15 March, 2011 (English) - Bharatiya Janata Party

judiciary and I am sure they will do nothingbut justice and justice only.Your state is suffering from the Naxalite menace.What are you doing to tackle it?I am doing all I could and I should. But this problemis not confined to one State; it is a problem forthe whole nation. The Naxalite-Maoistchallenge should be faced by the whole nationcollectively and not single-handedly by a Statelike Chhattisgarh. It is good that the PrimeMinister too has recognised that it is a biggestthreat to the nation’s internal security.In the recent meeting of chief ministersconvened by the Centre to face the Naxalite-Maoist threat, I demanded that the Stateshould be reimbursed ` 700 crore it had tobear in providing security to the life andproperty of its citizens. The Border RoadsOrganisation is not performing the jobassigned to it for construction of roads inaffected areas.Your resolve?As long as my government is there, we arecommitted to usher in peace in the Naxalaffectedareas. I have decided that the Stateadministration will extend its authority inabout 5000 sq. Km Aboojhmaar dense forestarea during the next one year. At the sametime, the doors of my government are alwaysopen for a dialogue provided they shunviolence and stop killings of innocent. Mypriority is peace and prosperity.How do the people view the situation?People are fed up with everyday violence.Hundreds of innocent men, women andchildren have lost their life. Naxalites are theenemies of the innocent, peace-loving, lawabidingcitizens. They are standing in the wayof rapid development of the area because theydon’t allow government functionaries toperform their duty to help the needy people.The entrepreneurs also feel discouraged toinvest because of Naxalite threat. HadNaxalites helped create peaceful environmentconducive to industrial development, poverty,unemployment and illiteracy would havebeen a thing of the past.Yet, your government has been able to attractquite a number of industrial houses to yourState.That is true. Because of the rich tourist potentialMarch 1-15, 2011 17and mineral wealth, numerous entrepreneurshave ventured to put up their units in theState. Some industrial units have come uptoo. As a result, more and more employmentopportunities are being generated.To what extent are you getting financial or othersupport from the Congress-led UPAgovernment in the matter of development ofthe State?The fact is that Congress led UPA government isdiscriminating against non-UPA stategovernments in the country. Chhattisgarh isthe worst hit. We are not getting adequatesupplies of essential commodities to run thePDS system more smoothly and efficiently. Inspite of that we are implementing our policyof providing rations to poor sections atsubsidized rates Even in the matter ofallotment of funds under Indira Awas Yojna,MNREGA, PM’s Gram Sadak Yojna and thelike the State is being made to starve of funds.Your State is rich with vast mineral wealth. Yet,it has not helped usher in prosperity to themineral-rich areas.The mineral rich States, like Chhattisgarh, sufferfrom two handicaps. One, minerals are presentin forest areas which can have just scantyagriculture. The local population needs to becompensated for the fact of their suffering dueto existence of minerals. Two, under theConstitution, laws on minerals can be enactedonly by Parliament while their implementationis the responsibility of the States. In view ofour extant socio-economic conditions, thecountry needs a law that, apart from providingfor a transparent and domestic industryfriendlylicensing regime, is also peoplecentric.Its implementation should make thelocal inhabitants feel that presence of mineralsin their area is not a curse, but a boon bynature. The exploitation of minerals shouldusher in prosperity not only to those whoexploit the minerals but also to the peopleinhabiting the area and the State. The presentsituation is generating strife anddiscontentment among the inhabitants.Central government needs to devise a mineralpolicy in consultation with the concernedStates so that it fetches prosperity to the peopleof the area and revenue to the State for overalldevelopment.•