On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared that Odisha will be free of slums by the end of 2023. While launching a survey utilising drones to speed up the process of granting land rights to slum dwellers in five municipal corporations of the state, the chief minister made the remark. He also dedicated 707 “Biju Adarsh Colonies” in 33 urban regions of the state, including Hinjili, his home district, and Digapahandi town in Ganjam.
The chief minister declared that all slums in the state would be transformed into model colonies and that 2.5 lakh families would receive land rights by the end of the following year. In “Biju Adarsh Colonies,” which are being built all over the state, slum dwellers are receiving land rights for their homes, according to the chief minister, and the “Jaga Mission” programme has received praise from the Center and recognition from around the world. The programme has so far granted land rights to more than 1.70 lakh families living in slums in 105 cities and towns.
He claimed that the “Jaga Mission,” which was started in 2017, is a spiritual endeavour that has so far greatly satisfied its beneficiaries and is a success. Slum development associations have been tasked with managing “Biju Adarsh Colonies,” and it has been planned to give the organisations 25% of the municipal budget for infrastructure development.
Naveen said the “Jaga Mission” will keep playing a significant role in improving the lives of the 17 lakh slum dwellers throughout the state, claiming that it provides social and economic justice to the poor as they have an equal right to benefits of development and growth.
The chief minister announced that the state government has launched a pilot initiative to investigate the root causes of slums and develop preventative measures to keep them out of cities. In the presence of the chief minister, representatives of “Jaga Misson” also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tata Steel Foundation to identify slum dwellers in regions under the control of the five municipal corporations. Technical assistance will be offered for this aim by the Tata Steel Foundation.
Prasanta Patnaik