Chhattisgarh will develop rapidly due to better coordination between the state and central government : Manohar Lal

Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, Mr Manohar Lal, during his Raipur visit today, reviewed the work being done in Chhattisgarh for energy and development of housing and public facilities in cities. He said in a meeting held in the ministry that Chhattisgarh will develop rapidly with better coordination between the state and central government. Full support will be provided by the Government of India to fulfill all the requirements related to electricity and housing in Chhattisgarh. He said that many reformist steps are being taken in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi. Works are being done in accordance with public aspirations. Chief Minister Mr Vishnu Dev Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Mr Arun Saw, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Mr Tokhan Sahu and Chief Secretary Mr Amitabh Jain also attended the review meeting.

Union Minister Mr Manohar Lal said in the meeting that several subsidy schemes are being run by the Central Government to provide cheap and adequate electricity to the people. There are also several schemes to promote solar energy. He asked the state government to make full use of all the funds and grants being given by the Government of India. The faster the work is done in the state, the faster the funds will be released by the Government of India. He assured that there will be no difficulty from the Central Government regarding development schemes in the state. Both will work in better coordination.

Union Minister Mr Manohar Lal suggested in the meeting that the 100 buses received by Raipur under Clean City can also be used to run between Naya Raipur and Raipur. He reviewed the works being done to reduce line-loss under the Electricity Department, installation of smart meters, electrification in special backward tribal areas and availability of coal for power generation. He reviewed the works of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PM Swanidhi, Amrit Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, PM e-Bus Service, Smart City Mission and National Urban Development Mission under Housing and Urban Works. He assured to provide adequate funds for these schemes.

Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai thanked Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal in the meeting and said that within a month of assuming office, he is reviewing the development works here. His cooperation will help in accelerating the pace of development in the state. He said that work is being done rapidly in the state to increase power generation. Chhattisgarh will soon regain the status of ‘Power Surplus State’. He told the Union Minister that in the last six months, there has been improvement in the availability of electricity for farmers and small workers in the state. Farmers are being given discount in electricity bills up to six thousand units annually in irrigation pumps up to three HP and seven and a half thousand units in pumps of three to five HP. The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to approve on priority basis 19 thousand 906 houses pending for approval under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and about 50 thousand houses with revised central share in accordance with the applications collected in the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra. He expressed hope that today’s meeting will give new impetus to energy and urban development in the state.

Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration and Development Minister Shri Arun Saw said in the meeting that we are continuously working as per the guidelines of the Government of India for the development of cities. Rapid work is being done in the state for cleanliness, housing, livelihood, drinking water etc. Progress in these works is also being reviewed regularly. He expressed hope that with the cooperation of the Government of India, these works will gain further momentum. Ms. Rupa Mishra, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Mr. Shashank Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ms. Anita Meena, Director, Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), Mr. P. Dayanand, Secretary to the Chief Minister, Dr. Basavaraju S., Secretary, Urban Administration and Development Department, Director, Mr. Kundan Kumar, CEO of CREDA, Mr. Rajesh Singh Rana and Regional Executive Director of NTPC, Mr. Pradipta Kumar Mishra, along with officials of the concerned departments were present in the review meeting.