Caste and forest rights certificates should be issued without delay once the village panchayat passed a resolution, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced on Tuesday.
He said this while interacting with villagers of Nonbirra in the Katghora assembly constituency in Korba district.
He said all beneficiaries eligible for government schemes should get the benefits.
Ramesh Kumar Jangde, a farmer of Tivarta (Hardi Bazar), complained that he has not been granted a certificate declaring that he holds forest rights even after the panchayat confirmed this.
Baghel asked the officials to issue the certificate by Wednesday. He also called for suspension of Panchayat Secretary Anil Kumar Kenvat with immediate effect.
Dhamia villager Chandravati Jagta and her mother said that for the last 30 years they had not been given their land rights. The Chief Minister asked the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to probe the case.
The villagers detailed how different government schemes have benefitted them. They said that their income has increased. The farmers also raised the issue of high electricity bills.
Baghel said that all the families have been provided ration cards irrespective of being Below Poverty Line (BPL) or Above Poverty Line (APL). On the rise in prices of LPG cylinders, he said the rate is fixed by the Central government. He pledged to open a Tribal Local Area Multipurpose Societies (LAMPS) in village Nonbirra, upgrade a middle school at Mudpar, start a 50-seat post-matric tribal girls hostel, renovate the Khalari reservoir and construct a higher secondary school in village Boida.