Chhattisgarh, long known as the epicentre of Left-wing extremism, clocked the highest growth rate among all states in 2009-10. The emergence of the state as a ‘miracle economy’ is yet to loosen the grip of politics of misery-mongering. Chief minister Raman Singh discusses the state’s growth journey and its challenges with Bharti Jain.
Chhattisgarh is the latest growth story, having ranked first among states with 11.49% growth rate. What are the factors that enabled this growth?
We had been maintaining a healthy 10.4% growth rate over the past four years, notwithstanding the disadvantage of being a land-locked state afflicted with Left-wing extremism. Infrastructure sector, in particular, recorded good growth in 2009-10. Growth in agriculture and allied sectors was at 4.94%, which I think leaves scope for improvement.
You have a much talked-about food guarantee programme. Many say it should be replicated at the national level.
The food security model has been developed by Chhattisgarh government over the last six years and will be useful for the country. After all, wheat, rice or salt should reach the last man.
I have suggested to the Centre to replicate the food security system that we have developed, as it is, on the national level. It is a ready, successful model. How each state will implement it should be left to states. You have to trust self-help groups and the elected panchayat. Once Unique ID is given, one can aim for 90% coverage. Biometrics will rule out any duplication of beneficiaries, besides enabling online tracking of PDS consumption. At my meeting with the Planning Commission on Wednesday, the Centre agreed in principle to adopt the Chhattisgarh model for its food security scheme. That, in itself, is a big achievement for us.
How do you plan to sustain the high growth rate?
Our aim is to not only maintain 11.49% growth rate but also accelerate it. The growth rate in agriculture was 4.94% last year...our challenge is to increase it. That will be our focus in the coming years. In the next three years, with more power projects slated to come up, growth in core sector will also witness a jump.
What else will be your focus?
We are now focused on 70% of the population who need the government for access to schools, food, medical care, etc. The remaining 30% can look after themselves.
We will address agriculture and social sector concerns in the next two-three years. We have a lot of scope for improvement when we compare our agricultural production with Punjab and Haryana. We have 31% irrigated area, and new pump connections will add to this. We plan to increase production and also get into crop diversification.
Don’t you think grievances of tribals, about resources being exploited without any contingent benefit to their areas, are genuine?
It is correct that Chhattisgarh is divided between haves and have-nots. But the Naxals’ argument that the have-nots are created by the state government is a myth. In Bastar, only NMDC or SAIL have the rights to carry out mining. No MNC has mined iron-ore ever in Bastar in the last 60 years. Therefore, the charge that the state government is exploiting tribals in collusion with MNCs is baseless.
NMDC makes profit worth `10,000-15,000 crore from Bastar every year. According to a Supreme Court directive, any PSU or private player mining in a tribal area should spend 20% of the profit on social sector initiatives there. I have asked the prime minister, apart from chairmen of NMDC and SAIL and the concerned ministers, why this directive was never followed. After all, had NMDC even spent 10% of its profit on social sector in Bastar, the problem would have been solved. They are barely spending 2-3% of their profits.
There are reports about pilferage of coal worth `200 crore by a particular company in Chhattisgarh. And there could be many such firms...
One Prakash Industries was given a coal block by the government of India. It is active in steel and power. They were also given a linkage. GoI should have examined if the coal Prakash Industries was getting from the its mining lease was enough for its current capacities, and accordingly discontinued the linkage. Why should go by Prakash Industries’ claims that it needed both the lease and linkage to take care of its needs? But as per our own assessment, it is not easy for a mining company to mine coal and then sell it all to another company as all companies have linkages. But if GoI feels this has been done, the linkage can be easily cancelled right away.
What is your view on the declaration of Hansdeo Arand forests as a ‘no go’ area by the ministry of environment and forests?
We have clear-cut opinion. If you feel Hansdeo Arand is a ‘no go’ area due to its rich forests and wildlife, why have you notified it? First the Centre notifies an area, allots it to screening committee and spends nearly `100 crore on prospecting. And when finally a project ends up at MoEF’s desk — by which time, the mining company has acquired land and ordered plant machinery — the area is declared a “no go” area. This is wastage of national wealth. The government has set a target of 60,000 MW power generation...if most areas are classified as ‘no go’ areas, where are you going to meet this target from?
What do you have to say about reports on illegal mining in Chhattisgarh?
Mining in Chhattisgarh is essentially carried out by NMDC and SAIL. My officers and I know each and every inch of the mining area in Chhattisgarh. Illegal mining is not easy to miss...it takes nearly 10 years for a miner to set up a plant. There is no illegal mining going on in the state.
Naxalism is bleeding your state for the past several years. Your critics say that your government has no specific action plan. How do you plan to contain the problem?
It is not long before we can get a hold on the Naxalites, as has been done in Andhra Pradesh. The problem may be contained to a great extent in another two to two-and-a-half years. We are undertaking concerted police action while also strengthening police stations and posts in Naxal-infested areas. At the same time, we have started initiatives for tribal welfare. Our commitment towards tribals is established by the fact that 45% of the state’s social sector budget is earmarked for tribal welfare.