Odisha Chief Minister flags off 30 Buses for remote areas

Bhubaneswar, Dec 31: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off 30 buses under Biju Gaon Gadi Yojana on Thursday here afternoon.

These buses will ply in the districts of Deogarh, Gajapati, Naudapada and Sundergarh in the state. The move is aimed to provide connectivity to rural areas. The state government has decided to provide connectivity to Maoist-hit areas in the third phase of the scheme. In the first two phases of the scheme around 57 buses are in operation in rural areas as per officials.

The bus operators under this scheme of Odisha government will get many benefits including exemption of road tax and permit fee for a maximum period of five years from the date of issuance of first permit. Besides, as per the scheme beneficiaries can also avail loan from banks and financial institution to purchase buses, officials said.