RAIPUR: Backed by a massive majority in the state assembly, Chhattisgarh chief minister
Bhupesh Baghel completes two years in office on Thursday, a tenure during which the Congress government mainly sought to put its focus on farmers’ welfare and for evoking ‘Chhattisgarhi’ pride to win over the masses.
After the stunning victory of the Congress in the 2018 assembly polls during which the party made many ‘master stroke’ populist poll promises, the Baghel government began fulfilling them one by one —right from waving off farm loans of more than 19 lakh farmers to increasing support paddy price to Rs 2500 per quintal which was procured under the Minimum Support price scheme (MSP).
As the MSP of paddy could not be increased, the state government launched Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana to top up the MSP transferred the money directly into the accounts of the farmers.
Besides, one of the major poll promises fulfilled was returning the land acquired from tribal farmers, to its original owners at Lohandiguda in Bastar after Tata Steel’s proposed integrated steel plant project failed to takeoff. Thus, 40 acres of land, acquired for the project, was returned to 1,700 farmers who are the original owners.
Baghel claimed that the policy of putting money into the hands of farmers through increase in MSP of paddy and schemes like Godhan Nyay Yojana—a first of its kind scheme to procure cow dung from cattle rearers—setting up gothans or cow shelters, production of vermicompost - all had a positive domino effect on the state’s rural economy.
He claimed that the ongoing economic slowdown did not affect the state much and in fact there has been an increase in the state's revenue collection.
Increase in support price of paddy encouraged farmers to go for paddy cultivation, leading to a record procurement of 85 lakh metric tonnes of paddy during 2019-20 kharif season. There has been a 17.20 % increase in the crop area of paddy, taking the total paddy crop area to 27.59 lakh hectares.
Besides focusing on the rural economy, the Congress government systematically sought to promote local culture and traditions in an apparent effort to evoke local pride.
State minister for culture Amarjeet Bhagat, a tribal leader from north Chhattisgarh, says, “it’s for the first time in the last 20 years that a state government gave due recognition to the state's rich culture and took initiative to promote them. For the first time, Chhattisgarh got its own state song 'Arpa peri kedhar' and the state organized a national tribal dance festival.”
After coming to power in 2018, the state government constituted a new district, Gaurela-Pendra Marwahi (GPM) besides creating 23 new tehsils.
On the state’s political front, Baghel appeared stronger with the Congress winning the three assembly by-polls, held during the last two years.
Unlike in other Congress-ruled states, the state ruling party almost had a smooth sail in government during the last two years.
BJP vice-president and former chief minister Raman Singh said there is hardly any talk about industrial growth and the efforts to raise the visibility of Chhattisgarh as an investment destination. He said the state's infrastructure development has gone for a toss with no new projects and even old projects are also pending without any work carried out during the last two years.
“Congress government is celebrating its two years in office, without taking steps to fulfil the promises. Where is the vision for overall development?" he asked.
Singh said the poll promise to provide unemployment allowance to educated unemployed remains unfulfilled.
“Taking an oath with Ganga Jal in their hands, Congress leaders had promised in their manifesto to introduce liquor prohibition. But, the government has started home delivery of liquor”, Singh said adding that corruption across all sectors has scaled newer heights. Alleging that corruption in liquor trade and coal transportation and mining, he claimed that Congress government has degenerated into a mere ATM for their people in Delhi,” he alleged.
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