As per officials, over 100 people, including 70 students, from Chhattisgarh are stranded in Ukraine currently.
Tag: Chhattisgarh
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Hijab issue should have been resolved amicably instead of politicising it: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel
By PTI
RAIPUR: Amid the row over the wearing of ‘hijab’ in educational institutions in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said that the issue should have been resolved amicably by those at the helm instead of politicising it.
He was talking to reporters at the Swami Vivekanand Airport at Raipur before leaving for Uttar Pradesh for electioneering.
“Those who have triggered (the row) does not even know its result. The heads of two communities should have sit together and resolved this issue. It has now become a state and national level issue.”
The controversy had started towards the end of December last year when a few women students in hijabs (headscarves) were denied entry to a government pre-university college in Udupi in Karnataka.
As a counter, some Hindu students turned up wearing saffron scarves.
“The country like India has given shelter to persecuted people from all over the world irrespective of their caste and religion. I feel very sad that how are we dealing with our own people today? Bigotry from any side is harmful. This is a loss to the society itself,” he added.
Baghel said, “it is a family and social issue. It should have been settled amicably but now it has become sensitive. If every matter is taken to the court and given a political colour, where is our country going? In which direction are we going? Will we continue to fight like this? Children are our future but they do not represent us (apparently referring to political parties). It is the responsibility of those who are at the leadership to get such issues resolved mutually instead of adding fuel to the fire.”
Responding to another query, he blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre for the shortage of fertilisers in Chhattisgarh and demanded it to ensure its sufficient supply.
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Rahul to lay foundation stone of memorial housing ‘Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti’ on Thursday
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Thursday lay the foundation stone of a memorial in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur for soldiers and security personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and will house an eternal flame on the lines of the ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’.
The eternal flame will be lit on the premises of ‘Chaithi Vahini Chhattisgarh Armed forces’ at Mana in Raipur as a mark of tribute to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the country, state government officials said.
During his day-long visit to Chhattisgarh, Gandhi will also launch two state government schemes — ‘Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiheen Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana’ and ‘Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club’ at a programme at Science College, Raipur.
The ‘Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti’ will have a brown marble wall with names of soldiers inscribed on it, a memorial tower and also a VVIP platform, the state government officials said.
The crescent-shaped wall will be about 25 feet high with a length of about 100 feet and a thickness of 3 feet.
In front of the crescent-shaped wall, a memorial tower will be built using sandstone, brown-white marble and granite with a memento on top.
A rifle and helmet in the form of insignia will be placed at the base in front of the memorial tower.
“Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will be lit in front of this symbol which will remain ignited 24 hours through fuel supply through underground pipelines,” the officials said, adding that the two-storey building will be constructed just in front of the memorial tower.
The ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ at India Gate in Delhi was recently merged with the National War Memorial (NWM), drawing criticism from some political leaders, including Gandhi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Baghel had said the removal of the Amar Jawan Jyoti pained him. Gandhi will also be laying the foundation stone of ‘Sewa Gram’. He will transfer the first instalment of the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiheen Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana’ in the bank accounts of 3,55,000 landless agricultural labourers registered under the scheme.
An amount of Rs 6,000 will be directly transferred to the beneficiaries’ accounts in three instalments in a year. The state government has made a provision of Rs 200 crore in the supplementary budget for this scheme, the officials said.
Under the ‘Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club’ scheme, 13,269 Rajiv Yuva Mitan Clubs will be constituted in each of the gram panchayats and urban bodies of the state in a phased manner, they said. Youngsters will get an opportunity to establish their identity and develop their leadership skills under this scheme, they said.
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Chhattisgarh: Naxals kill police informer; torch vehicles used for road construction in Bijapur
By PTI
BIJAPUR: Naxals allegedly killed a 45-year-old police informer and torched three vehicles engaged in road construction work in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said on Saturday.
The ultras killed a gopniya sainik (secret police informer) on Friday and dumped his body on Gangloor road under the Bijapur police station limits, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Pankaj Shukla said.
The police recovered the body of the man identified as Ando Ram, another official said, adding that further probe is underway.
In a separate incident, Naxals torched three vehicles engaged in road construction work at Cherkanti Patelpara village under Bijapur police station limits on Friday, the official said.
The ultras set fire to a truck, a JCB machine and another heavy vehicle, which were being used in the construction work under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), he added.
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Chhattisgarh HC quashes FIR against former bureaucrat Aman Singh, his wife in DA case
By PTI
BILASPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court on Monday quashed the FIR registered against the state’s former principal secretary Aman Singh and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets observing that the registration of the case was the “abuse” of the process of law and that the allegations were prima facie based upon probabilities.
A single bench of Justice Narendra Kumar Vyas passed the order after hearing the petitions filed by Singh and his wife, Yasmin Singh, challenging the FIR, their counsel Abhishek Sinha said.
The case was registered in February 2020 against the Singhs under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint lodged by Uchit Sharma.
Sharma, who claims himself to be an RTI activist, is based in Raipur.
The petitioners had challenged the FIR claiming that it contains baseless and immaterial allegations and deserves to be quashed.
The petitioners had also submitted that the FIR is an abuse of police and State power, Sinha said.
After hearing the arguments, the HC had reserved its order on October 4 last year.
“The FIR has been registered based on the complaint made by one Uchit Sharma for the alleged disproportionate property against the petitioners and involvement of the petitioner (Aman Singh) in the various scam and money laundering, but the FIR does not speak about how the petitioner involved in the alleged scam as mentioned in the FIR.
“It has also been stated in the FIR that the petitioner was working in various posts of profit and working as an influential person and the fact is not in dispute that the petitioner was on deputation and worked as Joint Secretary with the Government of Chhattisgarh, definitely he has posted in the office of Chief Minister of State, therefore, merely his working as Joint Secretary cannot be said to have been the commission of an offence under Section 13 (1)(b), 13 (2) of the Act, 1988 and Section 120B of IPC, thus, the registration of FIR is nothing but an abuse of process of law,” the high court’s order said.
It said the FIR nowhere discloses commission of any offence with definite facts and figures.
“It is not in dispute that truthfulness of allegation has to be examined on evidence, but at least it is incumbent on the part of the prosecution that the FIR should prima facie disclose the commission of an offence under Section 13 (1)(b) read with Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 120B of IPC, but all the allegations levelled against the petitioner are prima facie based upon probabilities and based on probability any person cannot be prosecuted,” the bench said.
Aman Singh, formerly an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer, had joined the Raman Singh government during its first tenure in 2004 on deputation.
He resigned from the IRS in 2010 and continued to work with the state BJP government on a contractual basis.
He was an influential bureaucrat during the 15-year Raman Singh rule in the state and served in various prominent capacities.
His wife worked with Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Panchayat and Rural Development Department on a contractual basis from 2005 to 2018, the EOW had said.
Aman Singh had resigned from service after Congress was elected to power following the 2018 assembly elections.
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Ensure supply of gunny bags for paddy purchase: Chhattisgarh CM to PM; fears law and order situation
By PTI
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to ensure a timely supply of new jute gunny bags to the state for paddy purchase, saying their unavailability could create a law and order situation during the procurement drive beginning December 1.
In his letter addressed to the prime minister, Baghel said Chhattisgarh requires 5.25 lakh bundles of gunny bags for paddy procurement but has received permission to purchase only 2.14 lakh bundles of new gunny bags, a public relations department official said.
“The paddy procurement drive under the minimum support price (MSP) declared by the Centre for the Kharif Marketing Year 2021-22 is scheduled to start from December 1 in the state and necessary preparations are being made. Around 105 lakh metric tonnes of paddy is expected to be procured from farmers in the state for which 5.25 lakh bundles of gunny bags are required,” the CM stated.
However, according to a letter issued by the Union Ministry of Food and Public Distribution on November 12, Chhattisgarh has got permission to purchase only 2.14 lakh bundles of new gunny bags through Jute Commissioner Kolkata, the letter said.
Indents have been issued by the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Society Marketing Federation for the purchase but the state has so far received only 86,856 bundles of the gunny bags, which is much less than the sanctioned quantity, Baghel wrote.
Stating that satisfactory progress is not seen despite Chhattisgarh’s continuous efforts to receive the full quantity of gunny bags, Baghel wrote, “if the gunny bags are not supplied in time, it may lead to law and order situation during the procurement drive period”.
He urged the PM to direct the Union Food department and Jute Commissioner to ensure a timely supply of gunny bags.
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Chhattisgarh government announces reduction of VAT on petrol, diesel
By PTI
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday decided to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel by 1 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.
This decision was taken during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, a government official said.
The move will cause a loss of nearly Rs 1,000 crore to the state exchequer.
“Providing major relief to the people of the state. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel-led cabinet has decided to cut the prices of petrol and diesel. VAT on diesel and petrol has been reduced by 2 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. The state government will bear the loss of about Rs 1,000 crore,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) tweeted.
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Swachh Amrit Mahotsav: Chhattisgarh wins in cleanest state category third year in a row
By PTI
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh will be awarded in the cleanest state category by President Ram Nath Kovind in the Swachh Amrit Mahotsav event to be held in New Delhi on November 20, a state government official said on Sunday.
The state had won in this category for the third consecutive year, having won it in 2019 and 2020 as well, in what the official said was the world’s biggest mass based cleanliness competition.
“The survey assessed door-to-door garbage collection, scientific disposal of waste, open defecation free and garbage free status, citizens feedback etc to choose winners. Chhattisgarh will not only be awarded as a state, but its 61 cities will also be rewarded for their excellent performance. It becomes the state with the highest number of cities being awarded,” he said.
Explaining the efforts that went into the win, the public relations department official said Chhattisgarh was the only state in the country where over 9000 ‘swachhata didis’ were collecting 1,600 tonnes of wet and dry waste door-to-door and scientifically disposing it of.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel amd Urban Administration and Development Minister Shivkumar Dahariya congratulated the people of the state as well as the hard work put in by its sanitation workers and supervising officials.
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India to construct 12 crucial roads to neutralise Naxal menace
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: In what may prove to be a decisive step in India’s battle against Naxals, the government has ordered construction in ‘mission mode’ of 12 crucial roads that lie deep in the Naxal-dominated belt. Sources said construction on some of these roads is pending for over a decade now.
Once constructed, these roads will allow mass mobilisation of forces in areas that they have not been able to penetrate in large numbers. These 12 roads, located in the three worst Naxal-hit Chhattisgarh districts — Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada — covering about 478.6 kms have been sanctioned. But work on 214.8 kms is still pending.
“The target is completing 76.8 kms of roads pending by June. The remaining work will be completed on a priority basis in the next few years. The idea is to reclaim the region and uproot the Maoists,” a home ministry official said.
The difficulty associated with the construction of these roads can be gauged from the fact that 53 CRPF personnel have been killed during construction over the last eight years. The Director General of Central Reserve Police Force, the primary combat force against Naxals, has instructed troops to expedite completion of work on the 12 roads in coordination with Chhattisgarh police.
Of the 12 roads, five fall in Sukma, one in Dantewada and four in Bijapur. Two are on the Bijapur-Sukma border and Dantewada-Sukma border. These roads will not only prove pivotal for the development of locals in the area but it would be a victory of security forces against Maoists in their strongest base.
According to sources, two such roads were sanctioned in 2012 and 2015, but work is yet to begin. On the 56-km Dornapal-Jagargunda road, work on 22 kms is pending. The decision to construct these roads was taken in view of the decline in violence as well as the geographical spread of Left-wing extremism over the past decade. CRPF has not suffered a single casualty during road construction in the last four years which is a big achievement, a senior official pointed out.
“Maoists know the roads will be a big setback for them. Time and again they have launched attacks to delay the construction work,” said an official in Chhattisgarh.
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India to construct 12 crucial roads in ‘mission mode’to neutralise Naxal menace
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: In what may turn out to be a decisive, final step in the country’s battle against Naxals, the government has ordered construction work in ‘mission mode’ of 12 crucial roads that lie deep in the Naxal dominated belt.
Sources told this newspaper that construction work on some of these roads has been pending for more than a decade now. The roads, once constructed, will allow mass mobilization of security forces in areas that the forces have not been able to penetrate till now in large numbers. Some of these roads were functional, sources added, till around three decades ago when Naxals blew them up with the purpose of keeping the forces away.
These 12 crucial roads, located in the three worst Naxal-hit districts in the country—Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada; all in Chhattisgarh–covering about 478.6 kms have been sanctioned over the past one decade but 214.8 kms of road construction is still pending, according to senior home ministry officials.
“The decision has been taken in view of the marked improvement in the security situation on the ground. The target is to complete 76.8 km of pending road construction by June next year and the remaining pending work will be completed on a priority basis in the next few years too. Idea is to reclaim the region in Maoists’ heartland and uproot them,” a top home ministry official said.
The enormity of completing the construction of these roads can be gauged from the fact that as many as 53 CRPF personnel have been killed during the construction of these roads over the last eight years. 17 CRPF jawans have been injured too during construction work of these roads since 2014, home ministry data accessed by this newspaper reveals. The Director-General of Central Reserve Police Force, the primary combat force against Naxals in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism, has instructed the troops on the ground to expedite completion of work of the 12 critical roads on mission mode in coordination with Chhattisgarh police, sources said.
Of the 12 roads, five falls in Sukma district, one in Dantewada, and four are in the Bijapur district while two roads are located on the Bijapur-Sukma border and Dantewada-Sukma border. The roads will not only prove pivotal for the development of locals in the area but it would be a victory of security forces against Maoists in their strongest base.
According to sources, two such roads — one connecting Bheji to Chintagufa (which is to be about 30 km long) and the other 8 km long stretch Golapalli to Paidagudem-were sanctioned in the year 2012 and 2015—but the work on these roads is yet to begin. However, the government has set a target of 10 km stretch of Bheji-Chintagufa road by June next year and the entire Golapalli-Paidagudem is to be built by March next year.
Another 38.8-km long crucial road connecting Pali to Barsoor in Dantewada district–that was sanctioned in July 2010–is to be completed by June next year, as per the government’s blueprint.
For the important 56-km long Dornapal-Jagargunda road that was sanctioned in September 2015, 22-km work is still pending and the government is eying a target of mid-2023 to complete the stretch, sources said.
The decision has been taken in view of the steep decline in violence levels as well as the geographical spread of Left-wing extremism in the country over the past decade. CRPF has not suffered a single casualty during road construction activities in the past four years which is a big achievement of the force, a senior CRPF official pointed out.
“Maoists know the roads will be a big setback for them and therefore, time and again they have launched some of their deadliest attacks against security forces involved in the construction process to delay the construction work,” said the paramilitary official, who is posted in Chhattisgarh.
The quadrilateral patch of Sukma, from Dornapal to Kistaram and Bheji to Jagargunda on Gollapalli track serves as a haven for Naxals. The area helps ultras in movement across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Odisha and Maharashtra through Chhattisgarh, but also for their guerrilla warfare training amid the dense forests and inaccessible terrain.