‘Two major milestones achieved in Ch’garh on CM’s initiative’

Central Chronicle News
Raipur, Aug 10: On the occasion of International Day of Indigenous People, two major records have been set in Chhattisgarh. On a special initiative of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and for the first time in the country, tribal communities and the villages in core area of Tiger Reserve are being provided the Community Forest Resource Rights Recognition Letters. In the programme organized at Chief Minister’s residence office on Monday, Bhupesh Baghel handed over the community forest right recognition letters to Nathlu Ram Markam, Chairman Forest Right Committee village Karhi, Birbal Padmakar, Chairman Forest Right Committee village Joratarai, Himmat Singh Netam, Chairman Forest Right Committee village Masulkhoi. Moreover, Gram Sabhas of Baroli and Bahigaon villages in the core area of Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve were also provided the community forest resource right recognition letters. In this way, Gram Sabhas of total five villages in core area of the Tiger reserve have been provided the Community Forest Resource Right on 14000 acres of the forestland. Likewise, for the first time in the country, tribal communities living in urban areas of the state are also being provided the right on forests, and this noble work has been initiated from Nagar Panchayat Nagri of Dhamtari district today. This Nagar Panchayat consists of three villages-Churiyara, Tumbahra, and Nagri, and all these three villages have been given the community forest resource right on total 10 thousand 200 acres of forests. Besides, total 700 villages of Chhattisgarh have been provided the community forest resource right today. This includes 150 villages from Surajpur alone and 143 villages from Kanker district.
At the onset, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel performed customary rituals and worshipped Budha Dev and Ma Danteshwari, and thereafter garlanded the picture of Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh. Folk dancers from the city staged a mesmerizing performance of Mandari dance at the programme.
In his address to the programme, Chief Minister said that ensuring the rights of local communities on all kinds of local resources including water, forest and land is our top priority. State government is taking consistent and dedicated steps towards the cultural and socio-economic development of the tribal communities, which has resulted in significant transformation of tribal areas in the state.
International Day of Indigenous People is a major occasion for us. We associate this day with the self-respect, pride, culture and dreams of about 31 percent tribal population of the state. This is the reason why we have declared public holiday on the occasion of International Day of Indigenous People. He said that the rights of tribal communities have expanded from pastures and water bodies to forest produce in rural forest areas of Chhattisgarh.
Chief Minister further said that State Government is moving ahead on the path of inclusive development, with the principle of trust, development and security. Baghel spoke in detail about the State Government’s schemes for tribals and farmers. He said that we began the tryst of ensuring justice to the tribal communities, with the the decision to return 4200 acres of land to the farmers displaced for establishing steel plant in Lohandiguda area.
Chief Minister also mentioned about the schemes such as Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojna, Godhan Nyay Yojana, Gauthan programme, the decision to give agricultural status to lac production and fisheries, raising the wage rate of tendupatta collection to Rs 4000, Shaheed Mahendra Karma social security scheme for tendupatta collecting families, increase in the number of minor forest produce procured at support price from 7 to 52, value addition at local-level, and procurement of minor cereal crops like Kodo-Kutki, etc on support price.
It is our priority to make the services of doctors and teachers available in every village. The state has achieved major success in eradicating malaria and reducing malnutrition in tribal regions. These programs for eradication of malaria and malnutrition have also been appreciated by NITI Aayog and UNDP. So far, more than 01 lakh 40 thousand children in the state have been cured of malnutrition, under Mukhyamantri Suposhan Abhiyan.
Chief Minister said that Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools have been opened to provide quality education to even the poorest students for free of cost. Hundreds of schools in Naxal affected areas of Bastar division, which were closed for a long time, have been successfully reopened. Direct recruitment is being done on the posts of teachers, which were vacant for many years.
Chief Minister said that with the policy of development, trust and security, State Government has taken effective steps to establish peace in Naxal-affected areas. In the same sequence, 718 cases registered against 944 tribals have been withdrawn. In order to ensure participation of local people in the development, local representatives such as MLAs have been appointed as Speakers in the authorities, instead of Chief Minister. In Sarguja and Bastar divisions, a Junior Selection Board has been constituted for appointment of local people in government jobs on priority. He said that all-round development of Bastar is not possible without industrial development in Bastar. Hence, many small steel plants are being established in Bastar, providing direct and indirect employment to thousands of people.

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