Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana, under which beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will receive an additional 5 kg of rice per month free of cost, increasing their total monthly entitlement to 10 kg per person.
The announcement was made as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government completed two years in office.
Addressing a press conference, Majhi said the state government has launched 121 new schemes, programmes and initiatives over the past two years, claiming that Odisha is steadily moving towards the goal of becoming a “Samruddha Odisha” by 2036.
Highlighting the government’s welfare and development initiatives, the Chief Minister said women’s empowerment has remained a key priority. He cited flagship programmes such as Subhadra, Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha and Kanya Sumangala Yojana, and said more than four lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) received subsidised bank loans worth Rs 38,795 crore during the period.
Majhi also claimed that Odisha has emerged as one of the leading states in creating “Lakhpati Didis”, reflecting the government’s efforts to strengthen women’s economic independence.
Referring to farmers as “Annadatas”, the Chief Minister said the government has undertaken several measures to strengthen the agriculture sector, including the implementation of the Samruddha Krushak Yojana, one of the first major decisions taken after the BJP assumed office in the state.
In a major education-related announcement, Majhi said education from Kindergarten (KG) to Postgraduate (PG) level would be made completely free in Odisha.
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