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Raman Singh dubs charges against son as 'politically motivated'
Raipur:MMNN:13 April 2016
Rejecting Congress's allegations against his son and BJP MP Abhishek Singh that he held offshore assets, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Wednesday dubbed such charges as "politically motivated".
"Four months ago the same allegation was levelled (against Abhishek Singh) and that time also he had refuted it," he told reporters here to a query over allegations of his son holding offshore assets.
The Chief Minister was interacting with media persons at Swami Vivekanand Airport here after returning from his week-long China tour.
"Abhishek has rejected the allegation and clarified that neither he has offshore accounts nor any (foreign) investment. These charges are nothing but politically motivated," Singh said.
Last week, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had alleged at a press conference in Delhi that as per an investigation by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) a year ago, Abhishek Singh was holding offshore assets, a charge denied by the Lok Sabha MP from Rajnandgaon.
Meanwhile, terming his China visit as successful, the Chief Minister said his delegation visited different parts of the neighbouring country from April 6-12, during which several MoUs were signed in different sectors which would attract an investment of around Rs 26,000 crore in the state.
Singh also said that on the occasion of Dr B R Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary tomorrow, he will inaugurate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Gram Uday se Bharat Uday Campaign' from Rajnandgaon and subsequently, a mega 'Gram Suraaj Abhiyan' will also be carried out in the state.
During the 'Gram Suraaj Abhiyan' and the PM's village self governance campaign, focus will be on development while dealing with water scarcity will be another major issue, he said.
"We will take steps for water conservation wherever there is shortage of water and also make necessary arrangements. A working plan will also be drafted in coordination with different departments to avoid scarcity of water in those areas in future," he added.
Alert sounded about Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:13 April 2016
An alert has been sounded to security forces deployed in Maoist-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh after intelligence inputs suggested that the rebels were planning to attack police camps and senior officers along state's national highways.
All posts of paramilitary forces and police stations have been told about the inputs and have been asked to be extra careful while carrying out anti-Naxal operations and conducting their other duties, official sources said.
According to the inputs, in order to strengthen Darba division, key leader of Maoist, including those based in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, have planned to inflict major casualties on the troops deployed on the national highway between Kamanar to Tongpal in Sukma district.
The inputs suggested that the Maoists will attack either during operational duties or attack camps of security forces.
Senior officers are also on their hit list, sources said.
It is also learnt that Maoist have gathered huge quantity of explosives from Malkangiri area of Odisha for the purpose, they said.
The inputs came a fortnight after the Naxals killed seven CRPF men in a deadly landmine blast in the worst Maoist violence-affected Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Chhattisgarh women mortgage their jewellery to get toilets built
Raipur:MMNN:11 April 2016
Nothing is hidden about woman's attachment with jewellery. But what shocked the administration in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh was the initiative of two women from Badedhaba village who mortgaged their jewellery to get the toilets built in their houses. Motivated with these two women, around three dozen other women also did the same and managed to get private toilets for themselves. The village which has 80% population relieving in open had more than 100 new toilets in past four months and now the administration has now come forward to help these families by making them avail the money from government policy under clean India mission.
It started when Jambai (widow of late Sanichar das) and Gaurabai who were forced to attend the nature's call in open have decided to get toilets build for themselves. The women initially approached their families but later had to find the other way when Jambai's in-laws refused to get toilet for her while Gaurabai's husband was more keen to buy a bike then getting a toilet built at home.
The women mortgage their gold necklaces at Rs 20,000 to a rich man in the village and got a toilet. The incident moved the other women of the village who too initiated for building personal toilets.
Talking to TOI, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Zila panchyat Mahasamunda district, Pushpendra Meena informed that Badedhaba village under Basna block which has around 307 households had just 10 houses with personal toilets in the month of November, last year.
"In past four months, the village has 125 houses with toilets. The sarpanch has promised that all the households will get toilets built within a month's time, that too without any government aid," CEO.
Chandraprakash Patre, Chief Executive Officer of Basna village said that it's not just the women of Badedhaba village but even Chotedhaba village women had opted same modus operandi.
"The Chotedhaba village which has 77 households had 70% homes with toilets. With-in four month's this village has been declared ODF (open defecation free) as all the houses have toilets, now," added Chandraprakash Patre.
The district administration has now decided to help these villagers who built the toilets at their homes, without any government aid.
"A village becomes ODF when people just don't built but also use toiles for three consecutive months. We will get the village the ODF tag of Badedhaba village too and will also provide all possible financial help to the villagers under clean India mission as per which each individual get Rs 12,000 to get a private toilet built at home," said Pushpendra Meena.
Woman naxal surrenders, wants better life for her child
Raipur:MMNN:11 April 2016
A woman Naxal, who is a mother of four-month-old girl, on Sunday surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Maoist-affected Narayanpur district, citing she wants a better life for her child, police said.
Sukaru Salaam, 22, a native of Manpur area in Rajnandgaon district, surrendered before senior police and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials at Narayanpur district headquarters, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena said.
She was allegedly involved in several Maoist offences, including the attack on security forces in Aundhi area of Rajnandgaon during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he said, adding that she was carrying Rs 1 lakh reward on her head. Sukaru was active in Aundhi LOS (local organisation squad) in Rajnandgaon where she fell in love with the squad's deputy commander, Bharat.
When the senior cadres objected to their relationship, the couple fled from there and shifted to Koyalibeda in Kanker district, Meena said. They were well aware of the Maoist 'diktat' that cadres are not allowed to have children. After giving birth to a baby girl, Sukaru decided to quit the movement to give a better life to her child, he said.
According to the woman, her husband has also decided to join the mainstream and will soon do the same, he said. She will be provided facility as per the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government, the SP added.
300 couples ‘forced’ into live-in relationship in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:8 April 2016
As many as 297 couples hailing from extremely poor families in Chhattisgarh’s north Bastar district of Kanker have been ‘forced’ into ‘live-in’ relationships for a year after having failed to enter into wedlock, thanks to official apathy.
The local women and child welfare department could not furnish details about these couples to the state government to enable them to attend the mass marriage programme at Koyilibeda in Kanker district on Thursday, thus postponing their official union for at least one year, a senior state government officer disclosed this newspaper.
The couples who could not marry will have to observe the local tradition of ‘paithu’, in which they will live together, till they tie the knot officially, he added.
“We could conduct marriages of only 20 couples and had to return the remaining 297 couples owing to failure of submission of required information on them to the state government,” a senior district officer told this newspaper.
According to him, the state government had set a target for the district women and child welfare department to arrange 317 couples from extremely poor families to conduct their marriage under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana’ in the outgoing financial year 2015-16.
Under the scheme, each couple attending the mass marriage programme is provided a financial aid of Rs 15,000 to start their conjugal life.
The funds earmarked for the purpose to the district for 2015-16 has lapsed as the authorities concerned have failed to furnish details of the other ‘eligible’ 297 couples, forcing them to wait for the next such programme to marry.
Maoists call for 'Dandakaranya Bandh' on April 15 in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:8 April 2016
Maoists have given a call for 'Dandakaranya Bandh' on April 15, opposing the recent air-to-ground firing exercise carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Chhattisgarh's south Bastar region.
"The pamphlets in which the outlawed CPI (Maoist) has opposed the aerial firing practice by IAF commandos have been recovered from the restive places of Bijapur, Sukma and Kanker districts," a senior police official involved in anti-Maoist operations said.
The IAF's Garuda commandos had conducted a special air-to- ground firing exercise in the insurgency-hit Sukma district of the state on April 1. A similar aerial firing practice was done in Bijapur last year. The pamphlets, released in Naxal's Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) official representative Vikalp's name, have appealed to make the bandh successful.
DKSZC oversees Maoist activities in Bastar and some parts of Maharashtra and Telangana. The pamphlets carry messages that "since last six months aircraft (are) blasting bombs in the area of south Bastar, Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur districts, it means airforce planes may attack Maoists anywhere at any moment".
"Security forces are conducting fake encounters and arresting innocent personnel in fake cases. They said helicopters are only being used for assistance work and firing on Maoists only in self-defence. But the fact is that as part of the Green Hunt operation, the government has given full authority to the air force to attack Maoists," the pamphlets read.
Maoists have, however, announced relaxation for medical and educational institutions from the bandh. The police official clarified that they had already said IAF will retaliate in self-defence only. "IAF is basically tasked with carrying out rescue operations and provides logistical support to police and the central paramilitary forces in the Naxal-affected regions of the state. They will continue to do so," the official said.
"However, keeping in view that choppers are often attacked and fired on by Maoists during its operation in the insurgency areas, it has been decided to fire only in self defence by IAF," he said.
The official further said that as far as bandh call is concerned, the security forces have been put on alert. "Anti-Maoist operations are already underway in several forest pockets of Bastar. Keeping in mind the bandh call, they have been asked to be extra cautious," he said.
Chhattisgarh looks to China for investment
Raipur:MMNN:6 April 2016
At a time when Chinese economy is in crises, Chhattisgarh is exploring the possibilities of investment from China in the state. A high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Raman Singh had left for China to invite Chinese companies to invest in the state.
A state government spokesperson said that the visit was in line of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concept of Make-in-India by inviting the companies from China to set up production unit in the state.
However, the state government is not focusing on investment in the core sector that includes power, steel and aluminium.
The spokesperson said that stress would be on the sectors related to agriculture and food processing, solar energy, information technology, defence equipment and engineering.
“Ironically, the state government is giving priority to investment in agriculture and food processing sector but not a single official from the department concern is in the delegation,” Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson R P Singh said.
The issue shows Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s seriousness, he said, adding that the timing of the visit is also surprising as the Chinese economy is in crises and the possibilities of investment from China is bleak.
While BJP spokesperson Sanjay Shrivastava said that the state government’s delegation had gone to China to study and explore the possibilities of investment.
“The government of Henan provinces would be signing a Letter of Intent with the Chhattisgarh government for cooperation and support in industrial development and investment in the state,” he said.
The delegation that would return on April 12 would also visit Shenzhen and Hong Kong as part of the business mission.
Man brutally beaten to death by Naxals for not supporting them
Raipur:MMNN:6 April 2016
A 35-year-old villager was killed allegedly by Naxals in Maoist-affected Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Wednesday.
Lalit Dugga was abducted and brutally beaten with sticks to death by rebels at his native place Kadgaon in Partapur police station area on Tuesday, Pakhanjore Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Jai Prakash Badhai said.
As per preliminary information, a group of rebels abducted Dugga from his house in Kadgaon, located around 350 kms away from the state capital, and later beat him to death for not supporting them, he said.
The relatives of the victim revealed in their statement that Naxals had earlier also thrashed Dugga for not supporting them. When the victim remained firm on his stand of not supporting the outlawed outfit, the rebels killed him, the SDOP said.
Security forces were rushed to the spot after being informed about the incident, he said, adding the body has been handed over to the relatives after the postmortem. A search has been launched in the region to nab the assailants, he said.
In Chhattisgarh, jawan, civilian injured in bomb blast
Raipur:MMNN:4 April 2016
A police jawan and a civilian were injured on Monday in a pressure bomb blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Kanker district, police said.
The incident took place near Maoulimor village, around 7km away from Rawghat police station limits at around 9am, Jitendra Singh Meena, Kanker superintendent of police, said.
On getting information that Naxalites had installed banners, posters and blocked Raoghat-Moulimor road by felling trees, a joint team of district force and Border Security Force (BSF) approached the spot.
The Naxalites had erected banners on trees, the SP said.
While security personnel were trying to remove a banner, a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) placed under it went off injuring the constable Preetam Singh, he said.
Besides, a civilian who was present at the spot also sustained splinter injuries in the explosion, he added.
The injured were immediately rushed to a local hospital in Antagarh while the injured police jawan is being airlifted to Raipur for further treatment, he added.
Extra forces have been rushed to the area and intense search operation has been launched to track down the ultras, he added.
Chhattisgarh enhance power capacity by 500 Mw
Raipur:MMNN:4 April 2016
The first 500 Mw unit of the Madwa thermal power project promoted by the state-run Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company (CSPGC) started the commercial production.
The company is setting up 1000 Mw power project in Janjgir-Champa district. The project having two units of 500 Mw each was supposed to be completed in 2012 but was delayed because of land acquisition and other issues.
“The first 500 Mw unit of Madwa power project started the commercial production from March 31,” Chief Minister Raman Singh, who holds the additional portfolio of energy department, said.
The unit was synchronized with the grid after the successful technical test that continued for over 15 days, he said, adding that the second unit would also start commercial production soon. The state was on fast track to achieve its mission of “power for all”, he added.
With the first unit of Madwa power project started commercial production, the installed power capacity in Chhattisgarh would enhance by 500 Mw to 2924.70 Mw.
Singh said that the power production in the state sector had increased by 78 per cent in last 15 years. While it was 1360 Mw when the state came into being in November 2000, the capacity had increased to 2424.70 Mw before the Madwa power plant started production.
Of the installed capacity, 2780 Mw would be generated by the thermal power plants, 138.7 Mw from the hydel power projects and 6 Mw from the sugar bag based co-generation plant setup in the Bhoramdeo sugar factory of Kabeerdhan district.
Chhattisgarh Assembly passes budget
Raipur:MMNN:1 April 2016
The Chhattisgarh Assembly on Thursday passed the Rs 74,000 crore budget for 2016-17 by voice vote.
“The budget focuses on the all-round development of Chhattisgarh, centred on farmers, communication, health, safety, sustainability, competency and integrated development,” Chief Minister Raman Singh said on the Appropriation Bill 2016 amounting to Rs 7,39,96,33,92,000.
Mr Singh, who holds finance portfolio also, said in the past 12 years, the road network in rural areas of the State has expanded from 15,000 km to 42,000 km.
“The State government has planned to construct 13,000 kms of roads with an investment of Rs 42,000 crore over the next three years,” he said.
“The enrolment of girls and boys has reached an equal ratio in high and higher secondary schools, which is a major achievement towards encouraging girls’ education in the State. Earlier there were differences of 20-22 per cent in enrolment,” he said.
Highlighting the achievements in the health sector, the Chief Minister said the rate of institutional deliveries increased to 81 per cent from 18 per cent in 2005.
About 42 lakh families are being covered under health insurance scheme in the State.
He also said that a financial aid of Rs 450 crore was provided to drought-hit farmers in the State.
“According to statistics, Chhattisgarh is the leading State in several sectors in the country. Chhattisgarh has been ranked second in the country for spending on social sector,” he said.
The House passed the Appropriation Bill 2016 by a voice vote.
Chhattisgarh pays Rs 844 cr excess interest to banks
Raipur:MMNN:1 April 2016
Chhattisgarh State Marketing Federation (MARKFED) made an excess interest payment of Rs 844.68 crore to the banks since cash credit could not be cleared within the specified date.
The report of comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on non-PSUs sectors for the year ended 31 March 2015 said during kharif marketing season (KMS) 2010-15, MARKFED procured 32.5 million tones of paddy and obtained Rs 54,327.36 crore cash credit (CC). It paid an interest of Rs 2,707.4 crore to banks during the season 2010-15.
“However, there was non-clearance of CC within every KMS year for which an extra amount of Rs 844.68 was paid as interest by the MARKFED,” the report said.
The reason for outstanding CC beyond KMS were non disposal of paddy within the season besides non-recovery of outstanding amount from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation, delay in submission of loss claim, non-reconciliation of advances etc.
“All these factors had led to payment of avoidable interest,” the report said.
The CAG report also pointed serious irregularities in the custom milling. “The state government incurred loss of Rs 591 crore due to payment of milling charges beyond the norms fixed by the government of India,” the report said, adding that paddy worth Rs 278.36 crore was damaged due to lack of covered storage facility for procured paddy and delay in milling. In all, 33 rice millers in the state did not deposit rice worth Rs 74.53 crore even after expiry of milling schedules.
IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur leaves 2 CRPF personnel injured
Raipur:MMNN:30 Mar. 2016
Two CRPF personnel, including an officer, were injured in an IED bomb blast triggered by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Bijapur district.
The incident took place when the paramilitary personnel were patrolling the Basaguda-Sarkegda route under Basaguda police station limits, ASP Indira Kalyan Elesela said.
While cordoning-off the forested patch near Rajpeta, the security men inadvertently stepped over the Improvised Explosive Device (IED), triggering the blast in which two of them got injured, he said.
“Assistant commandant Neeraj Kumar and constable Manish, belonging to CRPF’s 168th battalion, sustained injuries in the explosion,” he said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to airlift the injured personnel to Raipur for treatment, he added.
‘Media in Chhattisgarh working under pressure, threats’
Raipur:MMNN:30 Mar. 2016
A fact-finding team, which visited Chhattisgarh two weeks ago to "verify and assess the threats and challenges faced by journalists in the State", has concluded that the media in Chhattisgarh were working under tremendous pressure.
The team, comprising of Editors Guild of India general secretary Prakash Dubey and executive committee member Vinod Verma, travelled to Jagdalpur, Bastar and Raipur areas of the State between March 13 and March 15 to assess the challenges to the profession of journalism in the State.
"Bastar division of Chhattisgarh is fast becoming a conflict zone. There is a constant battle on between the security forces and the Maoists. Journalists, caught in the middle, are under attack by both the State and non-state actors. Several incidents have been reported over the past few months of attacks on journalists. At least two, according to the reports, were arrested and imprisoned and others threatened and intimidated to a point where they had to leave Bastar for fear of their lives. The residence of at least one journalist, according to the information, was also attacked," the report said.
"The fact-finding team came to the conclusion that the media reports of threats to journalists are true. The media in Chhattisgarh is working under tremendous pressure. In Jagdalpur and the remote tribal areas, the journalists find it even more difficult to gather and disseminate news. There is pressure from the state administration, especially the police, on journalists to write what they want or not to publish reports that the administration sees as hostile. There is pressure from Maoists as well on the journalists working in the area. There is a general perception that every single journalist is under the government scanner and all their activities are under surveillance. They hesitate to discuss anything over the phone because, as they say the police listen to every word we speak," the report added.
The fact-finding report mentioned several instances where journalists were targeted in the State.
The fact-finding team could not find a single journalist who could claim with confidence that he or she was working without fear or pressure. The journalists — posted in Bastar and some working in Raipur — spoke of pressure from both sides.
All of them complained about their phone calls being tapped by the administration and being kept under undeclared surveillance.
The fact-finding team also found that this fear was not confined to the tribal areas alone. All the reporters working in Raipur also said that their telephones were being tapped.
‘They are seen as Maoist sympathisers’
The fact-finding report also commented on the situation of national and international media persons visiting Bastar.
"The journalists representing national or international media generally come from either Raipur, where they are generally posted or from the head offices like Delhi and Mumbai. Police and local administration dislike them the most because they ask many questions, insist on getting the facts and try to visit the affected areas. They are generally seen as Maoist sympathisers or pro-Maoists. According to a senior editor in Raipur, their reports seems pro-Maoist because they go inside and talk to the people and anything coming from the people usually contradicts the government’s version and hence it is labelled as pro Maoists or anti-government," said the report.
"Every journalist who is working in Bastar feels that he or she is not safe. On one hand they have to deal with Maoists who are becoming more and more sensitive about the reports appearing in the media and on the other hand, the police want the media to report as and what they want," concluded the fact-finding team's report.
A week after the fact-finding team's visit to the state, two journalists were arrested by the police from Dantewada district.
Chhattisgarh has arrested an 'absconding' doctor who was a lifeline for the poor
Bhilai:MMNN:25 Mar. 2016
Lying on a bed in Apollo Hospital in the industrial town of Bhilai, Dr Saibal Jana smiles and welcomes swarms of colleagues who come to visit him. His high spirits belie the fact that he is under arrest.
Dr Jana, chief physician of Shaheed Hospital in Dalli-Rajhara, was arrested by the Chhattisgarh police on March 18 for allegedly “absconding” in a case that was registered in 1992. He was moved to a hospital soon after the arrest when he complained of chest pain and hypertension.
“If my bail is rejected, I will go to jail,” said the 64-year-old doctor. “However, I am still unclear on what my crime is.”
On Wednesday, Jana was discharged from the hospital and went to jail. He has been charged for allegedly leading a large group of protesting workers of the Bhilai Steel Plant who had blocked the Howrah-Bombay railway line in 1992. “Dr Jana was doing no such thing,” said his lawyer Gulab Singh Patel.
The protestors from the left-wing Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha were demanding better work conditions. The police is said to have lathi-charged and used tear gas to disseminate the crowd, killing 18 people. The Shaheed Hospital ambulance was parked close to the spot and began treating the injured, according to Patel. But, since Jana supported the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha and was actively helping the protestors on that day, cases were slapped against him, said Patel.
“If a doctor was treating the injured, is it grounds for arrest?” asks Sulakshanana Nandi of the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan. The police maintain that Jana was leading the protests.
Police state
Since the beginning of 2016, several activists, lawyers and journalists in conflict-ridden Chhattisgarh have complained of intimidation by the authorities.
While journalist Malini Subramanium and the lawyers of the Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group were forced to leave Bastar, Aam Aadmi Party leader Soni Sori was attacked with a corrosive liquid by two motorbike-borne men. Her family has been intimidated repeatedly in the past month. Researcher Bela Bhatia who continues to live in Bastar complains of constant threats from members of vigilante groups. This week, journalist Prabhat Singh was arrested for posting comments on WhatsApp.
Senior police officers of Bastar region have repeatedly spoken about ridding Bastar of Maoists, calling it their Mission 2016. “According to the police, certain intellectuals and professionals are Maoist sympathisers,” said Sudha Bharadwaj, general secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Chhattisgarh. “They are determined to quell such counter-voices.”
Jana’s arrest after nearly 25 years appears to fits that narrative – though he doesn’t seem to think so.
“I think this case merely came at the wrong time. I don’t think the government wants to intimidate me. It was perhaps an error,” said Jana optimistically, hoping to get a bail on Saturday when the court hears his case. He reasons that the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha or its sister organisations that were active in people’s movements till the early 1990s, have weakened considerably. “We are a few old men now,” he said, “who can be bothered by us?”
However, workers of CMM have questioned why Jana has not been given bail while 11 others accused in the same case have been released.
The police have said that Jana has been arrested because he disregarded the summons from the court and was “absconding”. But the doctor denied receiving any summons from the court in the past 25 years.
“Dr Jana works round the clock at Shaheed Hospital,” said his wife, Alpana Jana. “He barely takes a break. Where was he absconding?”
Lifeline for the poor
Shaheed Hospital was set up in the early 1980s by Dr Saibal Jana along with two other doctors, with the intent of providing affordable healthcare to mine workers of the Bhilai Steel Plant. The mines of Dalli-Rajahara were captive mines for the BSP, and the twin towns had become a citadel of labour movements and left-wing politics.
Working in the Bhilai-Durg region of Chhattisgarh, labour organisations like the CMM, the Chhattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh, and Chhattisgarh Gramin Shramik Sangh were successful examples of labour movements in the country. The Shaheed Hospital was set up with the help of CMM. Before his arrest in 2007 under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Dr Binayak Sen was working with Jana at the hospital.
In an interview to this correspondent in January 2015, Sen had said, “Shaheed Hospital, under Dr Jana’s leadership, still remains the lifeline of the poor workers in the Dalli-Rajhara region.”
Today, that lifeline is under threat as the state has moved to mysteriously arrest an old doctor.
How Bastar in Chhattisgarh is Turning into a Media Black Hole
MMNN:25 Mar. 2016
The arrest of a journalist, Prabhat Singh, by the Chhattisgarh police earlier this week has revived concerns about the state of media freedom in the Bastar region of the state where a civil war between Maoist insurgents and the security forces has claimed the lives of hundreds of people and led to allegations of widespread human rights abuse.
Singh is a journalist with Patrika, a Hindi daily owned by the Rajasthan Patrika group. He was produced before a Jagdalpur court and charged with Section 292 of the IPC and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, both of which deal with circulating obscene material.
“The FIR was registered on March 5 based on a complaint by Santosh Tiwari, who accused Prabhat Singh of using obscene language with reference to senior police officers in Bastar on a WhatsApp group called ‘Bastar News’ on March 1 at around 3 PM. Police has followed procedure and all allegations of assault are incorrect,” a police officer told the Indian Express.
Singh had recently started working as a correspondent for ETV, but was served a termination notice two days before he was arrested. His brother Vishnu Singh alleges the journalist has been subjected to torture by the police. This allegation is further corroborated by Singh’s lawyers who told Amnesty India, “His chest and hand had several marks resulting from such treatment.” Singh has been remanded to judicial custody until March 30, even as his family and activist groups remain concerned about his safety.
Background
On March 6, Prabhat Singh had filed a complaint with the Dantewada police against Tiwari and some members of the Samajik Ekta Manch for trying to to defame him and hurt his credibility by calling him “anti-national” in a WhatsApp group chat involving mediapersons in the region.
The Samajik Ekta Manch is a vigilante organisation that has been involved in campaigns against journalists, lawyers and rights activists who have been critical of the police.
Last year, three cases were lodged against Singh in different police stations of Dantewada. Two of these relate to section 420 of the IPC (cheating), in which he is accused of issuing fake Aadhaar cards to villagers. The police also refuse to accept Singh as a journalist, “Prabhat is not a journalist as per our records. How come a journalist can be involved in the task of making Aadhar cards?” Bastar SP R N Dash told PTI. Many local journalists have countered this claim, saying Singh was a fearless reporter who dared to speak against the police, and the cases are an attempt to silence him.
Interestingly, despite the cases lodged earlier, the police never sought to arrest Singh until now.
Rights groups demand release
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on a complaint “drawing specific attention to the illegal arrest, detention and torture of a progressive journalist by police in Bastar on 21st March, 2016 and alleging that human rights defenders are being targeted for doing their legitimate work as defenders of tribal rights in the state”. The chief secretary and the director general of police, Chhattisgarh have been given two weeks’ time to submit a factual report in the matter. This notice was issued by the NHRC in response to a complaint filed with the commission requesting “its immediate intervention, impartial investigation and action against those found guilty of violation of human rights of the victim” after Singh was picked up by the police and allegedly tortured in custody.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an independent nonprofit based in New York that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists worldwide, issued a statement on Wednesday calling Singh’s arrest “another sign” of the deteriorating climate for the press in Chhattisgarh. “We call on Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh to ensure the immediate release of Prabhat Singh,” said CPJ’s Asia program senior research associate Sumit Galhotra. “The arrests and hounding of journalists and their defenders has given way to a climate of fear that risks turning parts of Chhattisgarh into a media black hole,” he added. The CPJ had visited the region earlier this year and documented how BBC Hindi Service reporter Alok Prakash Putul and freelancer Malini Subramaniam were forced to flee Bastar last month over concern for their safety.
Amnesty International released a statement saying “Journalist tortured in custody must be released”. Tara Rao, programmes director at Amnesty International India said, “The authorities must respect the crucial work of the media and human rights defenders and refrain from apparent attempts to silence them through arbitrary arrests and torture. This is violating the victim’s human rights and sending a chilling message to those who want to speak out and express grievances. There must now be an independent investigation into allegations of torture. Intimidation and harassment cannot become order of the day in Chhattisgarh.”
The Chhattisgarh unit of the People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) has issued a statement on the human rights situation in the state. “Since this incident comes on the heels of the harassment of journalists Alok Putul, Malini Subramaniam and the arrests of Santosh Yadav and Samaru Nag, the Chhattisgarh PUCL expresses serious apprehension that the police and district administration are trying to silence all journalists who are attempting to give any other version of events in Bastar other than the police version. The demands of journalists of the area have still not been properly addressed,” it says.
The opposition Congress has also opposed the arrest of Singh. “The fourth pillar of democracy is not safe in Bastar. Journalists are being continuously targeted. Bastar is burning and people are suffering from tyranny of administration and security forces. Democracy is being murdered there,” party’s state general secretary Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told PTI.
Not an isolated incident
Journalists in some regions of Chhattisgarh have been repeatedly complaining of routine threats, intimidation, and harassment by both Maoists and the police.
On October 10 last year, close to 300 journalists held a protest meeting in the state capital of Raipur demanding greater protection against police and Maoist excesses. In the past one year alone, four other journalists have faced similar circumstances as Singh is in now. Somaru Nag and Santosh Yadav, two Hindi language journalists from the Darbha block in southern Bastar have been under arrest since July and September respectively, charged with supporting Maoist rebels, and allegedly subjected to custodial torture. Malini Subramaniam was forced to leave after an attack on her home in Jagdalpur, while Alok Putul (BBC) was forced to leave after receiving threats.
Govt pays GMR's 'due' in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:21 Mar. 2016
Chhattisgarh government had deposited money that factually GMR Group was supposed to pay for disbursing compensation to project affected farmers.
The GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Group, is setting up 1370 Mw (2x685 Mw) super critical coal based power plant located in Raikheda of Raipur district. The plant would require 40.3 cusec water and the supply would be met from the Samoda barrage on Mahanadi.The state government had acquired land in four villages straddling between Raipur and Mahasamund districts that were coming under submergence area.
The company was supposed to deposit Rs 30 crore with the Mahasamund district administration (the details of Raipur district could not be known) for paying compensation to the farmers who gave away their land for the construction of barrage. It however, deposited only Rs 3 crore while failed to respond for the remaining amount even after series of reminders sent by the water resources department. Interestingly, the department deposited Rs 27 crore with the Mahasamund district authorities.
“It was a clear case of favouring a corporate house as there was no clause that ensured department paying company’s dues,” ruling BJP legislator Devji Patel told Business Standard. He raised the issue in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly and put his own party-run government in the dock over the issue. It was an exception case that the government was paying due on behalf of a corporate, Patel added.
Chhattisgarh’s water resources minister Brijmohan Agrawal admitted that the department had deposited the required money with the authorities that GMR was supposed to pay. “The decision was taken in the interest of farmers as they were waiting for the compensation,” the minister said, adding that the department would recover the entire amount from the GMR with interest. The process had been initiated, he said.
While responding to an email query sent by Business Standard, the company said: Assembly proceedings are not commented by GMR”.
Two Naxals killed in an encounter on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border
Gadchiroli:MMNN:21 Mar. 2016
Two Naxals were "gunned down" by police in an encounter on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border near Gadchiroli on Sunday evening.
Personnel from Anti-Naxal Squad of the district police were on a combing operation in Kasansur area when a group of armed Maoists hiding in the forest suddenly opened fire at them at around 5.30 pm. The policemen immediately returned fire, killing two of them, an official release here said.
The other rebels, however fled, taking cover in the thick forest, it said, adding, two 303 rifles and naxal material were recovered from the encounter site located on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.
Police, however, did not give the names of the slain ultras.
Anti-naxal operations have been intensified in the area, it said.
Chhattisgarh: Two CRPF jawans injured in separate Maoist violence
Raipur:MMNN:18 Mar. 2016
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were injured on Friday in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-hit Dantewada district, police said.
A CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) jawan was injured when a pressure bomb laid by Maoists blasted in Badegurra forest of Kuwakonda police station limits early this morning, Dantewada superintendent of police Kamlochan Kashyap told PTI.
A composite squad of CRPF, its elite unit CoBRA and district forces were patrolling inside the forests of Kuwakonda.
As soon as they reached Badegurra, a jawan stepped over a pressure IED connection, triggering the blast, the SP said. He belonged to CoBRA’s 206th battalion.
Another CRPF jawan sustained injuries after he was shot with an arrow by Maoists in Chikpal forest under Katekalyan police station limits on Thursday night, the SP said.
A joint team of CRPF, Special Task Force (STF) and district force had launched an anti-Maoist operation in the Katekalyan region, located around 450km away from Raipur, during which they unearthed a 5kg IED planted by Maoists.
On their way back, a jawan was hit by Maoists who fled into the forest when security forces launched retaliatory attack, he said, adding that the two jawans were rushed to Dantewada for treatment.
8-year-old girl killed in pressure bomb blast in Sukma
RAIPUR:MMNN:18 Mar. 2016
An eight-year-old girl was killed on Thursday when a pressure bomb, suspected to have been laid by Naxals, went off in a dense forest pocket in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said.
The incident took place in Muraliguda forests on the under-construction Konta-Banda road when the victim, Muchaki Anita, was heading towards her village Kanhiguda along with her mother, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told.
The girl and her mother had gone to the weekly market at Konta and were returning home by foot in the evening.
Near Murliguda, the girl inadvertently stepped on a pressure improvised explosive device (IED) planted beside the road. The IED went off, killing the minor on the spot.
"The explosion was so powerful that her body was blown to pieces," the ASP said from Sukma, around 400 km from Raipur.
The girl's mother escaped unhurt as she was a little away from the spot, he added.
On getting information about the incident, security forces were rushed to the place and the body of the victim was brought to Konta, Singh added.
Anita was a Class III student at Bhejji Ashram school in Konta, a tehsil town in the insurgency-hit district.
Separately, security forces today recovered a powerful IED - weighing about 10 kg - from Gorkha forests under the restive Bhejji police station area of Sukma, the ASP said.
Engine Of Passenger Train Derails In Chhattisgarh; None Hurt
Raipur:MMNN:16 Mar. 2016
The engine of a passenger train derailed in a forest pocket of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Dantewada district today but no one injured in the incident.
As per preliminary information, the engine of Kirandul-Visakhapatnam jumped off the track at around 7:40 am near Kamaloor under Bhansi police station limits while it was heading towards Visakhapatnam, said Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Kamlochan Kashyap.
"However no one was reported to be injured in the accident," he added.
Security forces have been dispatched to the spot after getting report in this regard. Besides, railway personnel also rushed to the scene along with a repairing team to restore the track, Mr Kashyap said.
Naxals' role can't be ruled out in the incident but the exact reason will be known once the police party and railway personnel will reach there and carry out investigation, the SP said.
Freight trains for Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh usually pass through this route and Naxals often target them.
Chhattisgarh Church Attack Case Sees Seven More Arrests
RAIPUR:MMNN:16 Mar. 2016
Seven more people have been arrested in connection with a church being vandalised and its parishioners thrashed and assaulted in Chhattisgarh, after they came ahead and surrendered to the police.
This arrest brings up the total to seventeen as ten people had been arrested earlier.
The arrests were made after the victims had identified the attackers, who were all local men.
The Centre had earlier sought a report from the Chhattisgarh Government over the matter as Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said that the police have already taken necessary action and the guilty will not be spared.
According to the footage released by the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, men were seen barging into a church and vandalizing furniture, musical instruments and mocking the devotees.
"Members of the Bajrang Dal chanting 'Jai Sri Ram' charged into the church. They attacked woman, ripped their clothes off and also thrashed infants. They began alleging that people were being converted here. The police came here and seized the vehicles the attackers came here. They desecrated the Bible and some of the pictures that were hung on the wall," Chhattisgarh Christian Forum President Arun Pannalal told.
The Chhattisgarh Christian Association has demanded stern action against the vandals.
Five CRPF men injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:11 Mar. 2016
Five CRPF men, including two officers, were on Friday injured in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal violence affected Sukma district.
The incident occurred in the jungles of Banda-Konta when a patrol party of 217th battalion had set out to provide security for an under construction road between Murliguda and Banda, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told.
Two deputy commandants rank - S Niwas and Prabhat Tripathi - and three other men were injured in the blast suspected to be from an improvised explosive device hidden beneath the dirt track by the Naxals, officials said.
Additional forces have been sent and the injured have been evacuated to Bhadrachalam and subsequently will be air lifted for the state capital here for medical care, they said.
The team ventured out from the Murliguda paramilitary camp for patrolling at around 9AM.
When they reached just about 500 metres away from the camp, the personnel inadvertently stepped over a pressure IED connection triggering the blast, the ASP said.
Congress raises Polavaram dam issue in Chhattisgarh House
RAIPUR:MMNN:11 Mar. 2016
Chhattisgarh Government today assured the Assembly that the State's interest would be protected over the construction of Polavaram dam in adjoining Andhra Pradesh after the Opposition said the mega project will displace a large number of people, mostly tribals, and submerge huge swathes of land.
The issue of Indira SagarPolavaram dam - a multi- purpose irrigation project being built on the Godavari River inAndhra -- was vociferously raised by the Congress members, including those from tribal-dominated Bastar region, who grilled the BJP Government on the matter.
Expelled Congress MLA Amit Jogi and Amarjeet Bhagat (Cong) raised the issueby moving a call attention motion and sought reply from Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal.
Jogi and Bhagatoutlined the decades-long history of the project and said it was an inter-state project of united Andhra Pradesh. In 1980, the Godavari Tribunal gave go-ahead to the dam and said its water was to be shared between AP andMadhya Pradesh(Chhattisgarh was part of the State then).
After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh (which led to creation of Telangana) in 2014, the dam was classified as national project and the entire cost for its installation was to be borne by the Centre, they said.
They said the work on installation of "diaphragm (water-blocking) walls" under the project would start in the next one week and 30 per cent work of the scheme will be completed within the next six months.
Jogi said, "the construction of Polavaram dam will lead to displacement of over 45,000 tribal and non-tribal people residing in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (co-basin states).
In Chhattisgarh, 17 villages and 85 hamlets in Sukma district alone will come under its catchment area. Besides, vast forest and mineral resources will come under the dam's submergence area, he said.
Areas inhabited by Dorla and Koya, both protected tribes, will get submerged, putting their very survival at risk, Jogi maintained.
"Approximately 8,000 hectares of normal land, 40 villages in Konta tehsil (in Sukma) and 7,000 hectares of agricultural land will come under submergence area.
"Ignoring the concerns of Chhattisgarh, the Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to raise the dam height to generate 960 MW power," Jogi said.
As per an agreement signed on August 7, 1978, the maximum submergence level was 150 feet which has been now raised to 177.44 feet, he added.
The Minister Agrawal, in his reply, allayed the fears of Opposition and said the State's interest will be protected.
Ten Naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:MMNN:9 Mar. 2016
Ten Naxals, including two women, on Tuesday surrendered in insurgency-hit Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, police said.
The cadres, six of them carrying cash reward on their head, turned themselves in before senior police officials at Bijapur district headquarters citing disappointment with the the ideology of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), a senior police official told.
A dreaded cadre- Munna Hemla (26), who was active in 'military company' number 2 of Maoists, is one of the surrendered members.
"Hemla had been instrumental in executing several major Naxal incidents, including the ghastly Tadmetla attack, in which 76 security personnel were killed in Dantewada district in 2010," he said.
He was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, the official added.
Another equally hardcore cadre, Vijay Madvi (18)- a 'military company's platoon' member, and Ramlal Atami (27), a 'section commander' of 'military platoon number 1', were carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh each on their heads, he said.
Besides, Rs 1 lakh was announced each for the arrest of Kumari Payaki (22), Sumit Kumar Hemla (20) and Kursam Tokka (30), he added.
Rest of the surrendered cadres was lower-rung members of the banned outfit, he said.
In their statement, the surrendered cadres claimed that provisions under surrender policy of Chhattisgarh government fascinated him to lay down their arms and join the mainstream, the official said.
Necessary assistance will be provided to them as per the rehabilitation and surrender policy of the government, he added.
"Is everyone waiting for my death?" asks harassed woman employee to Chhattisgarh CM
RAIPUR:MMNN:9 Mar. 2016
"Is everyone waiting for my death?" asks an extremely harassed woman government employee who's a constable at Chhattisgarh excise department on International Women's Day, seeking help from chief minister Raman Singh against "injustice" done to her by a senior official who allegedly circulated her MMS clipping and despite several complaints to police and administration, they go unheard.
This is the same woman who had gained media attention in November last year for throwing shoe at an excise department officer alleging that she was sexually harassed, following which she was suspended.
In a strong worded letter written to chief minister Raman Singh, Kamleshwari Dewangan, a lower rank constable has launched a fight against the system doing injustice to not only her but many other women in state. Citing all major incidents against women in Chhattisgarh she alleged that the officers colluded against her and carried out a one-sided investigation allowing the senior officer concerned to go scot free.
"There's no probe done in sexual harassment charges I have alleged against the officer even after months. Rather I was suspended without any probe and my salary was stopped arbitrarily," she added in the letter handed over to chief minister at a Jandarshan programme.
Naming the officer, she mentioned, "The deputy excise commissioner Ashish Srivastava had circulated my MMS clipping in office following which everyone look at me offensively, pass indecent comments about me, disrespect me, mock and doubt on my character. Despite lodging complaint at Raipur SP office, women's cell, crime branch, no action was taken against anyone," Kamleshwari narrated.
In a disappointed and annoyed tone, she claimed that "The probe is deliberately being delayed by the officers with continuous postponement of dates to save themselves, the excise commissioner whom I had written several times also refuses to pay heed." Kamleshwari complained that even her husband was under Shrivastava's influence who gets violent on her almost every day.
In her letter, She also elaborated on the recent incidents of attacks, molestation and rapes on women under BJP ruled government, questioning its stand on these issues.
Citing rape and murder of Meena Xalxo, a tribal girl by security forces in forests of Surguja region, deaths of 13 women in botched sterilization in Bilaspur, sexual assault with minor girls at residential schools and about thousands of women and girls going missing in state, Kamleshwari questioned if state government wasn't serious about crime against women.
"Being a government servant in your state, I feel like am being brutally punished everyday for the mistake I have never committed, what's my sin that I am not being considered for justice? Being a woman am I not eligible to justice? Why is the government silent? Is it an attempt to save Shrivastava?" asking series of questions, Kamleshwari closes the letter requesting for swift justice.
On receipt of her letter, official sources said, chief minister's office had already directed the excise department to conduct a probe into the complaints against her allegations.
Chase of top Maoist leaders led to Sukma encounter
Raipur:MMNN:7 Mar. 2016
The encounter in Sukma last week, in which the CRPF’s COBRA Battalion 208 lost three personnel, was part of a planned security operation following information received about the movement senior Maoist cadres such as Ramanna, secretary of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, his wife Savitri, and Hidma, commander of PLGA Battalion 1.
The operation, which lasted over a day, also left 13 CRPF men injured. According to senior officers involved in it, there were at least 15 Maoist casualties but they could not recover the bodies given the heavy fire.
The operation was based on information that PLGA Battalion 1, commandeered by Hidma, had shifted base to Tondamarka and Bade Kedwal. On February 27, there was additional information that Ramanna and Savitri would be camping near Tondamarka from March 2. “After a lull of three months, we had credible information about Hidma. Teams were mobilised on February 27, and the plan was to hit Ramanna at Dabbamarka on March 3, and Hidma at Bade Kedwal on March 4, as there was information that Ramanna was moving in that direction,” a senior CRPF official said. The team had 159 COBRA personnel, with 30 members of the state police DRG accompanying them.
On March 3, while the team was stationed in Dabbamarka, a sentry saw Maoist movement at 10.30 am, a senior officer said. Half an hour later, more movement was spotted and sub-inspector Rajveer Singh, designated to check movements, was shot in the chest. “Since his condition was serious, it was decided to evacuate him to Kishtaram, the nearest camp, 14 km away. The movement started, with Maoists on our tail. When we reached Potakpalli, the Maoists fired from huts, and one of our men was injured.”
As they moved towards Kishtaram, there was an ambush 700 metres away. “There was heavy gunfire, and our injured were put in a nala towards the left flank. Subsequently, led by Commandant P S Yadav, himself shot in the foot, COBRA teams began attacking the right flank, forcing the Maoists back. In the attempt to recover their bodies, Fateh Singh was shot at. When Leju N S attempted to drag the body of Singh back, he too was shot at. Yadav then told his team to let the bodies be. As night fell, we realised the team was on higher ground so they dug in, but the number of injured meant reinforcements had to be sent in. While the Maoists retreated, a UAV monitored their movements,” an officer said.
As The Indian Express reported Friday, 290 personnel were sent as reinforcement to Potakpalli, while 300 others remained on standby.
The next morning, Maoist teams began to encircle the CRPF party again, but there were orders to “not open fire till the Maoists reach within 25 yards in an open field. Under cover from the reinforcements, the teams then successfully made their way back to Kishtaram,” a senior officer said.
Commander P S Yadav told The Indian Express, “Ordinarily, making our way back to Kishtaram would not have been a problem. But given our injuries, coming back was a herculean task. But we were immensely successful in protecting our injured. Even in hospital, all of them are doing fine.”
Chhattisgarh Church Attacked During Service, Congregants Thrashed
RAIPUR:MMNN:7 Mar. 2016
Around 25 men entered a church in Raipur's Kachna area today during a prayer service, allegedly beat up the people inside and vandalised the church premises.
Eyewitnesses said the men entered the church at noon, raising slogans of "Jai Shri Ram". They roughed up the men and even beat up the women. Around 65 worshippers were present at the time.
Arjun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh's Christian Forum, who filed a complaint with the police, alleged that the miscreants were activists of Bajrang Dal.
"They started damaging everything and tore up the women's clothes... They also knocked down a child... When the police came, they ran away," he told the media.
The police have registered a First Information Report, or FIR, against unknown men and have seized three motorbikes from the church premises on which, they say, the attackers had come. The police, however, have denied that any women were harmed.
A hunt is on for the attackers and efforts are on to trace the owners of the seized motorbikes, the police said.
8 suspected Maoists killed in encounter on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border
Raipur/Hyderabad:MMNN:2 Mar. 2016
At least eight suspected Maoists, including five women, were shot dead in an encounter with security forces in a forest near Telangana-Chhattisgarh border early on Tuesday morning.
The encounter took place when CRPF personnel, Chhattisgarh Police and Greyhounds of Telangana Police were conducting combing operations in the area, based on a tip-off about a Maoist meeting.
Those killed in the encounter are suspected to be members of the Venkatapuram area committee of CPI (Maoist), which operates in Bhadachalam in Khammam district.
While secretary of Venkatapuram area committee Lachchanna is suspected to have been killed in the encounter, Greyhounds Police could not confirm this.
CPI (Maoist)’s Telangana state secretary Hari Bhushan too is suspected to have been killed or injured. An AK 47 rifle, several .303 rifles, small arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site.
Senior police officers said that the encounter took place somewhere near Sakler in Sukma, around 30 km from Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. They added that details of the incident would be known once the security teams exit the forest.
“The encounter took place this morning. As per preliminary information, three men and five women have been killed. The operation was planned and executed by Telangana Greyhounds.
Since they were entering our territory, they had asked for some personnel with knowledge of the terrain,” said Santosh Singh, ASP, Anti Naxal Operations, in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district.
Mineral fund policy to fetch additional Rs 900 crore in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:2 Mar. 2016
Mineral-rich Chhattisgarh would get an additional revenue from minerals to the tune of over Rs 900 crore annually that would be used for local area development.
“The state government had implemented the district mineral fund policy 2015 that would generate additional revenue of more than Rs 900 crore,” Governor Balramji Dass Tandon said while addressing members of Chhattisgarh's Legislative Assembly today. The month-long Budget session of the state Assembly started with the governor’s address. The session would conclude on March 31.
Tandon said the funds generated would be used in the respective district for the development activities in the project affected places. The amount would be spent through the district collector, he said, adding that Rs 190 crore was generated under the old policy and that had been distributed to the panchayats and civic bodies concerned.
Speaking on agricultural issues, he said that the state government is taking necessary initiatives to upgrade the paddy procurement and payment system. In the kharif marketing season, about 5.9 million tonnes of paddy had been procured from 1.1 million farmers, he added.
Additionally, he said that the paddy procurement had cost Rs 8,429 crore to the state exchequer and maximum farmers have been paid the amount through online transaction.
Tandon said the legislator model village programme introduced in the state had also received good response. “The Swacch Bharat Abhiyan is also yielding the positive response and over 1,400 villages in the state have been declared open defecation free,” he added.
In the villages, about 0.3 million individual toilets have been constructed and more than equal number of toilets is under construction, Tandon said.
Referring to the infrastructure development works in insurgency-hit areas, Tandon said that of the 1,991 km roads to be constructed in the Naxal-infested pockets, work for 1,020 km has already been completed while the remaining work is in progress.
Under the chief minister village road programme, the state government had set a target to construct 1,154 roads measuring over 3,000 km.
Chhattisgarh Assembly to reduce usage of paper
RAIPUR:MMNN:29 Feb. 2016
Chhattisgarh Assembly has decided to adopt 'less paper' scheme to reduce the usage of paper with an aim to improve efficiency, reduce cost and become eco-friendly.
A delegation officials and technical experts of Chhattisgarh Vidhansabha (state Assembly) had visited Himachal Pradesh to see how a plan to reduce use of paper had been executed there, Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal told reporters here today.
"The discussion is on with the agency (which) deals in 'paperless' work. Owing to limited space in the hall of Chhattisgarh Assembly, there is some problem in setting up hardware tools with existing furniture to make it completely paperless. Therefore, we have decided to make it (the functioning) using 'less paper' for now," he said.
The discussion is underway with the state government and its IT agencyChhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) to reduce needless use of paper in sharing information, the Speaker said.
The planning is to create a separate web portal for Chhattisgarh Vidhansabha where information related to the house and proceedings will be disseminated, he added.
Meanwhile, Agrawal also said that the budget session of the Assembly will start from March 1.
"The budget session of the Assembly will be held from March 1-31 during which it will have 19 sittings," he added.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, who also holds the finance portfolio, will table the budget on March 9, the Speaker added.
By February 27, information about 2,435 questions, including 1,376 starred and 1,059 unstarred were received. Similarly, 51 proposals of 'Call Attention' notices were received till the same period, he said.
"Discussion on judicial commission's reports on 'death of Meena Khalkho in an alleged encounter at Nawadih village under Chando police station limits of Balrampur district' and death of 13 women after sterilisation at family planning camps in Bilaspur may take place in this session", he added.
23 Maoists surrender due to ‘ill-treatment’ by seniors
RAIPUR:MMNN:29 Feb. 2016
Twenty three Maoists, including two women, surrendered in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday citing “ill-treatment” by senior cadres, police said.
The ultras turned themselves in before senior police officials, saying they were “frustrated” with the ill-treatment meted out to them,
Bastar superintendent of police RN Dash told.
Of them, three cadres - Katku (Kudur Janatana Sarkar head), Lali Mandavi and Raju Mandavi (area committee members), carried a reward of Rs three lakh each on their heads.
Similarly, Kawasi Gore (35) who was the head of Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM) -- a cultural outfit of the Maoists -- carried a reward of Rs one lakh on his head, the SP said, adding the rest of the surrendered ultras were lower-rung members.
An encouragement amount of Rs 10,000 was given to each of them and will be given facilities under the surrender and rehabilitation policy, the official said.
Chhattisgarh CM hails Rail Budget
RAIPUR:MMNN:26 Feb. 2016
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh hailed the Railway Budget on Thursday terming it as a “public interest budget”.
“The Railway Budget focuses on providing amenities to passengers and developing infrastructure across the country. This is a public interest budget,” Dr. Singh said in a statement.
Congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, the Chief Minister said, .
“There was no increase in fares and freight charges which is a great relief to the people.”
“The Budget caters to all sections of the passengers. The investment in the sector has been doubled which will develop the infrastructure and railways network,” he added.
Several other provisions like toll-free helpline number for women passengers, insurance to passengers, mobile chargers in general bogies, GPS facility, additional compartments in long-distance trains, ‘Astha Rail’ circuit for pilgrims will serve common man, Dr. Singh said.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Congress criticised the Budget saying it reflects the corporate vision of the NDA government.
“Common people have already been bearing the brunt of hike in passengers fare, tatkal and premium tatkal fare hike since 2015-16. It is surprising the government is now making hollow claims of not increasing the passenger train fares,” Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said.
“This Budget clearly reflects the corporate vision of BJP-led NDA government as for rich class bullet trains and three new AC trains have been introduced — Uday, Hamsafar and Tejas, while only one train announced for the common people that is an unreserved Antyoday express,” Mr. Baghel added.
Accusing the Centre of ignoring Chhattisgarh, the Congress leader said Minister Prabhu overlooked allocation of funds for three key projects in the State - Rowghat rail project, three-lining of Howrah-Mumbai route, Raipur-Visakhapattnam route double-lining and electrification.
Toddler raped and killed, minor girl raped in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:26 Feb. 2016
It brought a wave of shock when a semi-clad body of three-year-old girl, who went missing on Wednesday was found shoved in a jute sack near bus stand of Raigarh district. The toddler was abducted, raped and killed on Wednesday night by a youth, a new tenant in neighbourhood of Savitri Nagar.
Raigarh police have arrested 22-year-old Lochan Srivas, who was detained for interrogation soon after a missing complaint was lodged on Wednesday night by parents of the minor girl.
Talking to TOI, Raigarh ASP USV Chouhan said that Lochan initially tried to mislead police and had destroyed many evidences. "But his one foolish act gave us a strong lead to grill him till morning and he confessed to the crime.
Lochan acted concerned before the family for the girl and on pretext of showing off of possessing power to know about her whereabouts, he asked her parents to get coconut, incense sticks and lemon. After doing some rituals he gave a clue to her parents to go and search near Amlibhauna bus stand, that's where the body was found," Chouhan said.
He added that Lochan confessed to the crime only in the morning and in his statement he said that finding the girl playing alone outside her home, he took her to his home and sexually assaulted her.
But when the toddler started screaming and crying out of pain, he tried to shut her up with a pillow but when he failed to mute her screams, Lochan strangled her to death. Packing her into a jute bag, he walked down to bus stand and threw it into the bushes. Lochan works as medical representative was arrested under Sections of the IPC. In another incident, a 12-year-old mentally challenged girl was raped by deaf and dumb boy finding her alone near home at a village in Korba district.
According to SK Pathak, TI Balco police station, accused Jitendra, 19, who is deaf and dumb lives in the same locality at Kharmora village near girl's house. He was arrested on Thursday and he confessed to the crime saying that the girl's parents were sleeping at home and there was an empty house nearby where he took the girl and raped her.
Listening to girl's whispering cries, her sister came looking for her and saw Jitendra forcing himself upon her. While she raised an alarm, he immediately fled the spot, and was later arrested.
Shree Cement bags first non-coal mining lease in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:19 Feb. 2016
Shree Cement Limited (SCL) bagged the Karhi Chandi limestone block in Balodabazar district of Chhattisgarh in the first-ever non-coal mining lease auctioned by the state government.
The IBM price of Limestone in Chhattisgarh was Rs 483.17 per tonne. SCL offered to pay Rs 284 per tonne — the highest bid that was 58.95 per cent of IBM price. The auction process continued for over five hours on Thursday. In all, 192 bids were submitted.
“The auction of Karhi Chandi block itself would yield Rs 4,386 crore to the state exchequer at the said IBM price by way of bid-revenue, in addition to royalty of Rs 1,232 crore,” Chhattisgarh’s Mining Secretary Subodh Kumar Singh said.
The state government had notified auction of four limestone blocks and one gold block on December 8, 2015, under the MMDR (Amendment) Act, 2015 that stipulated ‘auction’ as the mode for allocation of mineral resources and empowered the states to conduct the auction.
According to SCL officials, the block has an estimated reserve of 166 million tonnes with 80 million tonnes cement grade limestone. The block would feed the company’s cement plant located in the same district.
The company had a major expansion plan to augment the capacity in Balodabazar plant to 5.2 million tonnes. A memorandum of understanding had been signed earlier between the Chhattisgarh government and the SCL, which has a cement production capacity of 23.6 million tonnes per annum from multiple locations.
'Women sex workers, HIV+ patients to get easy loans in Chhattisgarh'
RAIPUR:MMNN:19 Feb. 2016
The Chhattisgarh government has decided to provide loans to women HIV positive patients and sex workers at nominal rates to enable them to take up self-employment activities, a state official said.
"To associate HIV positive women and female sex workers with economic activities, they would be provided with personal and group loans under the loan scheme of 'Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh'," a public relation official here said on Thursday.
Under the scheme, these women would be provided personal loan of Rs 10,000 and group loan of Rs 1 lakh at nominal annual interest rate of 3 per cent, he said.
The state's Women and Child Development department has issued a circular to all District Collectors and other concerned officials in this regard.
As per the circular, women who are HIV-affected or involved in paid sex would be given loans, so as to help them take up economic activities for self-employment.
This loan would be provided on the basis of the eligibility after the beneficiaries produce medical certificate issued by a government doctor, it said.
The loans would be sanctioned after the proposal in this regard presented through District Manager of Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh gets approved by the District Collector concerned, it said.
The state's Women and Child Development department has been running the Chhattisgarh Mahila Kosh loan scheme since 2003 to provide easy loans to women self-help groups.
One killed, 26 injured in building collapse in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:17 Feb. 2016
A 23-year-old labourer was killed and 26 others were injured when a slab of an under-construction building on the Chhattisgarh High Court premises collapsed on Tuesday, police said.
Police suspect that some labourers were trapped under the rubble as around 100 of them were working at the time of the accident.
“The incident occurred at the upcoming Judicial Officers Training Institute building on the Chhattisgarh High Court premises, around 10 km away from Raipur,” said Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pathak.
Around 100 labourers were working at the site when a portion of the slab, which was being laid, caved in at around 4 p.m., Mr. Pathak said.
Rescuers initially found 25 labourers injured and rushed them to a local hospital.
Later, two other labourers who were trapped under the debris were evacuated and admitted to Apollo Hospital where one of them died of injuries, the SP said. The deceased has been identified as Toman Porte (23), a native of Akaltara town in neighbouring Janjgir-Champa district.
“There is a chance that some people might have been trapped under the rubble. Search and rescue operations are on,” the SP said.
The cause behind the accident is yet to be ascertained, he added.
Rapes in Maoist zone: Chhattisgarh Congress takes battle to BJP
RAIPUR:MMNN:17 Feb. 2016
Staring off from these ‘startling facts’, the Chhattisgarh Congress unleashed a scathing attack on Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday.
Chhattisgarh Congress president, Bhupesh Baghel alleged, “In Raman Singh government, the tribals of Chhattisgarh have virtually lost their rights to live. Innocent tribals have been branded as Maoists and thrown behind bars and women are being raped. Our fact-finding team went 20 km into the tribal belt of Bastar and got the horror tales of rape. The government is patronising criminals and the corrupt. We will organise a ‘Save Democracy’ rally in Jagdalpur and expose the BJP’s ugly face.”
The public rally will narrate the stories of rape and atrocity on tribal women and corruption in Chhattisgarh, and challenge the government to come up with the truth.
The fact-finding report of the Chhattisgarh Congress alleges that15 tribal women from Peddagelur and Chinnagelur were molested, beaten, threatened; some were chased out of their homes, which the security forces occupied. “Our team heard statements from women of atrocities and verbal abuse of extreme form. Women told them that they were beaten with batons and guns. They were pulled by their hair and their faces were banged on the ground,” alleged Baghel, while speaking to Firstpost.
“In fact, the incident of molestation and rape of three women by the police that took place between 19-24 October, was independently investigated by a special committee of Congress MLAs which shockingly found the facts to be correct. Another such incident is that of the tribal girl Meena Khalkho from Surguja.
Chhattisgarh government and police have alleged that she was a Maoist and got killed in an encounter. But, after a strong protest from the Congress, a judicial probe was conducted and it was found that she was brutally raped and killed. The post mortem report tells a tale of brutal rape and horror,” alleged AICC spokesperson Ajoy Kumar.
“Even after tabling of the inquiry report of Meena Khalkho in Chhattisgarh assembly on 25 July, 2015, no action has been taken against anyone involved in this crime. There is no police record or evidence to establish the lie that she was a Maoist. The state government has demanded Rs 4500 crore from the Centre to deal with the Maoists and development. For this they have cooked up stories of fake surrenders of 70 Maoists. Out of the 70, 60 had no criminal records against them. The Chhattisgarh government cannot deal with the Maoist menace by alienating the tribals and by using coercive methods,” Chhattisgarh’s Leader of Opposition, TS Singh Deo told Firstpost.
Citing the report, Congress MP and in-charge of Chhattisgarh, BK Hariprasad said 11,000 tribal women have been missing in Chhattisgarh and 40 minor girls between six to 13 years had been sexual exploited for two years. “After the Congress countered the BJP, it has been branded as anti-Hindu. Today, the Naxals have made inroad up to the state capital Raipur and the government hasn’t done anything,” he claimed.
The Congress has squarely blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for these incidents.
“BJP is ruling both at the Centre and in the state. If Chhattisgarh has been witnessing cases of mass rape, sexual exploitation of minors and atrocities on innocent tribal, who’s to be blamed other than the PM? Like the BJP-led government at the Centre has branded all the JNU students as anti-nationals, they have branded tribal as Maoists,” said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
The Chhattisgarh BJP has termed the Congress’ allegations as false and claimed these have been leveled with the intention to belittle the state government’s efforts to root out Maoists from the state.
“There is no question of suppressing the truth. The Congress had raised the issue of rape of Meena Khalkho. The CM and Minister for Home addressed it and the culprits were arrested. There isn’t a single case against which legal action hasn’t been taken up,” remarked state BJP spokesperson Sachhidanand Upasane.
Shivratan Sharma, general secretary, state BJP added, “It has been the policy of the Congress to malign the BJP government through false and baseless allegations. The state government has tackled the Naxal menace in Chhattisgarh with an iron hand and have cornered Maoists. The Congress has levelled false charges only to gain political mileage.”
In Chhattisgarh, children face Maoist threat for speaking up
RAIPUR:MMNN:15 Feb. 2016
Schoolchildren are caught in the firing line between the government and the Maoists in extremism-hit Chhattisgarh.
Students are often seen marching under police security through streets of small towns and hamlets in Bastar region holding banners and placards, demanding peace and asking extremists to end killing of innocents, allegedly at the behest of state authorities.
This despite the SC in 2011 termed as illegal the Chhattisgarh government’s anti-insurgent militia of young tribals called Sulwa Judum. However, the passive aggressive campaign did not gone down well with the Maoists. The insurgents sent out an advisory to parents and teachers this week and also distributed pamphlets in the area asking them to desist from allowing children to participate in such “anti-people” rallies.
“We appeal to the parents of students to ensure their children are not used in anti-people (against the Maoist) events or rallies. We ask the school management and teachers too to not allow the students to be part of anti-people activities that are based on lies,” said the statement issued by Vikalp, the spokesperson of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, the most powerful unit of the Maoists in central India — covering the entire Bastar region along with Malkangiri, Koraput areas of Odisha and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
The Chhattisgarh police promptly dismissed the appeal as “ridiculous”. “Are the Maoists not using children in their movement and destroying their lives? By issuing such statement, the rebels are trying to create a threat perception among the masses and gain the media hype,” an ADGP told HT. Nonetheless, this propaganda war has left parents anxious. “There is a lot of fear and uncertainty here,” said Idpa Ramvilas, a businessman in Geedam. Another parent said their children were the most vulnerable as the school could act against them if they refused to participate in the marches and the Maoists could strike if they did. Maoists are known to forcibly pick up children to induct as combatants, and also urge villagers to willing offer their children to be trained as “rebel warriors”.
“Madkami Hunga, 14, and Puja Markam, 16, from Aranpur in Dantewada were forced to join the Maoist organisation some three years ago...Puja was traced by Malkangiri police in Odisha on January 26 this year after she fled,” additional superintendent of police, Sukma, Santosh Singh told HT, adding that Puja was sent to a residential ashram in Dantewada for studies. Though the administration claims the student marches were voluntary and an attempt to counter the growing support for left-wing extremism among the youth, teachers admitted that the marches were conducted on the “directive” of the police and the district administration. “We comply with the orders given and ensure the participation of students as directed,” said a senior teacher of Bijapur government high school requesting anonymity.
Another teacher in Sukma, who did not wish to be named, said, “It is believed that when you rope in students to hold meetings or rallies, it might garner support from people but this will not win the hearts and minds of Maoists.”
But, not everyone is against the involvement of students in the anti-insurgency operation and say the children’s participation to create a terror-free environment was largely restricted to safer areas.
“Such initiatives might help build confidence in remote areas where the people’s trust in authorities remains abysmally low,” said Alok Shukla, a human rights activist. Anti-terrorism experts are not worried and see the “advisory” as a reflection of the Maoists’ frustration.
“With the local tribal population understanding the futility of the ideology of left-wing extremism, they are now increasingly going against the rebels — whose statements clearly show their desperation. The people in the affected areas yearn for peace,” said Brigadier (retd) BK Ponwar, director of Kanker-based counter terrorism and jungle warfare college.
'Chhattisgarh is safe state for investments because Naxal problem is reducing'
RAIPUR:MMNN:15 Feb. 2016
Chhattisgarh's Naxal problem has been brought under control and the state is now as safe as any other to invest in, according to Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of the Make in India week here on Sunday, he said the state managed to attract a good quantum of investments over the past few years.
"Chhattisgarh is a safe state. We are number one in industrial entrepreneur memoranda and also in actual investments. Yes, there was the problem of Naxal activities in some areas, but these have come down drastically," said Singh.
He added the government had consciously taken steps to bring in more investments to the state. The state is blessed with ample natural resources including iron ore, bauxite, and cheap power, he noted. "Chhattisgarh is a power-surplus state with rich natural and mineral resources. It offers low-cost industrial land with best fiscal incentives for setting up business."
According to Singh, there is no power cut in the state and power cost is 25 per cent less compared to other states.
Chhattisgarh is now focusing on non-core sectors such as agribusiness and food processing, automotive, defence, information technology, etc, he added.
The state is currently ranked fourth in ease of doing business, says CM.
'Chhattisgarh home minister's vehicle had no safety features'
RAIPUR:MMNN:12 Feb. 2016
A preliminary investigation in the accident, which left Chhattisgarh home minister Ram Sewak Paikra injured, has revealed that he was travelling in a vehicle with least safety measures. His car had collided with a pick-up van on Wednesday night.
The accident took place between Ghat Pendari and Moran village — about 450 kms from here — in Balrampur district of Sarguja range. The minister, while returning to his native village after attending party programmes, was in the SUV when a pick-up van breached the carcade and collided with it. The persons on-board were critically injured.
Being the home minister of the Naxal-infested state, Paikra had been provided with Z-Plus security cover. The pilot vehicle leads the carcade followed by other vehicles.
Under the security plan, the minister was travelling in his private SUV — abandoning the official vehicle — a part of security drill in the sensitive pockets. Sarguja region that adjoins Jharkhand’s Naxal-infested belt had been categorised as sensitive area.
“Preliminary investigation underlined that the SUV was not having basic safety features including Airbags, head injury protection, head restrains etc,” a senior official from Sarguja said. Even the minister had missed to put the seat belt, he said, adding that had the minister followed the guidelines, the impact would not have been so severe.
Despite the pick-up van collided from the driver’s side, Paikra sustained multiple injuries though he was sitting next to the driver’s seat. The minister sustained serious injuries on his head while his both the legs were fractured.
Paikra was flown from Sarguja in Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper on the night itself. He was admitted to a private hospital in the wee hours Thursday. The doctors attending on him said even his lungs had been affected.
Chief Minister Raman Singh said a high level probe had been ordered that would examine all the issues related to the accident.
Gagging the media in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:12 Feb. 2016
Freedom of expression cuts both ways, especially in conflict zones. Malini Subramaniam and Scroll.in have found this out the hard way.
Subramaniam is a contributor to the combative digital publication, and is based in Jagdalpur, the district headquarter town of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh. Since January, she has come under greater scrutiny by the local police and harassment by organizations evidently linked to political parties and state government agencies. Subramaniam claims that earlier this week, representatives of the Samajik Ekta Manch, one such organization, led a mob to her house, shouted slogans against her, attempted to incite her neighbours to stone her house saying she aids Maoist rebels, and damaged her car.
Subramaniam’s sin appears to be her articles over the past year that, among other things, detailed sexual abuse by security forces in conflict zones, questioned the surrender of Maoists as being faked by the government, and made allegations of torture of journalists by Chhattisgarh’s police.
Subramaniam and Scroll.in claim the district’s police chief didn’t take her call and also cut her off when she called from another phone to complain about the Manch.
For its part, the Chhattisgarh government hasn’t twitched an apologetic or conciliatory muscle. This is standard operating procedure.
The relationship between the Chhattisgarh government and the media is simple. Those praising Chhattisgarh and, in particular, its three-term chief minister Raman Singh, face few or no problems. Those who highlight the plight of tribal folks and others in the Maoist-affected areas of the state, such plight a result of government apathy and atrocities by security forces, come in for stick that has included withholding government advertising to publications, and threats to life, limb and property of correspondents by police, paramilitary and state-sponsored vigilante groups. Along with human rights and media watchdogs, I too have documented such instances, not infrequent since the creation of the vigilante group Salwa Judum in 2005.
Victims in the media include even those who detail Maoist atrocities and pressure. Maoist rebels are as insistent on one-sided narratives as the government.
Representatives of major global and Indian media organizations generally get away from the clutches of both the state government and Maoists simply because these organizations are too big, too well-known, or too well-connected to mess with. Of course, some major media organizations with non-media business interests in Chhattisgarh have voluntarily turned tame—as I have detailed in the book Clear.Hold.Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India.
Chhattisgarh can do practically anything it wishes. In 2006, it implemented a lawless gag law to prevent media and human rights groups from presenting the Maoist point of view—any point of view, really, that went against the official version in the state’s battle against the Maoists rebels. The Chhattisgarh Vishesh Jan Suraksha Adhiniyam, 2005 (No. 14 of 2006) had all the usual bells and whistles. Among other things, a district magistrate had the right to seize any building or area where ‘unlawful activities’ take place, and evict occupants. This included a meeting, even a conversation, let alone writing and preparing visual material such as posters—anything that the authorities felt could ‘create risk’ or ‘endanger public order, peace and tranquillity’ or ‘impede the administration of law’.
If Chhattisgarh wants to push it, anyone criticizing the government’s handling of the Maoist issue would be prosecuted. So would I—or anybody for that matter, including, naturally, human rights organizations that legitimately function as watchdogs.
The state government’s irritation with Subramaniam may go back to her days as Chhattisgarh head of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). ICRC was keen to expand operations in India, especially in Chhattisgarh and Nagaland. (Disclosure: I briefed senior ICRC officials in New Delhi in early 2010 about the situation in these states and the likelihood of various activities.) These operations had perforce to be non-political as the Government of India wouldn’t permit a spread beyond ICRC's limited mandate related to the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. ICRC set up a healthcare operation in Bijapur in 2010.
The Chhattisgarh government has always viewed askance such organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, sometimes accusing them of aiding Maoists. It kicked ICRC out of Chhattisgarh in mid-2013, just weeks after Mahendra Karma, an architect of Salwa Judum, and other senior Congress leaders were killed by Maoists. ICRC’s continued presence may have escalated the conflict in global perception.
Subramaniam stayed put and subsequently began to write for Scroll.in. Her case now poses some difficult questions to the Chhattisgarh government and its cohorts. They owe credible answers.
Sudeep Chakravarti’s latest book is Clear.Hold.Build: Hard Lessons of Business and Human Rights in India. His previous books include Red Sun: Travels in Naxalite Country and Highway 39: Journeys through a Fractured Land. This column, which focuses on conflict situations in South Asia that directly affect business, runs on Fridays.
Chhattisgarh govt launches Udyam Aakansha scheme to promote SMEs
RAIPUR:MMNN:10 Feb. 2016
Chhattisgarh government has launched 'Udyam Aakansha' Scheme for promoting micro, small and medium enterprises in the state.
"The scheme would facilitate free online registration and self-certification to the investors interested in investment on micro, small and medium enterprises and service businesses," Secretary, Commerce and Industries department Subodh Singh said today.
The investors can enroll themselves online through website of the Industries department which will be based on self-certification process.
For the online registration, investors need not submit any documents nor have to pay any fee, he said.
Chhattisgarh is among some leading states where this scheme has been initiated.
"The notification in this regard was issued on February 6," he said.
Keeping in view the objective of promoting the ease of doing business, Chief Minister Raman Singh had earlier issued directives to simplify the process of registration and self-certification for entrepreneurs so that they could take its advantage, the secretary said.
Following the directives, Commerce and Industry Ministry Amar Agrawal ordered to take prompt decision to make online the registration process so as to attract the investors, he added.
The CM has assured entrepreneurs seeking to invest in the state to further simplify the investment and business process so that PM's 'Make in India', 'Digital India' and 'Start up India' programmes would yield good results in the state, he added.
Chhattisgarh village eradicates open defecation completely in just 3 months
RAIPUR:MMNN:10 Feb. 2016
Where there is a will, there is a way. The saying was proved by a Chhattisgarh village where people launched a hectic campaign to make it open-defecation free (ODF) in just three months.
Ninwa gram panchayat in Raipur has become the first village in the district to become ODF. “It was a joint effort of the villagers that brought the difference,” village sarpanch (head) Girendra Sahu said. The villagers took the Swachh Bharat Mission as a challenge and achieved the target of becoming ODF is just three months, he added.
The village has 350 houses, with a population of over 2,100. In 77 houses, there were already toilets. “I along with panches (village representatives) and group of villagers contacted the remaining 234 houses and convinced them to construct toilets,” Sahu said. The campaign was launched in a planned way and the villagers were informed about the ill-effects of open defecation, he added.
The villagers showedtook the Swachh Bharat Mission as a challenge. They were provided a grant of Rs 12,000 per toilet under the government scheme. “Interestingly, many villagers spent more money and built big toilets with a cost of Rs 40,000-50,000,” the village sarpanch added.
The volunteers of aanganwadi, literacy mission and employment assistants of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme were also involved in the campaign. Besides toilets, the villagers are now focusing on keeping the areas near hand-pumps, wells and water sources hygienic and clean.
Panel seeks MSMEs to focus on innovation for 'Make in India'
RAIPUR:MMNN:8 Feb. 2016
The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Chhattisgarh would be focusing on innovative startups to translate the ‘Make in India’ theme into action.
A group of high-powered panelists stressed for coming out with innovative ideas for business at the Business Baatein event organised by Business Standard and Chhattisgarh Laghu Evam Sahayak Udyog Sangh (CLSUS) in Bilaspur, about 150 kms from Raipur, Sunday evening. The panelists included Dr G D Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Bilaspur University, Shekhar Shukla, Regional Manager of State Bank of India (SBI) and Harish Kedia, President of CLSUS.
“The industrial association should invite new business proposals and should announce prize for the best as it would bring out innovative ideas for startups,” Sharma said. He added that a technology park should be set up that would create new ideas for industry. The industrialists should also patent the ideas and the government machineries should take the initiative for the same, Sharma said.
On financing by banks, Shukla said that it will not refrain to lend to good projects. “Come with good proposals and the banks would provide all backups for its implementation,” Shukla said. The premature disindustrialisation was a matter of grave concern, he said, adding that the “Make in India” and startup initiatives would revive the MSMEs.
Referring to the crises in the industrial sector, Kedia said it was high time for setting up industry. “Since the price of major commodities had been reduced, one can set up a unit at 20% less cost,” he said, adding that new ideas for the industry were essential to compete in the sector. He said Kosa, bell metal and handicrafts of Chhattisgarh remained unexplored at the National and International markets.
Chhattisgarh grain 'scam': Minister says action taken against guilty
RAIPUR:MMNN:8 Feb. 2016
Chhattisgarh Government today said stringent action has been initiated against those found prima facie guilty in irregularities in the purchase and distribution of grain, since the incident came to light.
"The government and the administration of Balodabazaar-Bhatpara district has taken strict action against those found prima facie guilty in irregularities which came to light in Kharif Year 2014-15.
"The investigation revealed the shortfall of 18,317 tonne of grain out of total 5,30,000 tonne of grain purchased from farmers under the 'Minimum Support Price' policy," State Food Minister Punnulal Mohle said today.
The opposition Congress alleged that a scam of Rs 130 crore had taken place at the grain storage centres in the district and that government avoided conducting probe in the same.
He said the probe has exposed irregularities in Alesur and Devrisuma storage centres in Kharif Year 2014-15.
"The probe detected shortfall of 8870 tonne of grain in Alesur Storage Centre and that of 9447 tonne in Devrisuma storage centre. The probe also detected instances like rice millers getting grain without posting orders, irregularity in weight of grains etc," he said.
Incharges of Alesur and Devrisuma centres, namely Ramanuj Singh Thakur and Mahendra Bareth, were suspended in July 2015 by the Chhattisgarh State Co-operative Marketing Federation in this connection, the minister said.
"An FIR was registered against the duo in Bhatapara police station in November 2015, besides a departmental inquiry is underway against them," Mohle said.
He said a district Marketing Officer and an Incharge Food Officer were also suspended in December last year.
"The action of recovering cost of (short-fallen) grain was initiated against officials concerned of the Markfed (State Marketing Coooperative Federation)," the minister said, adding that an FIR was registered against two rice millers while three rice millers have deposited the requisite amount.
He said the government is awaiting the inquiry report of grain stored in centres in Balodabazaar in Kharif years 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Mohle said the government will act swiftly against the guilty on receipt of the report in this regard.
Four Maoists killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur
RAIPUR:MMNN:15 Jan. 2016
Four Maoist rebels have been killed in a gun battle with police in a forest in Chhattisgarh, security forces said on Friday.
Police said the shoot-out happened early Friday morning in Bijapur, around 470 kilometres (290 miles) from state capital Raipur.
“After the fierce gun battle, bodies of one female and three male Maoist cadres, along with four rifles and four Chinese hand grenades, have been recovered,” Bijapur district police chief Kanhaiya Lal Dhruv told AFP.
The remote, underdeveloped region of the state is believed to have been a rebel stronghold for nearly two decades.
Police said that they had launched a search operation after an intelligence tip-off that the Maoists were in the forested Ganglaur area, where the shoot-out occurred.
Officers are still searching for weapons and the bodies of any more rebels killed in the incident.
India’s long-running Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and has cost thousands of lives.
The rebels, described by former prime minister Manmohan Singh as India’s most serious internal security threat, say they are fighting authorities for land, jobs and other rights for poor tribal groups.
They are believed to operate in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in the forested, resource-rich areas of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Chhattisgarh develops rice variety to fight malnutrition, drought
RAIPUR:MMNN:15 Jan. 2016
Chhattisgarh’s agriculture scientists have developed a rice variety with high zinc content that would be of great use to deal with the malnutrition.
A team of researchers from Raipur-based Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU)-led by Professor Girish Chandel have explored the two varieties of high zinc rice of which one has been recently released. The variety had been named “Chhattisgarh Zinc Rice-1”, the first zinc bio-fortified rice variety in country.
“The variety discovered with the rich zinc content will have a maturity period of 110 days and will be suitable in adverse climatic condition,” Chandel told Business Standard. Even in the drought condition, the variety would give a good yield, he said, adding that the productivity of the paddy is expected to be about 50 quintal per hectare.
The proposal had been sent to the Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC) for the notification of the seed that had already been approved by the state-level committee facilitating its distribution within the state.
The authorities had distributed seeds to 2,500 farmers across the state of Chhattisgarh for trial and response from the farmers. After getting the approval, the commercial production of seed would start for distribution beyond state boundary.
According to Chandel, the zinc content in the paddy variety would vary from 22-24 parts per million (PPM) that would be about 8-9 PPM more than the regular variety available in the country. He added that the rice variety would be helpful for the government campaign against malnutrition as a small proportion of zinc content in food makes big difference in the health condition.
Medical researchers had underlined that zinc is most famous for its immune-boosting perks. It helps balance body’s response to infection, besides preventing out-of-control inflammation.
New audio tape featuring Chhattisgarh Congress chief surfaces
RAIPUR:MMNN:13 Jan. 2016
A new audio tape containing purported conversations between Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel and Firoz Siddhiqui, a former loyalist of ex-Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, has surfaced, bringing to the fore fissures in the state unit of the party.
In the tape, Baghel could be heard offering a position in the party to Siddhiqui if he agrees to leak to an English newspaper another audio tape containing conversations about "fixing" Antagarh bypoll.
In the new tape, Siddhiqui is heard seeking protection for him and his family from Baghel. Baghel could be heard telling Siddhiqui that "if there is an attack on you, I will protect you. To protect you, I will make you General Secretary (of State Congress)." Baghel also says he will not give Siddhiqui the party post just now otherwise it would appear he was rewarded for leaking the tapes.
State Congress said there was nothing objectionable in the new tape, while Siddhiqui said he recorded the conversation between him and Baghel on December 9 last year. Ruling BJP took a dig at Congress, saying the new audio tape has proved that differences existed among the key leaders of the main opposition party. Ajit Jogi claimed the conversations revealed how a conspiracy was hatched against him and his son Amit, who has been expelled from Congress after the first tape surfaced.
In December, an audio tape was released by an English daily containing several phone conversations purportedly between Ajit, his son Amit, Chief Minister Raman Singh's son- in-law Puneet Gupta, Congress candidate Manturam Pawar, Siddhiqui and another Jogi loyalist Ameen Memon related to alleged "fixing" of bypoll to Antagarh assembly seat in 2014. Pawar, then considered an Ajit loyalist, had withdrawn from the fray just a day ahead of the last date for withdrawal and was later expelled from the party. BJP won the bypoll.
The tape purportedly contained conversation suggesting money exchanged hands. In the wake of a political storm following leak of the audio tape, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee expelled Amit, an MLA, for six years and recommended action against his father, a member of the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body. Baghel has confirmed the new audio tape contains his voice.
"There is nothing objectionable in the audio and state party chief Bhupesh Baghel has admitted that the tape contains his voice. He did not lure Siddhiqui with money. "He just assured to protect him (Siddhiqui) by making him a General Secretary of the party and there is nothing wrong in that," Chhattisgarh Congress spokesperson Shailesh Trivedi told PTI when asked to comment on surfacing of the fresh tape.
Constable Injured In Encounter With Naxals In Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:13 Jan. 2016
A police constable was today injured in a gun-battle with Naxals in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.
The skirmish took place in the forests under Tongpal police station limits when a joint team of state District Reserve Group (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation in the region, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Santosh Singh said.
While the security forces were cordoning off a forest axis at Kunna, a group of armed Naxals opened fire on them following which a gun-battle broke out between the two sides, he said.
However, after a brief exchange of fire, the ultras fled into the core forests, he said.
"A constable of DRG sustained bullet injuries in his leg in the incident," the ASP said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured personnel were taken to Jagdalpur district headquarters for treatment, he said.
Woman naxal killed in face-off with security forces in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR:MMNN:11 Jan. 2016
A woman naxal commander was today gunned down in a fierce gun-battle between security forces and ultras in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district bordering Maharashtra.
"The skirmish took place in the deep jungles of Sendra on Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border between a joint team of forces from both the states and ultras," Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range SRP Kalluri said.
In the view of a campaign of naxals which usually starts from January during which they step up their activities, a special operation was launched by Bijapur and Gadchiroli (MH) police on the bordering areas notorious for Maoist activities, the IG said.
A team of District Reserve Group (DRG) numbering around 80 led by Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela was matched on Maharashtra side by his Gadchiroli counterpart Manjunath Singh with a strength of 75 C-60 commandos (special operations group of Maharashtra Police) for the operation, he said.
"The strategy was to enter Bijapur National Park area -- a Maoist bastion, from Maharashtra side. Our forces first went to Maharashtra side surreptitiously and then penetrated Bijapur jointly with Maharashtra forces which Maoists could not anticipate," he said.
While security forces were cordoning off a forest pocket in Sendra, a fierce encounter broke out with naxals.
However, on finding security personnel zeroing on them, ultras fled from the spot following which body of a woman ultra was recovered from the spot, he said.
The deceased rebel was identified as LOS (local operation squad) Commander National park area committee of Maoists, Mangi who was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on her head, he said.
An Insas rifle and it five magazines were also recovered from the place, he said.
With this encounter, the number of Maoists gunned down by police in separate incidents in Bastar this month has gone upto six.
Congress trains its guns on Chhattisgarh CM's son-in-law over bribery claims
MMNN:11 Jan. 2016
While the BJP has often targeted Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, it has been overlooking allegations against Puneet Gupta, the son-in-law of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Gupta’s name surfaced in a recent tape, where he allegedly pays off Congress leaders to win their support in a crucial by-poll in the state.
The Congress has expelled lawmaker Amit Jogi over the incident and has now trained its guns on Gupta.
“We have expelled our leader. Will the BJP now act against its leaders, who are involved in corruption?” Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked.
“The incident is a proof that BJP leaders, including its CM, are dealing in black money. Why is the PM not taking any action now, or the BJP promises are only jumlas?” said Congress state unit chief Bhupesh Bhagel, demanding the party act against Gupta.
“The government should file an FIR against Gupta. The Congress is demanding an SIT probe into the issue,” he added.
Surjewala took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim of not tolerating corruption and asked why was no action was taken against Raman Singh.
The leaked tape suggested that the money changed hands which facilitated the BJP candidate’s victory in the 2015 Antagarh by-poll.
The Congress has even approached the Election Commission seeking to declare the poll null and void.
Sources said the controversy has caused concern among the BJP bosses as it has come at a time when the Congress seems to be improving in the tribal state.
On the other hand, the BJP has been consistent in targeting Robert Vadra by raising the issue of his controversial land deals in Rajasthan and Haryana, both of which are ruled by the saffron party but have made little progress in probing the matter.
The BJP claims Gupta is a private citizen - but so is Vadra.
Moreover, Gupta is said to wield a lot of influence in the Chhattisgarh government and has been accused of striking deals on behalf of the CM.
The Congress had earlier demanded the sacking of Raman Singh in connection with a multi-crore PDS scam, saying that the CM and his family members were direct beneficiaries.
“Gupta has he been provided with four guards. He can freely walk inside the secretariat and can indulge in such dealings on BJP’s behalf,” said a state Congress leader.
Tape row: Former Chhattisgarh CM Ajit Jogi's son Amit Jogi expelled from Congress for 6 years
RAIPUR:MMNN:6 Jan. 2016
Manturam Pawar, the Congress candidate in Antagarh by-election in Tape row: Pawar launches counter-offensive against Chhattisgarh Congress chief who pulled out of the fray at the last moment, today denied that chief minister Raman Singh, BJP or the Congress leader Ajit Jogi had any role in his withdrawal.
Pawar is now at the centre of a controversy over an audio-tape which reportedly suggests that his withdrawal was at the behest of BJP and was facilitated by Jogi.
"I had lost Antagarh Assembly poll three times — 2003, 2008 and 2013 — due to infighting in state Congress and differences among key leaders. Therefore I was not willing to become the party nominee in 2014 bypoll."
"I had even asked state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel to give the chance to some other leader, but he ignored my advice," Pawar said at a press conference here.
Pawar, considered to be close to Jogi, withdrew from the fray a day before the last date for withdrawal and was expelled from Congress. He later joined BJP.
"Few days before the withdrawal of nomination, I had asked Baghel to unite all the party leaders for the election, but he asked me to keep Ajit Jogi, Charandas Mahant and supporters of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora away from campaign so that he could take credit if Congress won," Pawar said.
"Baghel also said that winning Antagarh would certainly boost his image in Delhi and help him become candidate for the chief minister's post in the next Assembly polls. He had also promised me a cabinet berth if Congress came to power. All this prompted me to withdraw from the fray," Pawar said.
Chhattisgarh: Told to go home naked, rape victim ends life
RAIPUR:MMNN:6 Jan. 2016
Chhattisgarh Congress on Wednesday expelled former chief minister Ajit Jogi's son Amit for six years for his alleged involvement in the fixing of a by-poll and facilitating the victory of the BJP. The state Congress committee also sent its recommendation to the Congress high command that Ajit Jogi too should also be expelled.
"I'm hurt, the decision to expel me without proving the allegations against me, is biased and unfair," Amit Jogi said.
The action against the father-son duo, which was expected ever since the surfacing of audio tapes indicating their involvement in stage-managing the last minute withdrawal of the party candidate from the by-poll, evoked a sharp reaction from Ajit's loyalists with over 100 of them quitting from the party.
The decision to expel Amit and the proposal to recommend his father's expulsion was taken at meeting of the state unit in Raipur this afternoon. Talking to media soon after the meeting, state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel said the action has been taken as the image of the party had been tarnished by the acts of Ajit Jogi and his son.
He said it was clear from the audio tapes that a deal had been brokered by the Jogis with Chief Minister Raman Singh and his family members in order to pressurize the party candidate, Manturam Pawar, to withdraw from the by-poll.
"We have taken action against those who were responsible for this fixing of the election. It's now time for BJP to initiate action against Ramam Singh," said Bhagel.
According to party sources, the action against the Jogis has been initiated after a nod from the high command and it's expected that the AICC (All India Congress Committee) will soon axe Ajit Jogi too.