Raman Singh Completes 13 yrs as CM in Naxal-Hit Chhattisgarh  

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has completed an uninterrupted 13-year rule in the Naxal-hit state riding on welfare schemes and infrastructural development amid challenges like civil supply scam, botched sterilisation surgery and alleged fake Maoist encounters.

Having an image of a “gentleman politician”, Singh earned nationwide popularity for his several schemes, particularly public distribution system (PDS), but at the same time faced allegations by opposition Congress of becoming “puppet” in the hands of bureaucrats.

The opposition has also questioned the ruling BJP, quoting some official figures, that if around 40 per cent of people in the state are still below poverty line, which is the highest in the county, then for whom the development has been done in the over-decade-long BJP government.

The 64-year-old Ayurvedic doctor-turned politician assumed office of chief minister on December 7, 2003. In the earlier Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at Centre, he was Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry from 1999 to 2003 and named as president of BJP in the new state of Chhattisgarh ahead of Assembly polls in 2003.

He led the party to victory, defeating then Congress government of Chief Minister Ajit Jogi.

On many occasions, even some senior leaders of his own party expressed their displeasure over his working style.But, despite all the challenges, he emerged as a silent performer and has become the longest serving BJP chief minister of a state in the country.

His schemes like Mukhyamantri Khadyann Sahayta Yojana scheme, under which rice, salt and gram are given at cheaper rates to 58,80,000 families, interest free agriculture loans, promotion of digital technology and online services, have made him popular among the masses.

Singh is also credited with introducing a transparent and efficient PDS system which is being followed by other states. Besides, he succeeded in enacting Chhattisgarh Food Security Act, much before the National Food Security Act.

Along with appreciation, his government also faced allegations of corruption. When the alleged multi-crore scam in the state's civil supply corporation was unearthed last year, over a dozen officials and employees were booked in this connection.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is likely to submit a charge sheet against two IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officers in connection with the scam. Even the opposition tried to embroil the Chief Minister and his family in the scam.

The state government also faced criticism over death of women after sterilisation surgery at government-held camps in Bilaspur in 2014, the incident of unnecessary hysterectomies by doctors to allegedly make insurance claims, botched cataract surgeries, and alleged killing innocent tribals in the name of Naxal encounters.

Left Wing Extremism has been another major issue with which the state has been struggling since past several years. The chief minister says that the way Maoist problem has been eliminated from Sarguja (north Chhattisgarh bordering Jharkhand and Odisha), Bastar will also soon get out of the clutches of Naxalism.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress has put forth 13 questions on different issues, including promises made to farmers by BJP ahead of the last Assembly polls, alleged increasing graph of crime against women and scams...

Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress has put forth 13 questions on different issues, including promises made to farmers by BJP ahead of the last Assembly polls, alleged increasing graph of crime against women and scams, before Chief Minister Raman Singh on completion of 13 years of his government, challenging him to come up for a debate over it.

PTI