce and Transport department Principal Secretary Usha Padhee presided over the meet, sources said.

In the initial phase, the state government will provide bus communication under the scheme. In the later stage, communication through boats and others means of transport will be included in it, sources added.

It is learnt that the state government will deploy two buses in each block under the LAccMI scheme. The government has so far constructed bus stands at 55 blocks in Odisha while steps are being taken to build the same at 70 more blocks.

The officials of the Transport department are now identifying suitable routes in South Odisha districts for providing bus communication under the scheme. The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will play a key role in the implementation of LAccMI.

The women self-help groups (SHGs) under the Mission Shakti department will be roped in to manage the bus stands built under the scheme. The OSRTC will impart training to the members of the SHGs in this regard, sources said.