Picture: Twitter Handle of CMO Chhattisgarh
Recently, the Election Commission (EC) declared the date of assembly elections in five states namely Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. In this backdrop, the Commission has issued detailed guidelines and instructions on regulation and enforcement of various aspects of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during election time. Important aspects of the MCC are defacement of property, misuse of official vehicle, advertisement at the cost of public exchequer, photograph of political functionary at official website, development/construction related activities, activities for expenditure monitoring and enforcement of MCC, complaint monitoring system, dissemination of information for awareness of voters and political parties and many more. The above-mentioned code of conduct is very important for ensuring a fair election in various states.
With announcement of the assembly elections in five states, the political slug fest intensified. In this backdrop, Yashwant Sinha, Former Minister Finance and External Affairs, Government of India, tweeted, “Unfortunate that Election Commission postponed announcement of election dates in 5 states only to enable Modi to address his public meeting in Ajmer, Rajasthan. Very sad.” Echoing the similar view, Randeep Singh Surjewala, In-charge, Communication, Congress party, questioned the EC, “Is BJP the ‘Super EC’?”
As the EC is going to conduct elections two phases, Impact News is going to shed light on Chhattisgarh. In the politically charged environment, Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, is going to face an energized opposition who is heading the state government since December 2003. It is worthwhile to mention that Chhattisgarh is a mineral rich state which is infested by the menace of the Left-Wing Extremism. Congress is the main opposition party in the state though the BJP dominates the political realm for long time.
Chhattisgarh Demographic Profile:
| Population size: | 25545198 |
| Population size (Males) | 12832895 |
| Population size (Females) | 12712303 |
| Population size (Rural) | 19607961 |
| Population size (Urban) | 5937237 |
| Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males) | 991 |
| Literates 7+ Years | 15379922 |
Source: Census 2011
Geographically, Chhattisgarh is 10th largest state of India with an area of 135,194 sq km. According to the Census 2011, its population is approximately 2.55 crores. Chhattisgarh’s northern and southern part is mountainous where 44 per cent of the area is covered with forests. According to the census 2011, the literacy rate in Chhattisgarh is 71.04 per cent.
Reaffirming his commitment to the poor, the farmers, women, youth, the deprived sections of the society, Raman Singh, presented a budget estimate of 76,032 crore for the fiscal 2017-18 which depicts a macroeconomic picture of the state.
Budget at a glance (Rs. In Crore):
Source: Budget 2017-2018, Chhattisgarh
1:Social Security:
Social Security Pension: 709 crore
Scholarship for Students with Special Needs will be doubled: 1 crore 22 lakh
Divyang College at Raipur: 2 crore 56 lakh
2:Labour Welfare:
Asangthit Karmakar Kalyan Mandal: 39 crore 75 lakh
Mukhyamantri Shram Anna Sahayata Yojna: Hot Cooked food for labourers – to be implemented in 10 districts
3: Welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe:
SC, ST Stipend – from 850 – 900 per month: 11 crore 29 lakh
500 seater PTG hostel at Kui-Kukudur Kabirdham
New coaching centres at Kabirdham and Narayanpur: 98 lakh
50 Ashram/Hostel buildings: 20 crore
200 Homeguard houses: 6 crore
Toilets in 75 girls hostel: 6 crore
4: Forest
Tendupatta collection rate increase – From 1 thousand 500 to 1 thousand 800 per bag
Hariyali Prasar: 63 crore
Source: Budget 2017-2018, Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh Demographic Profile:
| Population size: | 25545198 |
| Population size (Males) | 12832895 |
| Population size (Females) | 12712303 |
| Population size (Rural) | 19607961 |
| Population size (Urban) | 5937237 |
| Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males) | 991 |
| Literates 7+ Years | 15379922 |
As the BJP government started the Nava Chhattisgarh 2025, the Chief Minister Raman Singh is on the Atal Vikas Yatra in the state. The coming election will be a test for his way of governance in a tribal state which has enormous resources along with the Naxal challenge.
