With Assembly elections slated for October next year, Chhattisgarh chief minister, Raman Singh, claims that soon his ??will be the only state with uninterrupted power supply.?? And, in the next four years, the state will produce 10,000 mega watts of additional power. Speaking to FE a few days back, Singh said this would be possible following the setting up of various mega power projects in the state.
The chief minister, however, made it apparent that he was not satisfied with the Centre?s role in sharing national projects with the state. He felt that the Centre?s move to make the states contribute 50% of the expenditure under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would severely hit the financial status of Chhattisgarh. ??This is going to affect the state budget. None of the states would be able to take such a financial burden,?? Singh observed.
Singh was also critical of the Centre?s move to include districts with only 10 lakh population under the national town integration scheme. ??This will mean that apart from Raipur, none of the smaller districts can be included under the scheme,?? he said. As for rural electrification under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran scheme, Singh said the list of 16 districts provided by the state, the Centre had given clearance for only two.
Meanwhile, even as the state reeled under naxalite activities, the chief minister claimed that mineral-rich Chhattisgarh ??is heading to be the number one state in the country as far as investments are concerned.?? He assured complete ?safety and security? to investors moving towards Chhattisgarh. Some of the corporate giants investing in the state are Tata Steel, Bhushan Steel, Jindal Steel and the Essar group.
Singh, who has been driving his Tata Safari on bio-diesel for quite some time, says his ?dream? is to produce bio-diesel and make the state lead in this sector. Rural electrification was also being done with bio-diesel, he added.
When asked whether he is hopeful of returning to power, Singh paused and replied, ??We are doing well. We are giving rice at Rs 3 a kilo to those falling in the BPL category. Taking all possible steps to improve the condition or rural poor and tribals??.