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Bhubaneswar: With an aim to improve health, education and other needs of minority communities, the Centre on Saturday announced to include 19 blocks and one municipality in Odisha, and will provide Rs 200, under the Multi-sectoral Development Programme of Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The 19 selected blocks were in the four districts of Kandhamal, Rayagada, Gajapati and Sundergarh and the municipality in Bhadrak town area, official sources said.
The Ministry would provide Rs 10 crore to each block and the municipality under MSDP which would be implemented during the ongoing fiscal, they said.
The programme was being implemented at present only in Gajapati district.
"The MSDP scheme will help boost health, education and other essential needs of the minority communities," said Union Minority Affairs Minister Ninong Ering after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
The scheme provided for pucca housing, safe drinking water supply, water closet toilets and electricity for each household.
The Union Minister, however, expressed displeasure on expenditure by the state government under the scheme.
State ST and SC Development and Minorities and Backward Welfare secretary Santosh Sarangi, however, said "Odisha tops the list of expenditure under MsDP. So far it is being implemented only in one place. We have spent 86 per cent of the allocation which is the highest in the country."
