Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai chaired a meeting of the Sarguja Area Tribal Development Authority in Mayali, Jashpur district, on Tuesday. During the meeting, attended by members of the authority and secretaries of key departments, the Chief Minister reviewed ongoing projects and directed that all works in progress be completed promptly, while uninitiated projects be cancelled. The Chief Minister engaged with authority members individually, urging them to propose solutions after understanding the problems and demands of their respective areas. He directed the concerned departments to resolve the issues raised during the meeting. Responding to a request by MLA Renuka Singh, the Chief Minister announced an increase in the budget allocation for the Sarguja Area Tribal Development Authority from 50 crore to 75 crore. Additionally, he pledged 10 crores to promote tourism in Mayali. Chief Minister Sai emphasized that the state has been steadily developing in all aspects since the tenure of former Chief Minister Raman Singh, who created an authority dedicated to the development of tribal areas and provided essential resources. Currently, there are five such authorities in Chhattisgarh.

 

The government is committed to the development of the Bastar and Sarguja regions, and even if there are budgetary constraints, essential works will be completed through the authority. Both the Government of India and the State Government aim to ensure the development of all communities, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. The Chief Minister highlighted that the PM Janman and Dharti Aba Gram Utkarsh Yojana, initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will expedite development in tribal areas across the state. Chief Minister Sai praised the preparations made by the district administration for the meeting in Mayali and highlighted the district’s rich resources, including forests and minerals. He suggested that villagers and farmers could benefit from value addition to forest produce and other key products in the region. Chief Minister Sai addressed concerns raised by authority members, including the establishment of a sugarcane procurement centre in the Lundra-Batouli area, providing electricity to unconnected regions, preventing human-elephant conflicts, and increasing compensation for damages caused by wildlife.

 

Regarding complaints of high electricity bills, even for single light connections, the Chief Minister instructed Energy Secretary Rohit Yadav to investigate and resolve the matter. He also directed the Secretary of the Food Department to address ration shortages in Jashpur district. During the meeting, the Chief Minister inaugurated the divisional office of the Water Resources Division in Kunkuri through a remote-controlled ceremony. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, who also attended the meeting, reiterated the government’s commitment to the development of the Sarguja and Bastar regions. Sao mentioned that he had held meetings with the Public Health Engineering Department, Public Works Department, and Urban Administration Development Department, and had instructed them to expedite important projects.

 

He assured that funds had been released for beautification projects and the completion of road repairs by November. Additionally, he mentioned that work is ongoing under the Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure tap water reaches every household, and any irregularities in the scheme would be met with strict action. Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma, Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Rajwade, MP Raigarh Radheshyam Rathia, MP Sarguja Chintamani Maharaj, Jashpur MLA Raimuni Bhagat, Lundra MLA Pramod Minj, Pratappur MLA Shakuntala Singh Port, Ambikapur MLA Rajesh Agarwal, Bharatpur Sohat MLA Renuka Singh, Bhaiya Lal Rajwade, and several district panchayat presidents raised various issues related to their areas, and the Chief Minister instructed the concerned authorities to resolve all the demands.