The 6th phase of the 6,000 kms Vikas Yatra of Chief Minister Raman Singh which was suspended on May 25 following the Maoist attack on Congress convoy at Jeeram Ghati in Bastar region, resumed on Monday from Aarang in Raipur district.
The Vikas Yatra was inaugurated by leader of Opposition in the lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj at Aarang who arrived this afternoon in a special aircraft at the Swami Vivekanand Airport at Mana in Raipur amid torrential rains before reaching Aarang at 3.15 pm. During the Vikas Yatra, Chief Minister Raman Singh inaugurated and conducted Bhoomi Pujan for various development projects worth Rs 106.26 crore in the presence of Sushma Swaraj at Aarang. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also carried out Bhoomi Pujan for a housing project under Atal Vihar Awas Yojana to be executed by Chhattisgarh Housing Board for 1,347 families. Singh also handed over possession letters to 110 families for the houses constructed under Deendayal Awas Yojana.
later, addressing a massive public meeting at Aarang, Swaraj stated that Chhattisgarh has set many spectacular records in development during its nine-and-half-year rule under the leadership of Chief Minister Raman Singh. “The BJP would accept nothing less than the Food Security law made and implemented by Chhattisgarh Government from the Centre,” the leader of Opposition stated. She said that the entire country had been talking about Chhattisgarh's developmental achievements. “Chhattisgarh is being seen as a ‘Model State’ for the happiness and prosperity of millions of poor besides holistic development of the nation,” Swaraj said. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Raman Singh stated the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the NDA regime at the Centre had formed the new state of Chhattisgarh in year 2000 to bridge the regional divide and rid the people from the scourge of backwardness for linking them to the developmental mainstream.
“The dreams with which Atalji had laid the foundation of Chhattisgarh State for the 2.55 crore people, the same are being speedily realised,” he said. The Chief Minister stated that the State had excelled in every field due to hard work of its people between 2003 to 2013. “The next five years would be a golden period of Chhattisgarh when it would be counted among the selected developed States in the country,” Singh said. The Vikas Yatra reached Abhanpur from Arang and CM also handed over possession letters to 525
families for the houses constructed under Atal Awas Yojana and 410 families for the houses constructed under Deendayal Yojana. In Boriyakala also he handed over 3301 houses to the families. Present on the occasion were Food Minister and In-charge of Raipur district Punnulal Mohle, School Education and PWD Minister Brijmohan Agrawal, Housing and Environment Minister Rajesh Munat, Agriculture Minister Chandrashekhar Sahu, lok Sabha MP from Raipur Ramesh Bains, Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda and Dr Bhushanlal Jagde, President of Raipur Zila Panchayat laxmi Verma besides a large number of public representatives and the office bearers of many social organisations. The Vikas Yatra was welcomed at many places during the evening hours at Mana Camp and in Raipur as it reached the city.