Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai met Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Pending works of housing and roads will be completed soon in Chhattisgarh
Emphasis on rehabilitation of surrendered Naxalites and victim families
Production of millet crops will increase due to availability of advanced technology and seeds
Raipur, 29 July 2024
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai met Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi today. During this, various issues of agriculture and rural development of Chhattisgarh were discussed in detail, in which special emphasis was laid on the implementation of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, MNREGA and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in Naxal-affected areas.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai also raised the issue of housing for 15.18 lakh eligible families deprived of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Chhattisgarh, on which the Union Minister has assured to give approval soon. Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma was also present during the meeting with the Union Minister.
In the meeting, Chief Minister Shri Sai informed the Union Minister that 15.18 lakh families pending under Chhattisgarh Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have not yet received housing approval. In this, 6.99 lakh families are on the permanent waiting list of the scheme and 8.19 lakh families are included in Awas Plus. Earlier, this problem persisted due to not getting the state’s share for the scheme. The Chief Minister requested to approve the housing soon, on which the Union Minister has said that immediate action will be taken on it.
Chief Minister Shri Sai expressed the need for rehabilitation of surrendered Naxalites and affected families in Naxal-affected areas. He said that due to being a Naxal-affected area, the names of many eligible families could not be included in the list of Socio-Economic Caste Census-2011 and Awas Plus 2018. He requested to include 10,500 new eligible families in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and also demanded to give permission to Panchayats for construction of houses in Naxal-affected areas.
The Chief Minister urged for exemption in Aadhaar Based Payment System (ABPS) under MNREGA scheme till March 31, 2025, so that the workers of remote and Naxal-affected areas can get the benefit of the scheme. He said that there is lack of internet and other problems in remote and Naxal-affected areas, due to which
there is difficulty in Aadhaar-based payment. Along with this, he demanded to allow cash payment till banking facilities are available in these areas.
Also, Chief Minister Shri Sai stressed the need to improve road connectivity in tribal areas where many settlements are not connected by all-weather roads. He demanded inclusion of left out tribal areas in Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and upgradation of old roads.
Chief Minister Sai informed about the approval process of 106 large bridges under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Nyay Maha Abhiyan and also demanded the construction of 426 remaining bridges for Chhattisgarh. He said that the construction of these bridges under this scheme is important because it will improve the road connectivity of tribal areas and will also help in the Naxal eradication campaign.
Chief Minister Sai emphasized on increasing the production of millet crops like Kodo, Kutki, and Ragi in Chhattisgarh. He said that increasing the production capacity of these crops is important for the state as they are nutritious and are the main food items in tribal areas. Also, the availability of advanced technology and seeds will increase the income of farmers.
Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has assured to take positive initiative as soon as possible on various proposals of agriculture and rural development in Chhattisgarh.
Secretary to the Chief Minister from Chhattisgarh Mr. P. Dayanand, Principal Secretary of Panchayat and Rural Development Department Mrs. Niharika Barik, Director of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Mr. Rajat Bansal and senior officers of the Central Government were also present in the meeting.
