Naxal activities have come down in Chhattisgarh: Governor

Chhattisgarh has witnessed a fall in Naxal activities and other crimes, Governor Anusuiya Uikey said on Monday while underlining various challenges faced by security forces in Naxal-hit areas of the state. Addressing the Chhattisgarh Assembly on the first day of its budget session, Uikey hailed the ruling Congress in the state, saying it has focused on sensitisation of police towards the general public.

“Naxal activities and other offences have declined in the state,” the governor said in her address.

She said in Chhattisgarh, police forces had to face multifaceted challenges and therefore, the government focused on making them deal with the general public with sensitivity.

The government took several welfare steps keeping in view needs of the police, she said.

Uikey said schemes like response allowance, ‘Spandan’ and ‘Sanvedana’ campaign (to address grievances of police personnel and their families), hike in ex-gratia from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 20 lakh to kin of the martyred personnel and many other schemes for police welfare have had a widespread impact.

Lauding various schemes and policies of the state government, Uikey said she is glad the government has been collectively working to realise the vision of ‘Gadbo Nava Chhattisgarh’ (create new Chhattisgarh).

She noted that the previous year was filled with many challenges (due to coronavirus pandemic), like providing food and livelihood to families of daily wagers, continuous nutritious diet to families fighting malnutrition, and safe return and rehabilitation of migrant labourers.

There were also challenges like prevention of coronavirus infection, treatment of the infected people, and to maintain a natural pace of economic activities, she said.

“My government stood up on all these fronts and the state made new achievements in many areas even during the COVID-19 crisis,” she said.

The governor said the state government has set a record by procuring over 92 lakh metric ton paddy from 20,53,483 farmers at minimum support price (during the Kharif season 2020-21).

Under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, the state government has pledged to provide direct financial assistance to farmers for cultivation of 14 crops, including paddy, sugarcane and maize, she said.

While a sugarcane-based ethanol manufacturing plant is being set up in the state, the state governments innovative idea of setting up paddy-based ethanol units has also received support and acceptance at the national level, Uikey said.

The government has brought a new guideline for effective use of District Mineral Fund (DMF), which is an example of its commitment to use the state’s resources in right direction, she said.

As a result, the contribution received from the royalty of major and minor minerals has been used in eradication of malnutrition and in various programmes pertaining to health, education, agriculture and employment, she added.