Baghel attended the event via video conferencing. State Health Minister Niranjan Pujari and Kalahandi MP Basanta Panda were also present.

The SRMMCH, spread over an area of 43 acre, has been built with an investment of Rs 531 crore. At present, 22 departments are functioning at the institute with a strength of 49 teaching faculty and 38 senior residents and tutors, informed Health Secretary Shalini Pandit.

The first batch of 100 MBBS students admitted to the college in academic year 2023-2024 were also present on the occasion. “These students have come from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Odisha. 41 among are from Odisha,” Pandit added.

Following the inauguration, the students also interacted with the dignitaries and shared their experiences.

Baghel spoke about the transformation of Kalahandi from “land of hunger” to its present state and advised the students to devote some time to serve the tribals of the area in their spare time.

Notably, the central government in 2020 approved establishment of the medical college & hospital in the district. The state government decided to name this MCH after Saheed Rendo Majhi, a tribal leader and the most prominent freedom fighter from the Kalahandi region, in June this year.

With this, the number of government medical colleges and hospitals in the state has gone up to 11.

Greeting the people of the district on the Kalahandi Foundation Day, the Chief Minister said that 63 buses will run under this scheme. These buses will operate in all panchayats of the district.

Inaugurating the scheme at the Kalahandi University campus, the Chief Minister said that the bus scheme will bring happiness to homes and take the vehicle of development forward. Altogether 1,000 buses will run under this scheme in the entire state.

The Chief Minister also named Kalahandi University as Ma Manikeshwari University.

It may be noted here that the main objective of the LAccMI scheme is to improve the local transport system and promote tourism and the regional economy. After launching the initiativve, the CM took a bus ride to Balrampur and inaugurated a BQS facility there.

Describing the day as a big milestone in the development journey of Kalahandi and a day of great joy, Naveen said a project worth more than Rs 300 crore was inaugurated here today. This apart, foundation stone for infrastructure projects worth Rs 900 crore was also laid. All these would further accelerate the development of the district, he said.

Stating that the LAccMI Yojana has been launched after getting to know about the problem of buses in the villages, the Chief Minister said the initiative will remove your daily worries as more than 1,000 buses will operate in the state soon. “The buses will come to your house and connect all – mobility of children to schools, farmers to markets, and mothers will increase,” he said.

Highlighting the development of the district, the Chief Minister said Kalahandi is our model in the field of transformation. Improvements in education, health communication, infrastructure, industry, and agriculture have made the dreams of the people of Kalahandi come true. Kalahandi has changed its history and added new success stories. The journey of development has progressed. Kalahandi is providing rice to the whole country today, the CM said

The Indravati Project is the engine of Kalahandi’s development and this project has brightened the face of of the district, he said. Nabin Odisha programme will be launched in the district soon under which each panchayat will receive Rs 50 lakh. This money will be spent on our culture and modern infrastructure, he said

The CM said that the development journey of Kalahandi will go further in the coming days with everyone’s cooperation.

The LAccMI scheme has already been launched in Malkangiri and Gajapati districts.

In the first phase, the scheme will provide bus service in rural areas of six districts – Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, and Gajapati.

The state government will operate 1000 buses in the rural areas across the state with allocated budget of Rs 3,178 crore under the scheme. The buses will run from panchayats to block headquarters and from block headquarters to district headquarters.

According to preliminary information, the mishap took place on Dumermunda Sirul road under the jurisdiction of Kesinga police station. Around 15 passengers reportedly sustained injuries in the accident.

The passenger bus was on its way to Barabandha from Bhawanipatna when the mishap took place near Sirul in the afternoon.

The injured were rescued by local volunteers and taken to a hospital in Kesinga for treatment. The condition of some of the injured passengers was stated to be critical. Two of the injured passengers were later shifted to Kalahandi District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) as their condition deteriorated.

While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, the bus driver reportedly made an abrupt turn to save a bike rider on the road following which the vehicle overturned and plunged into the paddy field.

On being informed, a team of police personnel visited the spot and initiated a probe into the mishap. Further details are awaited.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia joined the event virtually through videoconferencing and also inaugurated the newly-constructed Utkela Airport along with the CM on the occasion. Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu and Public Enterprises, SSEPD and Science and Technology Minister Ashok Panda were also present at Bhubaneswar airport.

“Glad to flag off first flight between Bhubaneswar and newly inaugurated Utkela Airport in Kalahandi district. The airport has added yet another golden chapter to Odisha’s aviation sector. It will boost connectivity, commerce and tourism, fulfilling aspirations of people of the region,” Naveen tweeted.

It is the fifth airport in Odisha after BPIA, Jharsuguda, Jeypore and Rourkela to start flight operations. With this, a long standing demand for flight operation to Utkela has been fulfilled and the travel time is 1 hour 15 minutes. The presence of attractive places and tourist destinations like Manikeswari Temple, Phurli Jharan Waterfall, Rabandhara waterfall, Khariapat wildlife sanctuary will attract many tourists after air connectivity at Utkela. Senior doctors, professors of Saheed Rendo Majhi Medical College and Hospital, Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi and businessmen from the city will fly out and in frequently, a CMO release said.

Kalahandi is considered as a commercial hub of eestern Odisha which has seen a rapid growth in its population and industry. The flight operation in this route will boost the industry and tourism sector, it added.

According to its official website, the airline will connect Utkela to Bhubaneswar with 2X weekly flights on Tuesday and Thursday. The flight will take off from BPIA in Bhubaneswar at 7.15 am and arrive in Utkela at 8.25 am. It will leave the new airport at 8.50 am and land at Bhubaneswar at 10 am. The introductory one-way fare was fixed at Rs 999 per passenger. The ticket price comes to around Rs 1049.

All tickets between Utkela and Bhubaneswar are sold out for the month of September, according to the website.

Utkela Airport is among the airstrips listed under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN. The state government has spent around Rs 162 crore for acquisition of land, construction of runway and terminal building for the airport in Bhawanipatna. Director General Civil Aviation Monday (DGCA) issued the licence to start flight operations on August 7.

Earlier, Utkela Airstrip was used only on handful occasions for flight operations during the arrival of dignitaries.

The flight operations will commence as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted the requisite license to the Utkela Airport on August 7.

According to sources, IndiaOne Air will provide air service between Utkela Airport and Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar in the first phase. The service is likely to be extended to Raipur in Chhattisgarh in the subsequent phase.

IndiaOne Air will reportedly engage a nine-seater aircraft to start air service between Utkela Airport and BPIA.

The state government has spent around Rs 162 crore for acquisition of land, construction of runway and terminal building for Utkela Airport in Bhawanipatna.

Night watcher Ajaya Mallick had demanded bribe of Rs.8000 from a complainant for facilitating the process of mutation of his ancestral land in connection with a mutation case and issuance of Patta (RoR) in favour of the complainant and other legal heirs.

Based on the complaint, a trap was laid and Mallick was caught by the team of Odisha Vigilance inside the premises of Phiringia Tehsil office while receiving the money from the complainant.

The entire bribe money was recovered from the possession of Mallick and seized in presence of witnesses. Right hand wash of Mallick gave positive chemical reaction, confirming acceptance and handling of bribe money by him.

Search has also been launched on the residential house of Mallick at Nandagiri under G. Udayagiri Police limits. Mallick has been arrested and will be forwarded to court soon.