SOME OF THE MAJOR PUBLIC POLICY DECISIONS TAKEN BY THE State GOVERNMENT OF
Chhattisgarh SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE State ON 1ST NOVEMBER, 2000.

Priority to water conservation works for providing employment in drought hit areas of the State shelf of projects to be prepared in all districts and also district level relief action plans for water fodder and employment in consultation with public representatives. 

• Memorandum of demands submitted to the Government of India revised from the earlier demand for Rs.187 Crores to Rs. 570 Crores including Rs. 99 Crores for drinking water

• Release of pending dearness allowance installments and reinstatement of leave encashment facilities to Government employees

• Suspension of collection of Land revenues in drought affected areas

• Expert study teams sent to malaria affected areas and action plan set in motion to control the epidemic

• Committees of non official public representatives to oversee relief works from village to State levels

• Chief Ministers drought relief funds created and donations invited from all sections

• An entirely new levy policy announced leading to better prices for farmers reopening of rice mills to provide employment to labour and for assuring raw rice supplies to consumers. Rice mills reopen and market prices stabilise

• Chhattisgarh Kisan Aayog (Farmers’ Commission), Scheduled Castes’ & Scheduled Tribes’ Commission, and youth commission constituted for reviewing policies pursued so far and to recommend future course. The commissions start work through wider public consultation. Youth commission organizes State level seminar of meritorious youth in different fields and the entire cabinet attends.

• Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board Constituted on 15 th November and comes in to operation from 1^st December after agreement is reached between the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is one of the few power surplus and viable electricity boards.

• Indira Gaon Ganga Yojana launched for ensuring at least one dependable and environmentally sustainable water source in every electrified village the scheme also envisages community mobilisation for water conservation measures.

• Indira Soochna Shakti Yojana launched for providing free information technology education for girls belonging to poor families studying in government high schools and higher secondary schools. It is the first scheme of its kind which cuts across caste and community lines and is available to poor girl students of all communities.

• Indira Sahara Yojana launched for bringing destitute women of age group 18 years to 50 years with in the social security net this social security pension scheme proves its relevance immediately after launch when 36 year old Ratni Bai of Baagbahra widowed, destitute and who had given away her young children for adoption is given instant relief and succour.

• Central Government approached for setting up international gateway hub at Bhilai for promoting software exports. information technology policy earlier adopted in Madhya Pradesh is endorsed for implementation in Chhattisgarh scheme of imparting information technology education through private participation is endorsed for implementation from 26 th January, 2001 .

• A strategic management group is set up in the State to encourage foreign investment and to service such investment.

• The Shahid Vir Naryan Singh award for Rs. Two Lacs is announced for recognizing outstanding contribution in the field of tribal welfare and development.

• A taxation and revenues advisory experts’ committee is constituted for recommending tax reforms and tax administration reforms in the State.

• As a fillip to the public health delivery system in the rural and tribal areas, A first line of medical defence against diseases is to be built. A new three year medical diploma programme is to be designed an experts committee would propose the draft design of the curriculum.

• Incomplete irrigation works to be accorded priority in drought relief programmes. Plan funds to be utilised in terms of the checks established under the scarcity manual. This would speed up employment opportunities in drought affected areas

• An Exhaustive plan is to be drawn up for increasing the irrigated area from the current 16% to the potentially viable 75%. Negotiations are started with infrastructure financing institutions.

• The Chhattisgarh Infrastructure Development Corporation is announced. The corporation would have an authorised share capital of Rs.100 Crores and an immediate paid up capital of Rs. 10 Crores. The corporation would be chaired by the chief minister and would promote investment in the State.

• Village courts to come in to force from 18 the December, 2000 to coincide with the birth anniversary of revered Guru Ghasidas ji. There would be one village court for every 10 gram panchayats. The Gram Nyayalaya Adhiniyam passed by the Madhya Pradesh Assembly is thus implemented for the first time.

• The birth anniversary of Guru Ghasidas ji to be henceforth celebrated as the Guru Jayanti Parva in recognition of Guruji’s contribution to the social reform movement in Chhattisgarh

• Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board asked to ensure that there are no power cuts in areas where the board has 33 KV transformers. Chhattisgarh becomes the first State without power cuts in this respect. A proactive energy policy is to be adopted by the State. As a first step, all industrial units desirous of setting up captive power plants would be allowed to do so with out any administrative hurdles industrial units would be encouraged to set up such units. State would export electricity if there are surpluses.

• Daily wage workers retrenched by the government of the undivided State would be appointed on the same terms against vacant posts transferred from Madhya Pradesh. Suitability of posts and persons to be kept in mind. Collectors empowered to screen cases based on inter se merit.

• Government takes a very serious view of atrocities on tribals, dalits and the weaker sections of society. As an exemplary action, a judicial inquiry is ordered in to the allegation of police officials including an Indian police service officer assaulting tribals in Achanakmar forest guest house.

• The interim report of the State youth commission is released for popular feed back.

• Government keen on completing incomplete irrigation works that could yield early benefits. Hasdeo Bango project scheduled for completion in 2004 is now to be completed by the year 2003. This would also curtail cost and time over runs.

• Ramakrisha Mission Ashram at Narayanpur in Bastar district is selected for the Shaheed Vir Narayan Singh award for social work. A memorial is to be built in honour of the great martyr son of Chhattisgarh befittingly at Sonakhan.

• Commissioners of divisions are authorised to appoint medical doctors on contract where required in the tribal areas of the State. Ban is lifted on such appointment which was in force in the undivided State. On similar lines, collectors are authorised to recruit ayurveda doctors on contract.

• Government decides that the procedure for issuing caste certificates should be simplified.

• Quality of school education to be focussed upon in the State English language to be taught from class-1 in addition to Hindi and the third language of Sanskrit or Urdu in all schools wherever guardians so demand teachers to be trained for the purpose and classes to begin from the next academic year.

• The ban on recruitment of teachers in rural schools is lifted. Government finalises the rules and guidelines for the recruitment of teachers on contract. Taking the sprit of decentralization further, village panchayats are empowered to select teachers and to enter in to contract with them. Special weightage is assigned to familiarity with local dialects of Chhattisgarhi, Gondi Halbi etc under the rules.

• Group of ministers is set up to assess the gains and costs of providing free electricity to different consumer groups.

• Group of ministers set up to recommend the proposed legislation to protect the interests of migrant workers from the State.

• The fifty two departments of the government of the undivided State are redesigned and limited to eighteen subject clusters in order to curtail unproductive administrative over heads. The government decides to limit establishment costs to forty percent or less of its revenues so as to divert funds for much needed development projects.

• E-Governance to be used to efficiencies the government, its administration. Use of information technology would be encouraged a local area network is approved for the State Secretariat and Mantralaya would be networked with the lowest tiers of governance, namely the village panchayats.

• Government decides to attract private investment on build operate and transfer mode in large projects of road development. The Raipur – Bhilai, Raipur – Bilaspur and Raigarh – Pathhal Gaon roads are taken up under BOT and projects initiated.

• A minor forest produce costs and prices committee is setup for the first time any where to recommend minimum support prices for all minor forest produce except tendu leaves. Government would encourage competition in MFP procurement while protecting tribal interests in haat bazars.

• Chhattisgarh to forge strategic alliance with other mineral rich States in order to demand ad valorem mineral cess and royalty from the government of India.

• Joint forest management committees would be community centred and selected.

• Folk culture to be encouraged in the State. State level awards are instituted as part of these efforts.

• Process of reforms of agriculture markets (Mandies) initiated. A group of ministers to come up with recommendations to make agriculture marketing transactions transparent, user friendly and protective of farmers’ interests.

• Mushrooming of public undertakings and parastatels to be prevented. Six public undertakings in the undivided State with activities with in Chhattsgarh to be merged in to one Chhattisgarh industrial development corporation similar exercise to be undertaken other sectors. Civil supplies corporation and the warehousing corporation activities in the State to be merged in to Chhattisgarh food corporation.

• The social mobilization and integrated rehabilitation campaign for persons with disability – Chunauti – would be further strengthened and implemented with non government support.

• Designs and concepts would invited from the very best globally for the new capital city to be built preferably at low or no cost to the government.

• The State government would have its own official emblem. Design  and graphic ideas invited from every where. An award of Rs. Two lacs instituted for the best idea and design.

• A project to be formulated for supplementing rural incomes through dairy activites. This would be posed for funding by NDDB and Government of India

• Two new battalions would be raised for effective policing. Local recruitments would be ensured.

• The State Government initiates steps to obtain presidential recognition of Chhattisgarhi spoken by over 2 crore people in the State, under article 347 of the constitution of India

• Late Dr. Bhanvar Lal Porte memorial awards instituted for meritorious girl students in medical education, belonging to SC,ST, OBC and other categories from BPL families.

• Village kotwars to be eligible for social security pensions on superannuation, residential plots in village abadiland. A committee under revenue minister to look in to service conditions of Kotwars.

• Independent tribunals would be set up to adjudicate on panchayat election matters

• Special training and capacity building of women panchayat members through NGO involvement.

• Bureaucratic stranglehold over elected panchayat functionaries to go, tribunals/jury comprising non officials to deal with cases under panchayat act against elected functionaries.