Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said that Chhattisgarh was seeing all-round development and the government was ready with a new policy to develop its precious water resources.
Speaking in the 15th episode of his monthly radio talk ‘Lokvaani’, Baghel said that works related to roads, electricity and irrigation have been prioritized so that people benefit from infrastructural development.
He said that various infrastructures are being developed in the villages to benefit people on a large scale. The Narwa, Garua, Ghurua, Bari scheme has been started to save the four 'Chinhari' of Chhattisgarh.
Gauthans are becoming the centers of multifaceted cultural, economic activities. The new water resource policy for doubling the irrigation potential of the state has been taken the final shape.
One listener, Rukmani Pal of Bamhani Panchayat in Mahasamund, said that her Jai Maa Saraswati women's Self-Help Group made 200 quintals of manure from cow dung and earned Rs 1.77 lakh.
The Chief Minister said about 30,000 Narva have been identified and the development of about 5,000 has already been completed. About 10,000 gauthans have been approved for construction and more than 5,000 have been built.
In a way, he said that Gauthans are becoming the center of multifaceted cultural, economic activities.
He said his government had overcome the shortcomings of the old water resources projects to expand the actual irrigated area. "Our aim is to develop water infrastructure that the irrigation capacity doubles in five years."
"Soon the state will get a new gift for infrastructure development in the form of a new water resources policy," he added.
Baghel said the 'Swami Atmanand Excellent English Medium School Scheme' has been introduced to improve the education facilities in government schools at par with private schools so that children of poor and middle class families also have access to quality education.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University, Professor S.K. Patil, said that with promotion of agriculture and horticulture in Chhattisgarh and development of 31 colleges, youngsters have started taking interest in agricultural education.
The Chief Minister said extensive efforts were on to explore the tourism potential of the state. The government wanted Sirpur to come up on the world map as a historical Buddhist tourist destination.
Appropriate infrastructure is being developed around Bageshwari temple in the hill of Surajpur and the ropeway in Kudargarh.
He also spoke the new industrial policy and simplification of revenue administration. Chhattisgarh is becoming the world's favourite investment destination, he said.