Bhupesh Baghel draws the blue print for Chhattisgarh in bold colours, tribals on centre-stage of development

Samikhsya Bureau

Chhattisgarh being a tribal thick state and the government under chief minister Bhupesh Baghel tries making a good head-start with the tribal in the centre-stage.

Hoisting the national flag during the celebration of the 71st Republic Day at the Lalbagh Parade Ground, Jagdalpur,  the chief minister was nostalgic .

Baghel, in his address, underlined that without people’s participation no dream whatsoever can be translated into reality.

The chief minister traveled down his memory lane and emphasised how several crucial initiatives have become successful only through peoples’ participation.

Lessons that he had learnt from his visits to the rural areas in the state, such as, Bastar etc , there had been a lesson or two the chief minister learnt. Baghel was specific and boldly underlined how Model Rehabilitation Act saw the light of the day and people, tribals in particular,  were able to get back their land, a kind of smile that emanated from the faces of Lohandiguda tribals.

Baghel, man who looks forward

Baghel, who from the day of his ascendancy to the power in the state, had made people his poster-boy and the farmers his strength , shared his dreams of a society that has people more “ aware, assertive and empowered “ and he recalled, how the dispensation under the Congress had brought in the provision under the Right to Education Act 2009, that the children should be taught in their mother language although, subsequently, that did not make much headway.

However, Baghel reiterated that, now, in the sessions to come arrangements shall be made to teach the children in the local dialect at the primary schools. Where Chhattisgarhi, Sargujiya, Korva and Pando etc are subjected to be the primary medium.

In today’s climate of unrest, the chief minister focused on the significance of the Constitution and announced that, to instill that essence into the childrens’ psyche, in schools the Preamble of the constitution shall be recited during the prayers.

It was the Constitution, the chief minister emphasized, which has helped the notable development India has made in last seven decades almost.

Citing the creation of about 496 scheduled areas, Baghel exuded pride for carving out 704 new panchayats and reorganisation of bigger ones as well.

Poverty being the major enemy, the chief minister assured, that, under his dispensation, the priority will be at alleviating sufferings and poverty and the state having a 50% plus tribal ratio in Bastar alone, his government would make efforts for releasing innocent tribals implicated in false criminal cases.

In this direction, he said, his government , according to a committee under Justice A K Patnayak, it will review and give relief to more such tribals in the future.