Mahakar, Feb. 12: Octogenarian Ram Manjhi no more travels all the way to Gaya or Khisersarai for health check-up. Nowadays, he just walks down to the additional primary health centre (APHC) from his home at Mahakar for treatment.

"The health centre has come as a boon for me as now I can easily visit APHC for check-up. I am grateful to chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for looking after our basic needs," said Ram.

Thanks to the chief minister that Mahakar's boondocks and ancestral village of Jitan Ram is moving slowly in the direction of becoming a model village.

Located under Khisersarai block of Gaya district, around 78km south of Patna, Manjhi appears to have followed his predecessors Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad at least in developing his ancestral village. Some villagers said chief minister Manjhi was developing Mahakar on the lines of Kalyanbigha, the hometown of Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Phulwaria.

The APHC, where five doctors and eight nurses work 24x7 round the year, is a boon not only for elderly Ram but also for Sunita Devi. Expecting a baby, she frequents the health hub every month.

Sunita (30) said: "When there was no APHC, pregnant women had to travel 35km to Gaya or at least 13km to Khisersarai in rickety autorickshaws for check-up. Thanks to Jitan Ram Manjhi, I am spared that toil."?

Dr Ravindra Kumar Sinha of the APHC said: "The health centre inaugurated in December last year is the only additional primary health centre that functions 365 days. It has emergency, OPD and maternity ward facilities. On an average, 60 to 70 patients visit the health unit every day."?

Manjhi gifted his ancestral village an Anganwadi Kendra too. Around 40 students in the age group of three to six study there. Colourful charts adore the walls of the Kendra. A sevika teaches the children and a helper cooks food for the tiny tots. The village has a middle school. A high school is also under construction, thanks to Manjhi. Not only these, the chief minister showered various infrastructure facilities on Mahakar. The nondescript village with a couple of hillocks around has received several gifts from its brightest son.

A power sub-station is under construction for uninterrupted electricity supply to the village. A two-storied police station would replace the checkpost. A milk collection and distribution centre of Sudha Dairy is also on the cards. Mahakar residents proudly talk about their solar power-run water supply machine.

Chief minister Manjhi has given a part of his ancestral house for running the branch of Magadh Gramin Bank. Pramod Kumar Manjhi, a distant relative of the chief minister working at Magadh Gramin Bank, said: "The bank has helped the villagers become more conscious financially."?

Echoing Pramod, tea kiosk owner Satish Kumar said: "I opened my account at Gramin bank depositing Rs 500. A few days later, I deposited Rs 500 more. The bank has inspired me to save money for the future. Thank you, sir!"