Chhattisgarh has all the reasons to cheer 'Union Budget 2016-17' as a host of announcements made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely is set to provide a major funding stimulus to various ongoing centrally sponsored projects in Chhattisgarh.
Consider this —the Union Budget increased allocation under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to Rs19,000 crore which will connect the remaining 65,000 eligible habitations by 2019. Total investment in the road sector, including PMGSY allocation, would be 97,000 crore during 2016-17.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government has already announced it will soon commence work for construction of as many as 92 rural roads falling in left Wing Extremism (lWE) hit districts of the State.
Of the total 153 roads to be constructed in seven lWE districts of Chhattisgarh under PMGSY, tenders have been invited for 92 roads, said an official, adding that the estimated expenditure for construction of these roads would be around Rs163.17 crores. The tenders had already been awarded for 90 roads, officials stated.
The Union Budget announces to approve nearly 10,000 kms of National Highways in 2016-17. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has already approved Rs3,300 crore for broadening and upgradation of the National Highways in Chhattisgarh.
Notably in July 2015 , the Central Government had also announced that it would award contracts for three key road projects in Chhattisgarh measuring 149 kms to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs3,522 crores, officials stated.
It is targetted to award 273 road projects in the country covering a length of approximately 12,900 km amounting to about Rs1,26,700 crore during fiscal 2015-16 under various schemes of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, officials had stated.
The Central Government had also sanctioned an amount of Rs305.56 crore for 10 important works under Central Road Fund Scheme during 2015-16 in Chhattisgarh, officials stated.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved Rs3,300 crore for broadening and upgradation of the National Highways in Chhattisgarh.
The Central Government had also sanctioned an amount of Rs305.56 crore for 10 important works under Central Road Fund Scheme during 2015-16 in Chhattisgarh, officials stated.
The Union budget which announced 100% village electrification by May 1, 2018 will help Chhattisgarh meet its rural electrification target.
Notably, Six more Chhattisgarh villages were electrified last week ending February 21, 2016.
A total of 258 villages have been electrified across the country during last week under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY), the Central Government has informed.
Out of these electrified villages, 120 villages belong to Odisha , 64 in Jharkhand, 41 villages in Assam, 19 in Madhya Pradesh, 8 in Rajasthan, and 6 in Chhattisgarh.
A total of 34 more villages were electrified in Chhattisgarh during the week ending January 31, 2016, officials stated.
Nationally, a total of 238 villages have been electrified across the country during last week between January 25 to 31, 2016 under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram JyotiYojna (DDUGJY).
Chhattisgarh had 33 villages electrified as on November 11, 2015 during the current financial year, the Central Government had informed earlier.
The balance unelectrified villages in Chhattisgarh as on November 11, 2015 stood at 1047, it had informed.
The Union Budget announced Rs1804 crore for skill development programmes. Notably, Chhattisgarh has as many as 601 skill development training centres including 2 mobile centres operational in the State as on January 31, 2016, officials informed.
Besides, to promote private training providers across the Country, the Central Government has set up National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) as a Public Private Partnership entity.
As on January 31, 2016, there are 4,415 operational training centers, including 394 mobile centers across 28 States and 5 Union Territories including Chhattisgarh (Training centres:- 601 including 2 mobile centres) which has the training programme in various sectors like Agriculture, Automobile, Building and Construction, Capital Goods, Gems and Jewelry, IT&ITES.
Nearly 6700 students of 9th and 10th standard in selected 121 schools of the State are availing new professional education under an important initiative of providing skill education in high schools, officials here informed.
Skilled trainers are training these students in subjects such as IT, retail business, automobile, health checkup, and agro-based business, they stated.
The Union Budget announced that Automation facilities will be provided in 3 lakh fair price shops by March 2017. Notably, Chhattisgarh has achieved 100 per cent digitization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries database.
There are 23 other states in the country which have also achieved 100 per cent digitization of the PDS database, officials stated.
Moreover, the Chhattisgarh Government is now also preparing a plan to use Aadhaar cards to identify Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries. It has prepared a comprehensive action plan for ensuring total transparency in the preparation of ration cards besides evolving a mechanism for error-free identity of Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries.
Under the action plan, the mobile, bank account and Aadhaar numbers of the beneficiaries are being collected.
Chhattisgarh is also among 15 states in the country with a completely decentralised system for procurement of rice and wheat under Centre’s ‘Decentralized Procurement Scheme (DCP)’.
The Central Government has started encouraging the State Governments to adopt decentralised procurement system for wheat, paddy and rice. Under Decentralized Procurement Scheme (DCP), food grains is procured and distributed by the State Governments themselves, officials stated.
Under this scheme, the designated DCP States procure, store and issue foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and other welfare schemes of the Government of India.
The decentralized system of procurement has the objectives to ensure that Minimum Support Price(MSP) is passed on to the farmers, to enhance the efficiency of procurement and to encourage procurement in non-traditional States, thereby extending the benefits of MSP to local farmers as well as to save on transit losses and costs.
As per the Union Budget announcements, the National land Record Modernisation Programme has been revamped under the Digital India Initiative and will be implemented as a Central sector scheme with effect from April 1, 2016. The revamped Programme will build an integrated land information management system and Rs150 crore has been provided for this purpose.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Revenue Department would establish modern record rooms at Tehsil level to preserve all the old records in such offices.
A budget provision of Rs10 crore had been made for financial year 2015-16 for setting up the record rooms, officials stated.Making optimum use of Information Technology and Geographical Information System (GIS) , the Chhattisgarh Government has already digitized records of more than 54 lakh land owners of all the 146 tehsils of the State.
The details of the land records digitization include Khasra and B-1 records. The digitization of revenue records and maps of 20000 villages of the State has also been completed.
In compliance of the announcement made by the Chief Minister Raman Singh, the copy of land records of all the land record holders of the State is now also provided online, officials stated.