Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel meets PM; urges to resolve

pending issues related to 70 lakh tribals and 58 lakh poor families in CG

         Raipur, //  Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and urged him to resolve at the earliest long pending issues related to 70 lakh tribals and 58 lakh poor families in the state.

          The chief minister said that the state government has purchased paddy from farmers on MSP of Rs 2500 per quintal due to which paddy procurement in Chhattisgarh has increased. He urged the prime minister to keep the interest of farmers in mind and allow sufficient stock of rice in central pool in addition to the requirements under PDS.

          He urged the prime minister to provide hundred per cent grant for a scheme providing drinking water to each household in the state through tap connection. He added that there was a need to put extra efforts at national level to provide drinking water facility to each household similar to the efforts made by the Centre to ensure cent per cent electrification of villages in states.

          Referring to recognition of forest rights during the meeting, he said there were several loopholes in the proposed amendment to Indian Forest Act, 1927 and it does not protect the rights of tribals living in the forest areas. He emphasized on better amendment.

          He said that the Centre has launched Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana to benefit small and marginalized farmers of the country but the scheme does not include farmers under scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers Act 2006 as beneficiaries. He demanded that these farmers having forest rights should be given Rs 12000 every year as felicitation amount under the scheme.      

          Referring to Ujjawala scheme, the chief minister said that number of cylinders being refilled under the scheme is very less. He said poor families do not have enough money for refilling the cylinders and less number of LPG distributers in remote areas is the main reasons behind the less number. He added that BPL families require kerosene for cooking therefore share of kerosene for the state should be increased from 1.15 lakh kilo litre to 1.58 lakh kilo liter. He said annual percentage average of refill cylinders under Ujjawala Yojana in the state is just 1.7 therefore 5 kg cylinders should be made available to each district in the state through oil companies so that use of LPG is assured as per the buying capacity of poor families.

          During the meeting he urged that premium should be increased for mines allotted for government venture from Rs 100 per tonne to Rs 500 per tonne and the state should also be given a share in electricity generated.

          Drawing attention towards the main problem of students of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBC and a section of deprived people in the society, the chief minister said that as per recent directions issued by the Centre, only state government run or Centre or state owned welfare institutions and hostels would be eligible for allocation of foodgrains, due to which supply of 655 tonne rice on subsidized rates to 471 government affiliated institutions, running on government grant, and to 43640 SC/ST/OBC students has been stopped since April 2019. He demanded that these institutions and student should also be made eligible for allocation of food grains under welfare institutions and hostels schemes.

          He also urged the prime minister to bring improvement in several schemes such as crop insurance scheme, food subsidy, problem of allotment in MNREGA, Swacch Bharat Mission (rural), gobar dhan yojana, pradhanmantri awaas yojan (urban) and stand up Indian scheme. He also presented his views regarding these schemes. Principal Secretary to CM Gaurav Diwedi was also present at the meeting.