Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday made a surprise visit to Maajhiguda village in insurgency-hit Bijapur district of Bastar as a part of lok Suraj Mission.
During his visit, the Chief Minister interacted with children of a school and enquired about their studies besides meeting teachers and the principal.
Singh had reached Bijapur district on the second day of his campaign on Tuesday.
After his arrival, the Chief Minister participated in a review meeting of the Dantewada and Bijapur districts and camped there for the night stay.
He reached the school unannounced and observed the working of teachers and functioning of school.
Forest Minister and local MlA Mahesh Gagda was also present.
The Chief Minister later browsed through the text-books of students.
Singh also took details regarding the Chief Minister Adarsh Schools from the District Collector.
About 1800 students are studying in the Adarsh Schools.
later, Singh also sanctioned a laboratory and a boundary wall for the school.
The Chief Minister also chaired a joint review meeting of officials from two districts- Dantewada and Bijapur at Bijapur district headquarters yesterday evening.
In the meeting, Singh announced that Bhairamgarh will be given the status of Revenue Sub-Division and he ordered officials to make necessary arrangements for new office.
He praised the development works related to roads, electricity, drinking water, education and health sectors being done in both the districts and said that these development works are exemplary for the entire nation.This review meet chaired by Singh was held at the conference hall of Jila Panchayat Bijapur, under lok Suraj Abhiyaan.
Singh was happy to learn about the child vaccination camps being held in haat-bazaars of Bijapur district by women health workers and the positive results of the same.
The Chief Minister said : ‘This vaccination model of Bijapur district should be adopted in remaining six districts of Bastar Division as well.’
Singh said that the villagers of Bijapur district often move to neighbouring state Andhra Pradesh for cultivation of chilies. Horticulture Department should help that in farming of chillies in their village itself.
The Chief Minister also emphasised the need of identifying youth who know halbi and gondi dialects and train them as 'motivators' to promote government schemes.
Singh directed Collectors of both the districts to start the training of motivators in livelihood Colleges.
The Chief Minister said that Halbi Gondi dialects are widely used as a medium of communication by residents of Bastar Division. Promotion of Government schemes in these dialects will help more needy people to avail the benefits of scheme. Motivators will be paid honorarium. Every month these motivators will prepare at least 100 villagers for availing the schemes.
During the meeting, he was also pleased to know about the soon-to-be-started telemedicine service in three big villages namely Palnar, Badekameli and Nerali. He directed District Collector to begin this service within one month. This service will enable people of these three villages to get advice from physicians of reputed hospitals in Mumbai and Delhi.
The doctors of the district will be able to avail advice from doctors of famous hospitals of metro-cities so as to provide better treatments to patients suffering from critical diseases.
The Chief Minister also issued directives to complete construction work under Samuh Jal Praday Yojana of Nareli-Dhurli approved for 32 villages of Dantewada district.
Singh also underlined the need of appointing more number of domestic lPG dealers under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
He said that under this scheme, women of poor families are provided lPG gas connection, double burner stoves and first filled cylinder at the nominal registration cost of Rs200.
To ensure regular supply of cylinder to beneficiary families, number of gas dealers should be increased, he said.
The Chhattisgarh Government has already commenced work for laying a comprehensive OFC backbone link under 'BastarNet Project', officials informed.
The work comprises laying OFC in two ‘rings’- the first being Jagdalpur-Geedam-Kondagaon-Narayanpur-Bhanupratappur and Kanker.
The project would involve laying OFC in link 1: Jagdalpur-Geedam – Approx. 71 Km, link 2: Jagdalpur-Kondagaon – Approx. 74 Km, link 3: Kondagaon-Narayanpur- Approx. 48 Km, link 4: Narayanpur- Bhanupratapur - Approx. 76 Km, link 5: Bhanupratapur- Kanker- Approx. 51 Km. link 6: Kanker- Kondagaon- Approx. 85 Km comprising a total of 405 Kms.
The work for underground OFC laying under Ring 2 would involve- Jagdalpur-Sukma-Dornapal-Konta-Dantewara-Geedam-Bijapur-Bhopalpattnam in which OFC would be laid in link 6: Jagdalpur-Sukma- Approx. 106 Km, link 7: Sukma-Dornapal- Approx. 36 Km, link 8: Dornapal- Konta- Approx. 44 Km, link 9: Sukma-Dantewara- Approx. 84 Km, link 10: Dantewara –Geedam- Approx. 18 Km, link 11: Geedam –Bijapur- Approx. 88 Km , link 12: Bijapur –Bhopalpattanam- Approx. 55 Km totalling 431 kms.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister Raman Singh in August last year had stated that Bastar will be included in Chhattisagrh Government's ‘Digital Highway’ which will be a catalyst in bringing about a new revolution of development of a knowledge-based society, opportunity and economy.
It will also enhance the transparency, accuracy and accountability of government services, said while disclosing details on implementation of the ‘BastarNet’ project in his Independence Day speech delivered at the Police Parade ground here on August 15 last year.
He said that owing to its geographical conditions, it is necessary to ensure mobile and internet connectivity in Bastar.
Under this project, 832 kms long optical fibre cable will be laid at the cost of Rs40 crore. This network will be built with 'ring network' so that it may provide uninterrupted mobile and internet connectivity through alternative routes, the Chief Minister said.
Public sector telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam ltd (BSNl) has taken up work for laying optical fibre cable (OFC) in regions of extreme insurgency-infested Sukma district of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
The OFC will be connected to a total of 14 Village Panchayat buildings under National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) project, officials informed.
Notably, BSNl has already commenced the process of laying optical fibre cables under NOFN project in parts of insurgency infested pockets of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
With a view to providing a major boost to expansion of telecommunications services in Chhattisgarh, the BSNl is going to install 2000 new mobile towers in the State during the next two years, Union Minister for Telecommunications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced during his visit to Raipur in June last year.
Notably, via video conferencing , Prasad earlier had dedicated the 146 new mobile towers erected in insurgency-infested Bastar region and infrastructure for providing internet services developed in Panchayats at Balrampur-Ramanujgunj district through NOFN.
“BSNl will set up 2000 new mobile towers during the next two years in Chhattisgarh which will be a historical step to strengthen mobile connectivity in the State,” the Union Minister had informed in a press conference in Raipur last year after chairing a meeting with the officials at Chief Minister Raman Singh’s official residence. “The Chief Minister had urged the Centre to install 1600 mobiles towers in the State to improve telecom connectivity. I have spoken to BSNl officials and they have agreed to install as many as 2000 towers,” he added.