Centre ignoring Chhattisgarh's interest: Raman
Raipur (PTI): Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of ignoring the interests of the state, which had achieved substantial progress through its own initiatives.
"Chhattisgarh is completing seven years tomorrow and in these years it has achieved several hallmarks, despite the fact that the Manmohan Singh government had not provided the expected assistance and rather adopted a discriminatory attitude towards it," Singh said here.
The allegations against the Prime Minister came from the Chief Minister on the on the eve of the state's Foundation Day.
The Chief Minister said through its own efforts Chattisgarh has attracted huge investments in several sectors including power, steel and cement and showed progress in the health and education indices.
"After seven years, I am happy that the state's per capita income has gone up from Rs 9,600 in 2000, when the state was formed, to Rs 15,900 now," he said.
Power consumption had increased from a meagre 900 MW to 2,400 MW per day in the same period and the infant mortality rate had also reduced to 62 per 1,000 from 95 per 1,000 when the state was formed, the Chief Minister said.
Alleging that the state was facing discrimination in the hands of UPA government, Singh said because of deduction of 350 MW of power by the Centre, the rural sector of the state was reeling under darkness, Singh said.
"Because of discrimination by the Centre in power allotment, we are facing acute power shortage, but by January 2008 our own power plant would start producing 500 MW.
"Not only Chhattisgarh will be free from load shedding for the next 25 years but also we will start selling power to other states as five more such plants are coming up in the state," Singh said.
Besides attracting huge investments into the state, including players like TATA and ESSAR are setting up their mega projects here, he said, as many as 60 per cent of the developmental works of the state are carried out in tribal dominated areas.
After abolishing 120 private universities here, the government had set up seven medical colleges, including five dental colleges, three universities, including one technical varsity, the Chief Minister said.
As many as 146 revenue blocks had been upgraded to tehsils and two new districts were also formed, namely Narayanpur and Bijapur to speed up development there, he said.
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