Raipur diary

The Japan government has extended a grant worth over H61,44,800 to fund an educational project for underprivileged children in Raipur.
Raipur diary

Jogi sets sights on Lok Sabha polls
Buoyed after his party, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) won seven assembly seats in the recent state elections, former chief minister Ajit Jogi has now set his sights on a similar harvest, or better, in the next Lok Sabha elections, scheduled next year. Jogi floated the regional outfit in 2016 after quitting his parent party, the Congress. Although he failed to emerge as a kingmaker post the state elections, Jogi said that the results have laid the groundwork for the emergence of the third front in the state. “This is a historic start and we have already started preparations for the next Lok Sabha elections, Jogi said on Saturday.

Dangling cables to be a thing of the past
Overhead suspended cables and wires in Raipur will soon be a thing of the past. Raipur Smart City Ltd is in the process of undertaking a cable laying project as part of which the capital’s skyline will be freed of electricity poles and overhead high tension power lines. The project, to be commissioned under the Smart City Mission, is estimated to cost Rs 15 crore. Nine major thoroughfares of the city would be covered in the first phase of the project. Underground cables would be laid on both sides of the road, as per the requirement. The Smart City project is one of the Union government’s flagship schemes, which is aimed at helping the planners bring infrastructure upgrade to cities not only in order to make them stand out but also be ranked among the top metropolises across the globe.

Demand for a tribal as deputy CM
While the names of four senior Congress leaders are doing the rounds as the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh, a tribal body in the state has put forward a demand to reserve the post of deputy chief minister for a leader from the Scheduled Tribe (ST). Out of the 29 assembly seats reserved for ST canididates, the Congress bagged 27. Putting forward their demand, Gondwana Mahasabha, has said that since the tribal communities in the state put their faith in the Congress in the state polls, the party should also give them their due by picking a tribal face as the deputy CM.

Japanese aid for educational project in Raipur
The Japan government has extended a grant worth over H61,44,800 to fund an educational project for underprivileged children in Raipur. Ryoji Noda, Japan’s consul general in Mumbai, signed a grant contract with an NGO as part of which quality and affordable education will be provided to underprivileged children in the state capital. The funds have been released under ‘Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects’. Besides providing a secure and healthy ambience for studying to underprivileged children, the initiative is also aimed at reducing the early dropout rate of children, especially girls, in the state.

Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh
ejaz@newindianexpress.com

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