A vision for his State

Interview with Chief Minister Ajit Jogi.

Ajit Jogi took charge as the first Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on November 1, 2000, when the State was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. Jogi had left the Indian Administrative Service in 1986 to become a Congress(I) Member of the Rajya Sabha.

Jogi, who hails from a tribal family, is aware of the tough task ahead of him in the State. Under his leadership the state, endowed with abundant natural resources but inhabited by some of the poorest people of the country, hopes to go forward on the path of development and progress. The Chief Minister spoke to Kalyan Chaudhuri in Raipur about his government's development policies. Excerpts:

What are the prospects and potential of Chhattisgarh as a new state?

Chhattisgarh has immense potential. It is a paradox that this is one of the richest States as far as mineral resources are concerned,but its people remain among the poorest in the country. In terms of resources we have no equals. We have deposits of various kinds of valuable minerals such as coal, iron ore, bauxite, dolomite, limestone, gold and diamond. We have the richest forests in mainland India. Our human resource is plentiful. We are power-surplus. Geographically we are centrally located. These are all advantages that Nature has given us, and now our government has to utlilise them for the benefit of the state and its people.

What is your thrust area for development?

Agriculture. Chhattisgarh is a rice-producing land, and that is why it is called the 'rice bowl'. Farmers here are not inclined to cultivate crops other than paddy. We are completely dependent on the rains, as there is no proper irrigation system in the region. We are self-sufficient in rice, but at the same time we have to explore the possibility of cultivating other crops so that farmers are not badly affected, should there be a crop failure at some point of time. Efforts are on to change the existing mono-crop pattern and introduce a multi-crop system. We wish to increase the irrigated land area to at least 70 per cent from the present 17 per cent. For that purpose, a comprehensive irrigation policy was framed the day Chhattisgarh came into existence. The main source of irrigation is canals. We plan to widen the scope of electrically operated pumps even in the remotest rural areas. At the same time we have laid emphasis on the quick completion of irrigation projects that had been taken up by the Madhya Pradesh government earlier.

Compared to many other States, Chhattisgarh is industrially developed. What are your plans in this sector?

We have several industrial towns such as Bhilai, Bilaspur and Durg and public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as the Bhilai Steel Plant. We have also power projects under the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). Now we are more interested in getting private investment, and for that proper infrastructure is needed. No private investor will come forward unless there are proper roads, electricity, communication infrastructure and peaceful working conditions. We are determined to develop high-quality infrastructure to promote trade and industry in Chhattisgarh and we want to commit all facilities to entrepreneurs and investors from outside the State. We expect that they will give preference to our youth in employment opportunities. The industrial policy of Chhattisgarh is based on an in-depth study of the industrial policies of the developed States of India. Provision has been made for special capital subsidy for small- and medium-scale industries.

What are your government's achievements so far?

We have signed three major memorandums of understanding (MoUs) - with the Jindal group, the Monnet group, and Bhushan Ltd - which are collectively worth about Rs.5,500 crore. Besides, the National Mineral Development Corporation has proposed to set up a steel plant in Bastar district.

Our achievement in the field of higher education has been substantial. We set up four medical colleges in one year; earlier there was only one. Similarly, to develop agriculture through modern methods, we have established three new agriculture colleges. Earlier there was only one such college. We have opened 28,000 primary schools in rural areas, particularly in the underdeveloped tribal belts.

Are you satisfied with the kind of help and cooperation that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre has extended to Chhattisgarh?

I am aware that a State should not be fully dependent on the Centre to stand up on its own feet. But Chhattisgarh, being a fledgeling State, is not getting the desired help from the Central government. Whenever a new capital is formed, as was the case with Chandigarh, the Centre has always extended financial assistance for its development. But despite our repeated requests, we have not received any such assistance for the rebuilding of our capital city of Raipur. Raipur does not have the infrastructure for a capital. It looks more like a historical site. For that reason alone, we are looking for an alternative site for a capital, not far away from Raipur. That will require a lot of money.

The Centre has not revised the rate of royalty for coal for the past several years, which it used to do every three years in the natural course. The Government of India did not revise it for two consecutive terms - in 1997 and 2000. As a result the State government, which gets 80 per cent of the royalty from this sector alone, incurs heavy losses.

Your government is concerned with the uplift of the backward and poor people living in the tribal belt of the State. What measures are you taking in this regard?

From the outset my government has been trying to serve the poor with dedication. We are committed to the uplift of the economically backward people of Chhattisgarh. Fifty per cent of our total population of two crore belongs to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. We have initiated four special schemes for the rural people, particularly for village women. These are the Indira Gaon Ganga Yojana, the Indira Sahara Yojana, the Indira Soochna Shakti Yojana, and the Rajiv Gyanodaya Yojana. These schemes are aimed at, among other things, the creation of at least one sustainable water source in every village, freedom from destitution by providing social security pension to all destitute women from 18 to 50 years of age, free information technology (IT) education for girl students from poor families, and the setting up of libraries in every village.

There is a controversy over your tribal identity, which is being used by the Opposition and also some members of your own party to demand your resignation.

This is an absolutely false campaign. I very much come from a tribal family. Jogi is not my surname, it is a title relating to Jogisar, the place from which my ancestors hail. My great-grandfather fled the village after he had eloped with a Rajput girl of the same village. My ancestors later settled in another village called Gorella and converted to Christianity. But the conversion does not alter my tribal identity. It is obvious that the controversy has been generated with political motives. I cannot be bothered with such pettiness.