Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched affordable bus services to remote areas in five additional districts in the state, PTI reported. 

The Chief Minister has launched the bus service under LAccMI (Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative) in Bolangir, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Sundergarh districts through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar, PTI noted. 

The LAccMi bus service connecting one village with another will strengthen social connect as well as the economy of the state, Patnaik said. 

The affordable bus service was first rolled out in Malkangiri. In the first phase, along with Malkangiri, the scheme was launched in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Koraput districts.

In the second phase, three more districts were added. With the launching of the service in five more districts, so far, 14 districts have been covered under the scheme.

After launching the scheme in the five districts, 301 buses started plying on different routes in 1,340 panchayats. More than 83 lakh people in these districts will benefit from this move, PTI noted.