Bhubaneswar, Nov 19 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced that his government will provide safe piped drinking water supply to every household in the mining-affected Keonjhar district by December 2022.

Patnaik said this while distributing smart health cards to Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) beneficiaries of Keonjhar district through virtual mode.

He said the state government aims to develop Keonjhar as a prosperous district of the state.

All villages, towns and families of the district would be provided with piped drinking water by December 2022, he said.

Patnaik also launched various development projects worth Rs 2,037 crore for the district.

While 142 projects worth Rs 458 crore have been inaugurated, foundation stones laid for 257 projects worth Rs 1,201 crore. The projects include healthcare, education, roads and bridges, sports infrastructure and livelihood projects.

To further accelerate the infrastructure development, the Chief Minister also announced 13 new projects worth Rs 378 crore for the district.

This includes a mega poultry farm project worth Rs 36 crore which will benefit 30,000 people from tribal communities in the region.

Around 4.20 lakh people of the district can avail the benefits of the smart health card. With this, the BSKY health cards programme has been implemented in 13 out of 30 districts of the state.

Under the BSKY scheme, each family can avail treatment cost up to Rs 5 lakh per annum. However, the women members can avail this benefit up to Rs 10 lakh every year.

Meanwhile, in another programme, Patnaik has dedicated 158 transformed high-schools in five districts.

Of the total transformed schools, 60 are in Mayurbhanj district, 38 in Khurda, 29 in Kalahandi, 25 in Jharsuguda and 6 in Malkangiri.