Include 10 more Swabhiman Anchal GPs under SETU: CM Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed authorities to include 10 more gram panchayats (GPs) in the cut-off area or Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district under Socio-Economic Transformation and Upliftment (SETU) scheme.

The scheme is aimed at the social and economic development of the area. Since Swabhiman Anchal was highly infested to Maoist menace before the operation of Gurupriya bridge in Malkangiri district, Naveen said the area should be included under the SETU scheme, an official said. Naveen also increased the special scheme's allocation amount by two-fold from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore.

A note issued by the CMO said nine more gram panchayats such as Andrapalli, Panasput, Jodamba, Raligada, Papermetla, Badapada, Gajalmamudi, Jantri and Dhuliput under Chitrakonda block and Nakamamudi GP under Korukonda block will be included under the SETU scheme.

The Chief Minister also sanctioned Rs 9.60 crore under the scheme for the development and expansion of paramilitary force deployed in Swabhiman Anchal.

Formerly known as the cut-off area and now described as Swabhiman Anchal in Malkangiri district, it is surrounded by water from three sides while one part is connected to dense forest in Andhra Pradesh. The area was a safe haven for Maoists as they used to take shelter after committing crimes in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. However, with the construction of the Gurupriya bridge in 2018, the SETU scheme is being executed for the social and economic development of people residing in Swabhiman Anchal.

The objective of the scheme is to fast-track the development in the 151 villages of the cut-off region in Chitrakonda block of the Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected district.