Chief Minister Raghubar Das’ pre-budget interactive session here with civil society activists drawn from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, chamber of commerce, education, non-Governmental organisations, women organisations among others Wednesday drew a warm response. Participants from Garhwa, latehar and Palamu districts gave their piece of mind on the shape of budget to come freely an experience they had never before any annual budget of the State so far.
The participants were all praise for Das for linking common voices to the budget of the State. The participants’ main focus was on the budgetary allocation for more residential schools. The other important point was allocation of funds for building up a fleet of check dams. A participant coming out of the programme said, “Chief Minister heard us with great passion and interest. We just asked for basics of day-to-day life to get a space in the coming budget.”
According to participants, demand for small check dams was raised during the interaction. Water Resources Principal Secretary Sukhdev Singh spoke on this occasion detailing the scope and utility of small check dams. The participants put their demand before the CM for highway patrolling on NH 75, 98 and 99 here as after sunset it is too risky to travel on these NHs.
Talking to the participants, Das said that the next budget will be the budget of the people. The Government earnestly endeavours that the voice of the people should be raised in the budget. He said that the agriculture budget will be presented in the House separately. The CM pointed out that by December, 2016, a `4,000 crore DPR is being prepared for irrigation in Palamu Division from Sone river on lift irrigation system. The foundation stone is expected to be laid by 2017.
The CM said that women college, model college, polytechnic, medical & engineering college will be provisioned in latehar, Garhwa & Palamu districts. Appealing to the panchayats to build small roads and bridges in their respective locality, the CM said that the Government is focusing on the basic infrastructure.
Das said that unrestricted electricity will be provided to latehar, Garhwa & Palamu districts by 2017. Two reserve battalions of schedule tribes will be formed and pension will be provisioned for schedule tribes at every level. Moreover, tribal teachers will be appointed for tribal students and schools will be provided with necessary infrastructure viz. library, electricity, labs, furniture, desk, bench & toilet. The scholarship for SC & ST students will be increased. Multipurpose halls will be provisioned in two phases in districts under division in the budget of 2016-17.
The CM said that highway patrolling is planned from March 2016 on Ranchi-Palamu-Garhwa highway. Construction of NH-75 is in progress. Moreover, women will be provided 2 cows on 90 per cent subsidy and the funds will be transferred into the bank account of the beneficiaries.
Das spoke about extremism and law and order but hastened to add, “It may take time but there is no flaw in our intention”.
At the end of his day-long programme here Das reached the spacious ground of the Redma Thakur Baree where he addressed the BJP cadres. Das introduced himself as “a worker chief minister”. He said, “It takes a button to replace a government but years for replacing system not working by a workable one.” Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, MlAs Radha Krishna Kishore, Satyendra Nath Tiwary, Alok Chourasia, Shivpujan Mehta, Krishna Singh, Principal Secretary, Planning & Finance Amit Khare, Principal Secretary to the CM Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary, Water Resources Sukhdev Singh, Principal Secretary RDD N.N.Sinha, Drinking Water & sanitation secretary A.P. Singh, Agriculture Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni, Education Secretary Aradhana Patnaik & senior district officials were present on the occasion.