Worry over jobs as Korba switches to green energy
India’s biggest coal and power-producing district of Korba may become a classic example of how we can deal with the challenges posed by the transition to renewable energy. The latest findings by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) suggest that economic restructuring and development intervention would be essential for the district, which is highly dependent on the coal industry for jobs and growth. Korba will start witnessing the transition as early as 2030, sources said. As coal phases out, what industry could come in coal regions like Korba for employment generation is the big question.
Will borrow to ensure welfare of farmers: Baghel
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the state will not hesitate to take loans if needed to protect the welfare of farmers and labourers. “If in the interests or welfare of farmers and labourers, taking of loan seems essential, we will not hesitate to go for it,” the CM said responding to former CM Raman Singh’s comment that the Congress government has failed the state as it has increased the state’s debt burden through its borrowing in the last three years. Singh said the present government has borrowed at a much faster rate than the previous BJP government. In his response on the income and expenditure of the financial year 2022-23 in the Assembly, the chief minister said Chhattisgarh has taken lesser loan compared to BJP-ruled states like UP, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka.
BJP did nothing to prevent Pandits’ exodus: CM
Responding to the BJP’s demands that the state government waive tax on the film The Kashmir Files, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the Centre should make the movie tax-free across the country. On being told that the entertainment tax is levied by the state government, he said the Centre gets a portion of the tax levied by the state. Earlier, he had invited all state legislators, including from the Opposition camp, to watch the film with him. After watching it with the MLAs, the chief minister claimed that the then BJP-led government did nothing to prevent the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the late 1990s.
Two children’s homes for Covid orphans
The outbreak of the second wave of Covid pandemic has not generated axiety for adults, but has also affected children, many of whom lost their parents to the disease. Stories of children losing their parents to Covid-19 can shake the minds of almost anyone. To take care of the children orphaned due to the pandemic and other calamities, two children’s homes built at Tamnar in Raigarh district were inaugurated by CM Bhupesh Baghel. Conceptualised by Shalu Jindal, Chairperson JSPL Foundation, the two ‘Jindal Children Homes’, one for boys and one for girls, each have 50 beds. The children will have access to all necessary facilities to help them achieve a bright future
Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh ejaz@newindianexpress.com