The much publicised public contact drive of the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh Government ‘Vikash Yatra’ will finally start from Maoist stronghold Dantewada on Monday. The yatra will be carried out in six stages and will cover about 6,100 km distance covering 81 Assembly seats in 27 districts out of the total 90 seats.
Besides CM Raman Singh, all his Cabinet colleagues and Bharatiya Janata Party MlAs will participate in the yatra. The Chief Minister will use both chopper as well as the specially built AC Vikash Yatra Rath during the course of his 30-day journey.
During the yatra, the CM will also distribute Tendu leaves and paddy bonus to beneficiaries, tablets to college students, bicycles to school girls, tool kits to artisans besides performing dedication, inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of development projects worth billions.
In political circles, the Vikash Yatra is considered very important from the point of view of the Assembly polls due later this year. Singh, his Cabinet colleagues and party MlAs will virtually cover the entire State and meet public to apprise them with the development stories scripted by Raman Government during the last 9-and-half years.
Detailing about the yatra in a Press meeting, the Chief Minister informed that Vikash Yatra will go on for 31-days from May 6 to June 20, comprising 6 phases during which total 6,100 km — 2,800 km through road and
3,300 km by chopper.
During the yatra, 93 public meetings, 63 welcome gatherings and 60 felicitation meets will be held. In the
area where the CM will not be able to visit, Ministers will spearhead the yatra.
Ahead of the Vikash Rath, troupe of folk artists performing cultural programmes on the themes of welfare programmes like Chief Minister Food Scheme, health insurance scheme, bonus distribution will walk to make masses aware of the Government’s achievements.