Top priority to drinking water supply
11 lakh poor families get domestic gas connections
Raipur, 15 May 2017
Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh on Sunday night presided over a review meeting of various development works at district headquarter Raigarh. He said that the top priority of the State Government is to provide drinking water and exit facility to water to the villagers during the summer. The State had decided not to provide electricity to irrigate paddy keeping in view the level of water-table is to be maintained.
Chief Minister added that huge quantities of water is needed for paddy during the summer months. The water-table falls drastically. Citizens should co-operate with the authorities in maintaining the levels of water in hand-pumps. The farmers should cultivate other Rabi crops and not paddy which requires a lot of water. He instructed the Health Department and Public Health Engineering Department officials to regularly test the purity of water in hand-pumps and open wells and make all arrangements for it.
Dr. Raman Singh revealed at the review meeting held at Raigarh last night that 11 lakh poor families had been provided domestic cooking gas connections under the Prime Minister 'Ujjwala' scheme in the State. Thirty-five lakh poor families will be covered under the 'Ujjwala' scheme during the next two years. He said that in Raigarh district all the poor women will be brought under the project so that they would be freed from smoke-filled kitchens. Minister of State for Steel Mr. Vishnudev Sahay was also present at the review meeting.
The district officials informed Dr. Raman Singh that about 60 thousand BPL families had been provided with cooking gas connections till March 2017 in the district. The target is to allocate one lakh 64 thousand additional gas connections in the next two years. Chief Minister said that all the hamlets in the district should be given electricity connections by December 2017. The officials were instructed to work on a war-footing.
Dr. Raman Singh called upon the Irrigation Department officials to revive irrigation reservoirs and canals on an urgent basis. The Collector informed the meeting that Tamnaar and Gharghoda development blocks had been declared as Open Defecation-Free (ODF) blocks. Chief Minister called upon the officials to make entire Raigarh district ODF by 2 October 2017.
Collector Mrs. Alramel Mangai D said that the district administration had received one lakh 79 thousand 553 complaints and had resolved one lakh 10 thousand 092 complaints. About 225 applications regarding solar sujla project had been settled. Dr. Raman Singh expressed his satisfaction with respect to allocation of caste certificates to all the candidates. Dr. Raman Singh instructed the officials to provide houses to all poor under Prime Minister Housing Project. He congratulated the officials for the better performance of students in the 10th and 12th Standard Chhattisgarh Madhyamik Shiksha Mandal examinations. Chief Secretary Mr. Vivek Dhand, Divisional Commissioner Mrs. Niharika Baarik Singh top police officials, Joint Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Rajat Kumar were present at the meeting.
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