Episode-25 of Lokvaani (Apki Baat- Mukhyamantri Bhupesh Baghel Ke Sath) aired today
Chief Minister addressed people of the state on topic ‘Yuva Sapne Aur Chhattisgarh’ (Young Dreams and Chhattisgarh)
Consistent Efforts are being made in Chhattisgarh to polish the talents of youngsters and to provide them better opportunities to grow and shine
’Rajiv Yuwa Mitan Club’ to be constituted in 13 thousand 269 urban bodies and gram panchayats of the state
Nine Sports Academies opened in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh Sports Development Authority to be constituted soon
Lands allotted for Food Parks in more than 200 development blocks
Chief Minister appealed people to adopt COVID-appropriate behavior
Raipur, 09 January 2022/ Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel today addressed people of the state on the topic ‘Young Dreams and Chhattisgarh’, in the 25th episode of Lokvaani, the monthly radio programme aired from AIR today. Chief Minister started his talk by congratulating people of the state for their active participation in the development of Chhattisgarh. He said that this year would be all about success, achievements and public empowerment. Chhattisgarh has turned 21 now, we are a young state. 12th January is the birth anniversary of youth icon and inspiration Swami Vivekananda, and we celebrate this day as ‘Youth Day’.
Mr. Baghel said that New Year, Young Dreams, Youth Day and Nava Chhattisgarh are all interconnected. To cherish the strong connection of Swami Vivekananda with Raipur, we started celebrating his birthday i.e. 12th January as ‘Yuva Mahotsav’ from year 2020. Swami Ji had said that had there been no violence in the name of religion, caste and community, human society would have been far more advanced today. On various platforms across the world, Swami ji had affirmed that he is not there to promote one religion rather he is there to promote a vision which is in the essence of every religion across the world. He had said that he is not against any religion; he aimed to create spiritual awareness among people of every religion. Mr. Baghel said- “Today I want to tell those who want to minimize Swami Ji’s contribution by calling him a religious saint, that Swamiji never spoke of discrimination, he advocated revolution. He used to talk about fighting social evils and solving them.
Chief Minister Mr. Baghel said that youth of Chhattisgarh had recently presented their multifaceted talents. Various effective steps have been taken in Chhattisgarh towards enhancing the young talents, providing them better opportunities, and to give them a better future. “I believe that youth of this generation do not have to depend on government job to build their career. Today, our talented youngsters have unlocked a whole new dimension of opportunities with their interest and talent. And we are making continuous efforts to make all the dreams of youngsters come true”, said Chief Minister.
Other than creating ample opportunities for education and employment for youngsters in the state, we have taken the initiative to inculcate moral values and deep respect for culture among them. It is important for our youth to have the spirit of taking voluntary steps towards learning and understanding the people around them as well as their native culture. Besides achieving the goals of building name, fame and career, youngsters should have empathy for those around, respect for their culture and the dedication towards social welfare. We aim to build such a cultured generation of youth in Chhattisgarh, said Chief Minister in his address to Lokvaani.
We had made an announcement regarding formation of ‘Rajiv Yuva Mitaan Club’ to unite the youngsters of Chhattisgarh and to provide them a platform for creative activities and endeavours. In the same sequence, we have finalized the action plan for constituting Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club has been constituted in 13 thousand 269 urban bodies and gram panchayats of the state. Each club will consist of 20-40 youngsters of age between 15-40 years. Nearly Rs 132 crore 69 lakh would be provided to these clubs as grant in a year. Rs 19 crore 43 lakh has already been released to these clubs as the first installment of this grant.
In past three years, there has significant increase in employment opportunities in Chhattisgarh and certainly youth of the state are getting benefitted. I am glad that in last three years, we have employed a large number of people in government and semi-government offices through direct recruitment and other methods. More than 4 lakh 65 thousand people have got the opportunity to work in government and semi government offices, besides 30 thousand jobs have been created in new industries. Employment has been created on a large scale in private sector as well. We had conducted e-registration of youngsters in rural areas to associate them with construction works. Under this, work of road, building and other construction works has been allotted to a nearly one thousand registered youths.
In Chhattisgarh, we believe in all-round development of youth. A major part of the population in the state depends on agriculture. For a long time, youngsters used to hesitate in taking agriculture as profession, but in last three years this trend has changed. Certainly we have created maximum number of government jobs after state formation. Traditionally, agriculture is the biggest source of employment in Chhattisgarh. We have started undoing the damage caused by the wrong policies of previous government in Chhattisgarh in one and a half decade. We have provided better income-oriented opportunities and encouraged innovation in the sector of agriculture. On one sidek, we have created better arrangements for procuring crops at support price and also for animal husbandry in Chhattisgarh. On the other side we have encouraged cultivation of new crops, and made institutionalized arrangements for processing, packaging and marketing of these crops. We have made a large-scale arrangements for research, study and innovation in scientific education of agriculture.
Chief Minister Mr. Baghel said that we have worked on the two most important of education facility, first- easy access for all i.e.right to education for everyone and second- quality of the education. For the first time in the country, we have provisioned free education up to class 12th for the children from poor families, under Right to Education. Arrangements have been made to provide free education to the girls till post graduation. Swami Atmanand English Medium School Scheme is being implemented to enhance the quality of education. This facility has been started for Hindi medium schools as well.
I am happy to share that we have also increased the number and quality of Prayas residential schools in the state to provide better education to the talented children from Naxal affected districts and scheduled areas, who aim to pursue higher education in reputed institutions of the country. Due to these efforts, 22 children of Chhattisgarh have successfully cracked the National Talent Search Examination for the first time. In the year 2021, 27 students had successfully got admission in IITs, 35 in NITs and equivalent educational institutions, 5 in CS Foundation, two in CLAT, 61 in engineering colleges. The number of Prayas institutions has now increased to 9 and the number of seats in this has been increased to 4 thousand 500. This educational institute has given 100% results, and all the students of this institution have passed with more than 80% marks. For the first time in the history of Chhattisgarh, the overall infrastructure of sports training has been created. As many as 9 academies have been established. Nine such academies have been started for girls in football and for both boys and girls in Kabaddi, Archery, Athletics and Hockey. Funds have been approved for the construction of tennis stadium and academy building. As far as ‘Mukhyamantri Khiladi Protsahan Yojana’ is concerned, I would like to state that due to lack of necessary facilities for the young players of our state, they play for other institutions of the country. Now Chhattisgarh Government is making arrangements for training, equipment and other expenses of our players, so that they can participate in national and international competitions from their state in future.
Regarding the question about Think B, Chief Minister Mr. Baghel said that Think B is an initiative for the youth of Bastar. The full form of ‘Think B’ is ‘Technology Hub and Innovation for Knowledge Bastar’. Under this project, we will encourage the youth of Bastar to practice innovation, self-employment and entrepreneurship. Badal’s full form is ‘Bastar Academy of Dance, Art, Literature and Language’. Through this institution, various tribal arts, folk songs, choreography, craftsmanship, culture, language, literature, food, costumes will be preserved and developed. Chief Minister said that with the dedication and enthusiasm in the youth of Bastar, we have successfully established Denex readymade garment factory, cashew processing unit, and started production of coffee and papaya on barren land. The youth of Bastar have proved that with a little help, a little facilities and a little guidance, they can change the face of Bastar. Naxalism can be removed by writing a new story of self-dependence.
Efforts like Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, Godhan Nyay Yojana, Chief Minister’s Plantation Promotion Scheme, procurement of forest produce on support price, processing of forest produce, establishment of food park have convinced the youth that there is a lot of potential in agricultural sector. In last three years, we have opened half a dozen agriculture and horticulture colleges in Bemetara, Jashpur, Dhamtari, Arjunda, Lormi. Horticulture and Forestry University was established in the name of Mahatma Gandhi in village Sankara of Patan block of Durg district. Processing units are being set up in Kanker district for crops like Kodo, Kutki, Ragi and in Durg district for processing various agricultural products. Land has been allotted for the establishment of food parks in more than 200 development blocks. Financial aid is being provided from DMF and other items to make barren land useful for agriculture. In this way, the perception of youth towards agriculture has now changed, as now farming has become a profitable business in Chhattisgarh.
Relaxing the rule for educated youth of special backward tribes, we have provided them jobs as teachers in the same settlements. To further encourage education in tribal areas, recruitment of local youth has been ensured by constituting Junior Services Selection Board at division-level. News of achievements and records of our youth strengthens my belief that there is no dearth of talent among the youth of Chhattisgarh. Only with trust and facilities can we make a real youth revolution, said Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Mr. Baghel said that at present the new variant of COVID-19 has been identified as Omicron. But its initial symptoms like cold, fever, sore throat are the same as before. We all have learnt from the experience that we should not panic in such situations. First of all, we should take every possible measure to prevent spread of COVID-19 as much as possible. Government has made all kinds of preparations, but it is necessary for every person to be careful and take personal precautions. Keep your nose and mouth covered. Apply face mask correctly. Keep washing your hands with soap and water. Avoid crowded place. Maintain physical distancing. We have directed the district administration to take public preventive measures as per the local circumstances. Follow COVID Protocol. It is necessary to get both doses of the vaccine to avoid corona. Vaccination has started for adolescents in the age group of 15 to 18 years and I am happy that our youngsters are getting vaccinated in large numbers. I want this adolescent vaccination campaign to be 100% successful.
