Raipur diary

The Chhattisgarh government’s decision to sell liquor through government outlets from the current financial year has brought cheer to the excise department.
Raipur diary

Liquor sales soar, Raipur tops in consumption

The Chhattisgarh government’s decision to sell liquor through government outlets from the current financial year has brought cheer to the excise department. Record-breaking liquor sales were recorded during the past eight months, the excise minister told the state Assembly this month. The prices were increased, but that didn’t affect demand. Revenues from liquor sales in the state crossed Rs 2,423 crore in the past eight months. Raipur tops the 27 districts in liquor consumption.

Bharat Net to cover Maoist-hit areas

The second phase of the Bharat Net project to bridge the digital divide will soon be executed in Chhattisgarh. It will cover areas where Maoists are active and the population is predominantly tribal. With the Centre having signed an MoU with the state government on Saturday, the state hopes the project will help it in its ambitious Sanchar Kranti Yojana. Before the state goes to polls, the government has decided to distribute 5.5 million smartphones in two phases during 2018-19. The second phase of Bharat Net will entail expenditure of Rs 1,600 crore, with 5.86 kilometres of optical fibre cable being laid in each gram panchayat.

Focus on prevention of farmer suicides need of the hour

The state is witnessing an increase in suicides. If the figures of the home department are to be believed, out of the 14,705 persons who took their lives in the last two-and-a-half years, as many as 1,344 are farmers. More than 5,000 labourers and around 600 youths committed suicide during the same period. While the Opposition alleges that government policies are not of any help to farmers, many say states should focus more on prevention of suicides rather than payment of compensation.

Quality education drive can do better

More than 50 per cent of the students in government schools in 19 of the 27 districts of Chhattisgarh cannot read books. This fact exposes the poor output of the APJ Abdul Kalam Shiksha Gunvatta Abhiyan (quality education campaign), being carried out for the past three years to enhance the standard of education across the state. Interestingly, the backward district of Balod, with a 75.2 per cent score, fared better than capital Raipur, which scored 48.5 per cent, according to the social assessment report. If the conclusion is any indication, the campaign has failed to yield the desired result.

Bastar is politically important

Bastar is considered the gateway to political power in Chhattisgarh. The ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress acknowledge it. In the last Assembly elections, the BJP suffered a setback when it managed to win only four of the 12 seats in Bastar zone, even as it defeated 27 sitting Congress MLAs in the plains. The BJP’s organisational general secretary, Saudan Singh, is camping in Bastar, where he has told party workers that they need to conquer Bastar in the coming Assembly polls. In the 2003 and 2008 elections, the BJP had won 11 seats in Bastar.

Ejaz Kaiser

Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh

ejaz@newindianexpress.com

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