Naveen Patnaik approved Rs 183.81 crore in favour of 42 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)

Bhubaneswar :12/6/23:: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved Rs 183.81 crore in favour of 42 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) covering 10 districts of Southern RDC Division in the second phase of the state-funded flagship scheme MUKTA for the financial year 2023-24. The districts include Ganjam, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, and Boudh.

All these 42 ULBs have developed ward-wise feasible Annual Action Plans under MUKTA through a participatory process involving local citizens and key stakeholders. These projects are demand-driven, technically feasible, and environmentally sustainable projects. The action plans have been screened at the department level before the approval of the Chief Minister. The approved projects to be taken up under MUKTA will be executed directly by Mission Shakti Groups as the implementing agency.

It may be mentioned here that on the direction of the Chief Minister, 5T Secretary VK Pandian held discussions with public representatives of 42 ULBs of the above 10 districts on June 9 regarding the implementation of the project.

The basket of projects approved under MUKTA is climate-resilient work, which includes the creation of civic amenities (mini park, open-air gym, child play station, playground, walking track, toilets, vending zones), open space development, water body development, construction of multi-purpose community centers, wall painting, city beautification, and other Labour-oriented works.

“Mukhya Mantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan” (MUKTA) was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on April 18, 2020, with a mission to create rapid, immediate and mass employment opportunities for urban poor, informal and migrant labourers, rendered unemployed and vulnerable in the face of Covid-19 infused crisis, while addressing the needs of creation of climate resilient, cost-effective sustainable and replicable community assets by implementing labour-intensive public works across 115 Urban Local Bodies.

MUKTA adopts a community-driven, participatory, and bottom-up approach ensuring transparency and accountability during the entire stage of project implementation. MUKTA is a community-driven scheme tailor-made for Community-Based Organisations (CBO) such as Women Self Help Groups (SHG) and Slum Dwellers Associations (SDA) to take center stage.