Chief Minister Raman Singh said that task committees would be constituted under the leadership of subject experts in the State Planning Commission.
These task committees would solve the problems of different sectors and hold discussions on development of these sectors.Chairing the first meeting of reconstituted State Planning Commission at his residence on Friday, Singh said that these committees would examine the best public welfare schemes of other states and would incorporate the best features in the State.He said that the policies should be made keeping in mind the basic problems so that and need of the people as these problems could be solved through government schemes.Singh explained the members about the new challenges, strengths and growth prospects in the State.
He said that a major portion of the population of the State is below poverty line, density of population is low and settlements are spread in large areas.About 42 per cent land of the State is forested and 32 percent population is tribal. About 76 per cent farmers of the State are small and marginal farmers. The Southern region of the State is Naxal affected and backward. The major challenges of the State are development of these areas.
He further said that 52 per cent of the budget is used for social sectors and the farmers are being provided interest free loan and free electricity.Chhattisgarh is the first State of the country to implement Food and Nutrition Security Act and probably the first State of the world to provide right to Skill up gradation to the youths. The development rate of the State is above the national average.Vice-Chairman of Planning Commission Sunil Kumar explained about reconstituted State Planning Commission and said that subject experts have been included in the committee as intended by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar, Higher Education Minister Prem Prakash Pandey, Tribal Development Minister Kedar Kashyap, Planning Commission member Padma Shree awardee Phulbasan Yadav, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education and ex-Director of IIT Kharagpur Dr Damodar Acharya, Director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai Prof S. Parasuraman, Chairman of National Institute of Ecology Dr. Dinesh Marothia, Advisor to the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, DS Misra , Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister N Baijendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Aman Kumar Singh and Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Singh were present in the meeting.