33 Congress leaders keen to contest against CM
As many as 33 Congress leaders have expressed a desire to contest against Chief Minister Raman Singh in Rajnandgaon seat in the Assembly polls due later this year. After the submission of applications by Congressmen who are aspirants for the party’s poll ticket was over, the Bilaspur seat was found to have the maximum number of leaders from the Opposition camp yearning to contest against BJP minister Amar Agrawal. Only the constituencies of Ambikapur, Patan and Durg have one Congress candidate each, with Leader of Opposition TS Singhdeo, Congress president Bhupesh Baghel, and Arun Vora, respectively, deciding to contest from there.
Sell off govt phone, lose welfare benefits
The Chhattisgarh government, which has launched its ambitious Sanchar Kranti Yojana (SKY), aimed at distributing 50 lakh smartphones to rural women, students and the urban poor, is keeping a close watch on auction websites to see if the mobile phones given to the beneficiaries are put on sale or the product finds its way to the grey market. The government, in a cautionary note, said that if any beneficiary was found to be selling the mobile handset, he would be deprived of the benefit of welfare schemes in future. Officials of the government’s nodal agency, Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society, have been asked to closely monitor any such deal online.
Rs 8.90 cr earned from ticketless passengers
The Raipur railway division of South-East Central Railway (SECR) zone has achieved record collections from ticketless or irregular travel this year. In a campaign to curb ticketless travel, carried out during the current year, the Raipur division fetched Rs 8.90 crore, which is reported to be 27 per cent higher than the collection during the corresponding period the previous year, railway officials stated. The SECR routinely urges rail users to buy a railway ticket and travel with dignity.
Atal remembered as founder of Chhattisgarh
Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee will always be remembered as the founder of Chhattisgarh state, affirmed residents from a cross-section of society in Raipur who felt that the state had a distinct place in his heart. It was in 1998 that Vajpayee promised to form Chhattisgarh while addressing a huge public rally in Raipur. He fulfilled the promise on November 1, 2000, when Chhattisgarh became the 26th state of the country. Chief Minister Raman Singh, who worked under Vajpayee’s leadership during the 1999-2003 NDA regime, recalled the ex-PM’s vision of development, progress and peace. “We are taking forward Atalji’s vision with dedication”, Singh said, adding that the more than 2.50 crore people of Chhattisgarh would always remember him.