Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday distributed kits to the beneficiaries of different schemes during his one-day stay in Bastar. In presence of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the chief minister distributed machines for making paper cup tea, papad, chips, murra-lai to 10 women groups of RIPA center run by district Panchayat Jagdalpur. He also distributed bank linkage cheques to 21 women groups of the district panchayat.
A large number of tribals from the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, attended the function.
During the event, titled ‘Bharose Ka Sammelan’, Baghel and Gandhi launched the ‘Adivasi Parab Samman Nidhi Yojana’ under which financial assistance of ₹10,000 will be provided to each Gram Panchayat in the scheduled areas in two instalments for organising tribal festivals, fairs and religious programs.
Speaking at the event, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sounded poll bugle, asking the people of the state to repose faith in her party again.
“….the Bhupesh Baghel government has been working to empower people of the state. It did not violate your trust. You have seen the 15-year-rule of the BJP, you had placed trust in them too. But what happened? Only ‘bhay, bhukh and bhrastachar’ (fear, hunger and corruption) were prevalent then,” the Congress general secretary said.
“Your lands were snatched away and you were handcuffed. They made you dependent, not self-reliant. They broke your self-confidence and ignored your pain….the Congress government has returned you your pride and worked to empower you,” she said.
Cheques were distributed to five women self-help groups for small businesses under the loan scheme of the Women and Child Development Department and to the beneficiaries of Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, run by the Agriculture Department under the Agriculture Mechanization Scheme, Krishi Samriddhi Yojana.
The beneficiaries of the Bakavand, Jagdalpur, and Darbha development blocks also received cheques for seeds under the National Horticulture Mission operated by the department of Horticulture. Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 run by the Tribal Development Department, Community Forest Rights Pattas were distributed to Jirakhal and Dhobiguda Irikpal of Bakavand, and Bagmohlai-2 and Sonar Pal (Mataguri) gram panchayats of Bastar. The cheques of ₹10.08 lakh were distributed to 10 students for B.Sc Nursing course.
The Congress leaders also distributed Ayushman cards under the Dr. Khubchand Baghel Swasthya Sahayata Yojana to 10 beneficiaries of the Jagdalpur development block.
