News Analysis India

Tag: Chhattisgarh

  • Sycophancy 2.0?: On Chhattisgarh CM’s birthday, Congressman to honour 25 people named Bhupesh

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: What’s in a name, asked William Shakespeare. Plenty, if the occasion is the birthday of a Chief Minister.

    Chhattisgarh Congressmen are celebrating the birthday of CM Bhupesh Baghel on August 23. To stand out among his fellow partymen, a senior Congress leader and former Mayor of Raipur Municipal Corporation Pramod Dubey has planned a novel move.

    Dubey announced that he would felicitate 25 people who shared the same name as the CM on Monday.

    “We are going to honour those with the name Bhupesh. They will have to contact us with their photos and Aadhaar cards. The occasion is also for those with the name Bhupesh to rejoice,” said Dubey, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Raipur constituency in 2019. Several individuals working in the banking sector, police force and media have identified themselves as ‘Bhupesh’ and are being short-listed.

    In response, the Opposition BJP said that the Congress relies more on stunts rather than fulfilling the needs of the people.

    “Congress leaders apply obsequious ways to use or misuse names to gain advantage. It doesn’t give any good public message. We have also seen such practices by Congress during the elections when they fielded candidates with identical or similar names against the opposition. Only the Congress leader (Dubey) can suggest what is in his mind by offering such a birthday compliment,” said Dharamlal Kaushik, the leader of the Opposition.

    Even a senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity said, “It’s an innovation in sycophancy.”

    Political observers were also critical of the gimmick. “It seems the corporate culture of sycophancy has percolated into politics. Whether it would be of any gain for the Congress leader organising the show remains to be seen,” said Ashok Tomar, a political analyst.

  • Mission 2023: Chhattisgarh Congress to galvanise booth-level plan

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: The ruling Congress party in Chhattisgarh has devised a plan of action to strengthen the base grassroots level by focussing on booth committees.

    The party strategists have galvanised the cadres for micro-level booth management under the supervision of senior leaders in all 90 Assembly constituencies.

    The party has decided to form 23000 booth committee across the Assembly segments during the next four months.

    “By the end of the year, the booth level committees in every Assembly segment are going to be constituted. The party organisation has devised a road map to execute the plan. It will be monitored by the state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC),” a senior party functionary said.   

    The booth-level committees would be formed in consultation with the organisation at the district-block level in coordination with the party legislator representing the area. While stressing to cover the minute details, the committee will also have representation of women.

    The Congress has 70 MLAs in the 90-member House.

  • Rakhi threads symbolise trust over violence in strife-torn Dantewada, Sukma

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: The strife-torn region of Dantewada district on the auspicious occasion of Rakshabandhan came alive on Sunday with several surrendered Maoists getting rakhis tied on their wrists. Many of them carried a cash reward on their heads. 

    Sisters were seen tying the sacred thread on their brother’s wrist praying for their long blissful life as they took a pledge on assurance of protection.

    In another insurgncy-hit district of Sukma, many tribal girls and women at Erranore were seen tying the rakhis on a statue created in the memory of local security personnel who killed while fighting the Maoists. Some local tribals have the practise of erecting a memorial of their dear ones who are no more. 

    Over a hundred Maoists who had surrendered during the past one year under the campaign ‘Lon Varratu’ (in local tribal Gondi dialect meaning return to your home/village intended for the Maoist cadres) called themselves blessed to celebrate Rakshabandhan. Ever since the Dantewada Police launched the drive in July 2020, as many as 408 cadres have surrendered. 

    “Around 80 surrendered rebels celebrated rakhi for the first time. There are around 20 naxals, who couldn’t return to their remotely located villages owing to perceived threat to their lives or their relatives, celebrated the festival in the district headquarters. There are over 650 naxals who also have their rights despite lodged in district jail to get opportunity to be part of celebration with the relatives within the prison premises,” said Abhishek Pallava, Dantewada superintendent of police.

    The sisters and relatives were called by the district police to observe the occasion reverent with enthusiasm on being with brothers who are the surrendered Maoists.

    “It was a delightful sentiment which we had not experienced before owing to obvious reasons. The feelings of love and safety from brothers were astounding,” said Laxmi Punem after tying the sacred thread on wrist of Suresh Kadti who carried the reward of 5 lakh

    “We never realised the significance of Raksha Bandhan while earlier associated with the banned outfit,” revealed Durgesh Sori and Lakhan Gangu, former commanders in the Maoist organisation.

  • Security beefed up for Independence Day in Chhattisgarh; tricolour to be hoisted in Naxal strongholds

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Security has been stepped up in Chhattisgarh, particularly in Maoist-affected areas, ahead of Independence Day with intensified patrolling and other measures to prevent any untoward incident, police said on Saturday.

    Inspector-General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said the tricolour would be hoisted in several interior villages in South Bastar and the Abhujmaad region, considered as strongholds of Maoists, on Sunday.

    Bastar division comprises seven districts namely Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Kanker and Bastar.

    “Security forces deployed in the Naxal-hit Bastar region are regularly carrying out patrolling, laying mobile check posts in the interior area as well as along inter-district and inter-state borders to avoid any untoward incident by ultras,” Sundarraj told PTI.

    Compared to previous years, the incidents of black flags being hoisted by Maoists have come down to a great extent in interior pockets of the Bastar region, he said.

    At a state function to be held at Police Parade Ground in Raipur at 9 AM, COVID-19 warriors will be felicitated like last year, an official said.

    Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will hoist the national flag and receive the guard of honour from the state police and paramilitary forces at the parade ground, the public relations department official said.

    He said the function will be a low-key affair sans any cultural event considering the pandemic protocols.

    A total of 22 persons, including government officials, healthcare personnel, pandemic volunteers, will be felicitated for their commendable service during the pandemic.

    Besides, four government hospitals will also be feted for their exemplary performance in providing treatment under the Ayushman card scheme, he said.

    No cultural programmes will be held in Raipur and other district headquarters.

    The COVID-19 norms including wearing of masks and physical distancing will be strictly followed, the official said.

    State ministers and parliamentary secretaries will hoist the tricolour in headquarters of other districts, he added.

    The state government has decided against holding public programmes at the tehsil and janpad levels where the national flag will be hoisted by presidents of the concerned janpad panchayat and other urban bodies at their respective offices, he said.

    In those schools which are open, flag hoisting can be held barring rallies, competitions and cultural functions, according to the official.

  • Once destroyers, surrendered Naxals now build township for themselves, victims of their violence

    By ANI

    DANTEWADA (CHHATTISGARH): The country’s first township dedicated to surrendered Naxals and the victims of Naxal violence is being constructed in Dantewada’s district of Chhattisgarh.

    As per Abhishek Pallav, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dantewada, the township being built by the surrendered Naxals themselves.

    It will have facilities like a skill development Centre that will help the victims and the former Naxals to be self-dependent.

    Pallav said that residents of the township will be given training in different fields like electric work, repairing, scientific farming and cattle rearing to help them generate employment in their villages.

    “We launched ‘Lon Varatu’ campaign that means ‘homecoming’ a year ago. Within a year, 381 Naxals, out of which 101 were wanted Naxals, have surrendered,” he said.

    Pallav informed that according to feedback taken after a year of the campaign, the government realised that only 32 surrendered Naxals had an Aadhaar card or a bank account and others could not avail the benefits of any scheme launched by the government because of this.

    “We then launched ‘Lon Varatu Campaign 2’ under which 250 Naxals have been issued Aadhaar cards. We have opened bank accounts for them and they will be able to avail benefits of 12 government schemes now,” he added.

    Pallav said that some beneficiaries had been assaulted by Naxals and were scared to stay in their villages.

    “They expressed their desire to live in Dantewada. So we decided to make a township completely dedicated to former Naxals and the victims of Naxal incidents,” he said.

    According to Pallav, the township will have 108 one-room sets and 20 shops catering to different needs for which the former Naxals would be trained according to their interests.

    “The township will have all the facilities from health care centre to a child care centre. It will be like a rural rehabilitation centre where the residents will be provided security and employment. It will also have a transit hostel of 20 rooms where villagers assaulted by Naxals can live temporarily,” he stated.

    “The best part about this campaign is that the Naxals who were earlier involved in destruction are now employed in constructing this township for themselves. I hope that they serve as an example for other Naxals like Telugu Naxals. And I believe that many Naxals will surrender in the future,” he added.

    Meanwhile, the former Naxals engaged in constructing the township expressed happiness over the development.

    “I worked for a Naxal organisation for five years. These flats are being constructed for us and all the facilities are available here. Earlier we had to work according to the orders of the Naxal commander and destroy things. But after surrendering, we are getting employment and a place to live,” said former Naxal Rakesh Kumar.

    Kumar further stated that his life is stable now and he wants fellow Naxals to surrender and avail the benefits given by the government.

    Another former Naxal Dev Singh said that his earlier life was insufferable.

    “We are getting our own quarters here. We were also issued a ration card. Our families were yearning to see us. They are happy now,” he stated. Singh was a Naxal Commander in the Darbha division.

  • Elephants liking paddy will lead to more conflicts: Wildlife experts on Chhattisgarh govt’s ‘experimental’ project

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Wildlife experts have explicitly called the decision of the Chhattisgarh government’s decision to use the surplus quantity of available paddy to feed the wild elephants “misconceived and inadvisable.”

    The plan is to be launched shortly by the state forest department as a pilot project in districts witnessing the movement of wild tuskers.

    “The Indian elephants are endangered Schedule-1 animals. Section 32 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 says ‘a ban on use of injurious substances’. No person shall use chemicals, explosives or any other substance that may cause injury or endanger any wildlife in a sanctuary. So, the action of the Chhattisgarh government apparently stands in violation of the given Act. If the paddy gets rotten in open forest, it might cause disease for elephants or wildlife”, asserted K K Bisen, former chief conservator of forest, who had extensive groundwork on behaviours of pachyderms.

    Similarly, Amalendu Mishra, State Wildlife Advisory Board member, who follows movements of wild elephants in north Chhattisgarh, dubbed the decision as ‘unwise’. “Not a good initiative. The paddy is not their main food”, he said.

    Prakash Sasha of the Elsa Foundation, organisation devoted to elephant welfare, expressed surprise over the plan of the state government. “There are sufficient food available for elephants in the forest. But if they become addicted to a new taste of the farm produce (paddy) then it will further aggravate the human-elephant conflict, in case the wild tuskers didn’t get the paddy in future”, said Sasha.

    Wildlife enthusiasts too were baffled with the latest move of the state. “How could such initiative check the existing conflict or safeguard the human habitats? The paddy is not their natural diet and we should not try to change their diet pattern as this is against the principals of wildlife conservation. Chhattisgarh’s extensive forest already provide varieties as food to these wild elephants”, affirmed Nitin Singhvi, wildlife enthusiast.

    ALSO READ | Chhattisgarh to ‘experiment’ offering surplus paddy to wild elephants

    However, the state forest minister Mohammed Akbar finds nothing wrong with the decision. “It’s better to keep doing an experiment rather than to sit and do nothing”, he said.

    His colleague and the state food minister Amarjeet Bhagat said, “We already have surplus paddy and there is no harm in carrying such trials to utilise the stored paddy so as to minimise the man-animal conflict”.

    The Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation that executes the paddy procurement process under support price scheme has written to the forest department over making available the paddy procured during 2019-20 in those districts witnessing the movement of wild tuskers.

    The divisional forest officers (DFOs) of nine districts have been apprised regarding the availability of paddy at various procurement centres at a high price Rs 2095 per quintal.

  • Chhattisgarh gives forest resource rights certificates to tribals in urban area

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday distributed community forest resource rights (CFRR) certificates to tribal groups living in an urban area, empowering them to protect, regenerate, conserve and manage customary forest area within its traditional boundary, officials said.

    This has made Chhattisgarh the first state in the country to recognise community forest resource rights of tribals in urban areas, they said.

    During a virtual programme to mark the International Day of World’s Indigenous People at his official residence here, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel distributed CFRR certificates to three ward sabhas of Nagri Nagar Panchayat, an urban body in Dhamtari district, a government official said.

    Besides, Baghel distributed CFRR certificates to gram sabhas of five villages located in the core area of the Udanti-Sitanadi tiger reserve, he said.

    Speaking at the function, the chief minister said, “The indigenous people living in urban municipalities of the Fifth Schedule areas have kept their forest well preserved and intact. It is, therefore, important to recognise their pre-existing community resource rights over these forests in order for them to continue doing so.”

    The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution deals with administration of scheduled areas where tribal communities are in a majority.

    Ensuring the rights of local communities on resources, including water, forest and land, and raising their standard of living is one of the top priorities of the state government, Baghel said.

    The government has been taking continuous steps towards the cultural development of tribal communities as well as their socio-economic upliftment, he said.

    “World Tribal Day is a big festival for us and it is associated with self-respect, pride, culture and dreams of about 31 per cent tribal population of the state. Therefore, a government holiday has been declared on this day,” Baghel added.

    Commissioner of state’s Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development department Shammi Abidi informed that Chhattisgarh has become the first state in the country to recognise the forest resource rights of tribal communities in urban areas.

    Nagri Nagar Panchayat, surrounded by forests and located around 65 km away from Dhamtari district headquarters, was constituted by clubbing three villages – Churiyara, Tumbahra and Nagri – which have now become wards.

    The resource rights of these three wards have been recognised over their 10,200 acres of forests, Abidi said.

    The CFRR of five villages have been recognised over 13,700 acres of forests which is spread within the core area of the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, located across two districts -Dhamtari and Gariaband, she said.

    With these rights recognised under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the ward sabhas and gram sabhas would be able to protect, conserve, regenerate and manage the entire forest area falling within their traditional boundary, Abidi added.

  • Chhattisgarh BJP to deploy ‘Swasthya Swayamsevak’ at booth level, Congress terms it ‘mere politics’

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: The opposition BJP in a move to reach out to the masses amid the coronavirus pandemic has decided to prepare their ‘Swasthya Swayamsevaks’ and train them as health volunteers ahead of their deployment as ‘Booth Level’ awareness team across Chhattisgarh.

    The party will groom them as health volunteers and at each booth level a minimum of two cadres will be positioned to “offer their services”. The Congress party however called the BJP’s initiative that focuses only to seek the political mileage out of the crisis like COVID-19 pandemic.

    “The BJP will carry out the given objective on the noble cause to help the needy. The ‘Swasthya Swayamsevak’ will offer help to the needy, spread awareness among the masses on what needs to be done if COVID symptoms are found, where to get treated, on home isolation, complying with the COVID appropriate behaviours and against the misconceptions on the COVID vaccination drive,” said D Purandeswari, in-charge of the Chhattisgarh unit of  BJP.

    She said that unlike others her party fights the election not for power but to serve the masses. “BJP stands for the sincerity of purpose. In Chhattisgarh we have lost 700 cadres during the pandemic, many of them while engaged extending a helping hand. Inspired by such spirit of service now our ‘Swasthya Swayamsevak’ will assist the people at the booth level,” she said.

    The ruling Congress questioned the timing of launch of the ‘Swasthya Swayamsevak’ in the field. “BJP’s absence during the COVID phase 1 and 2 were conspicuous when the people, particularly the migrant labourers, miserably suffered a lot. Now when the situation has almost turned normal in Chhattisgarh, the BJP plans to send their newly trained ‘Swasthya Swayamsevak’. Its just an attempt to gain political mileage in the name of fighting against COVID,” said Shailesh Nitin Trivedi, Chairman of Congress media cell, and further claimed that the Congress government helped the distressed with food, stay and other necessities during the crisis.

  • Chhattisgarh: 12 civilians injured in IED blast set-up by Maoists

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Twelve civilians were injured after the vehicle they were onboard was hit by a powerful improvised explosion device (IED), triggered by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) at Ghotiya in the strife-torn Dantewada district on Thursday morning.

    “There were 12 persons in the ill-fated Bolero jeep, which was on its way to Dantewada from Narayanpur district. The security forces reached the spot to assist the injured taken to the district hospital. The condition of two injured are stated to be critical,” said Abhishek Pallava, Dantewada, district Superintendent of Police.

    The district police led by Pallava reached the spot to lend the helping hand to the injured in reaching the hospital.

    Dantewada and Narayanpur are among the seven Maoist-affected districts in the conflict zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh.

  • Chhattisgarh govt issues fresh guidelines for air travellers arriving in state

    By PTI
    RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday made it mandatory for passengers arriving in the state by air to produce a negative RT-PCR report of COVID-19 test conducted within 96 hours of boarding the flight, officials said.

    A circular containing fresh guidelines for air passengers arriving in the state was issued by the General Administration Department to all Divisional Commissioners, Inspector General of Police (IGPs), Collectors and Superintendents of Police (SPs) as a part of preventive measures to deal with a possible third wave of COVID-19, they said.

    The order will come into effect from August 8, the officials added.

    According to the new directive, it will be mandatory for passengers arriving in Chhattisgarh from other states to carry a COVID-19 negative report of test conducted within 96 hours of the flight.

    Only reports of labs recognised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will be considered, it said.

    In case no ICMR or Specimen Referral Form (SRF) IDs are mentioned in the report, then the passenger will have to undergo RT-PCR test (considered gold standard method to detect coronavirus) at the airport, the order said.

    Full coronavirus vaccinated air passengers will also have to follow the same procedure and produce a negative RT-PCR report to enter the state, it said.

    While giving swab sample for test at the airport, the person will have to give his/her photo, a copy of government-approved identity card and mobile number, the circular said.

    Those who don’t have mobile phones can share the numbers of their relatives, it added.

    Similar guidelines have been issued in the past after the COVID-19 outbreak in March last year.

    The state has airports in capital Raipur, Bilaspur and Jagdalpur.