Raipur, August 7, 2025/ In the meeting of the Scheduled Castes Development Authority held today in the District Panchayat Hall of Janjgir-Champa district under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai, approval was given to increase the budget of the authority from Rs 50 crore to Rs 75 crore. Chief Minister Shri Sai directed that all collectors should take the approved works from the authority fund seriously and ensure that they are completed with high quality within the stipulated time frame. He said that now the meetings of the authority will be held every year on time and a thorough review of the works will be done.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that the government is fully committed to the social, cultural and economic upliftment of the Scheduled Castes community in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution. He said that while protecting the constitutional rights conferred by Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, we are internalizing the message of Baba Guru Ghasidas ji’s ‘Manakhe-Manakhe Ek Saman’ and strengthening the feeling of respect and equality in the society. He said that it is the top priority of the government that the benefits of the schemes reach the person standing in the last row of the society.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that Janjgir-Champa district was specially chosen for this meeting because it is a Scheduled Caste dominated area. He said that the state of Chhattisgarh has entered its 25th year of establishment, and now the time has come for us to establish new records in the direction of development.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that development works have been done in the state in accordance with the vision of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The authority is a strong medium for the overall development of the Scheduled Castes community, through which the government is making concrete efforts.
Chief Minister Shri Sai announced the approval of Rs 2 crore for the development of Girodhpuri Dham, Rs 50 lakh for coaching arrangements for students of Aja वर्ग, assistance for pilot training to 5 youths of Scheduled Caste वर्ग every year, and for the use of wood along with cement in the construction of Joda Jaitkhambh. Along with this, he gave information about increasing the number of seats to 200 in the Tribal Youth Hostel operating in Delhi and encouraged the students to take advantage of it for the preparation of competitive examinations. He also mentioned the construction of ‘Nalanda Complex’ in all district headquarters in the coming time.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Shri Sai expressed deep displeasure over the years of pending works approved from the authority fund and said that even if the amount of the authority’s works is less, their social importance is very high. The non-completion of these works on time is a matter of concern.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Arun Saw said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai, continuous work is being done for the upliftment of the Scheduled Caste community. The Chief Minister’s thinking is clear in the direction of connecting the deprived sections of the society with the mainstream. He directed to complete all the pending works expeditiously and reiterated the resolve for the overall development of Chhattisgarh by taking all sections of the society together.
Guru Khushwant Saheb, Vice President of Scheduled Castes Development Authority, expressed gratitude for the work being done for the development of the society under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Sai. He put forward demands in the meeting like construction of ropeway in Girodhpuri Dham, expansion of basic facilities during the fair, necessary arrangements for bathing near Jok river, accommodation facility, use of wood in Joda Jaitkhambh, conservation and beautification of the historical pond in Baradera Dham, and the arrangement of smart classes for the students. He also expressed gratitude for the increase in the budget and the approval of the demands.
In the meeting, in-depth discussions were held on topics like the structure of the authority, the area of work, review of the approved works, information on budget provisions, and the progress of the works approved from the financial year 2020 to 2025, including civic amenities, socio-cultural activities, and expansion of educational facilities. Based on the proposals of regional public representatives and authority members, development and beneficiary oriented works worth more than Rs 49 crore were approved.
On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Arun Saw, Vice President Guru Khushwant Saheb, Minister Shri Dayal Das Baghel, Shri Lakhan Lal Dewangan, Smt. Laxmi Rajwade, Shri Tankram Verma, MP Smt. Kamlesh Jangde, MLA Shri Punnulal Mohle, Shri Domanlal Korsewada, Shri Dilip Laharia, Smt. Sheshraj Harwansh, Smt. Utari Ganpat Jangde, Smt. Kavita Pran Lahre, Smt. Harshita Swami Baghel, along with Commissioners, IG, and Collectors of 17 districts of Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg divisions were present.
It is noteworthy that the area of work of the Scheduled Castes Authority is the entire state, which includes 17 Scheduled Caste dominated districts of the state – Janjgir-Champa, Sakti, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Raipur, Balodabazar-Bhatapara, Gariaband, Raigarh, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Durg, Bemetara, Balod, Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon, Khairagarh and other districts, in which the Scheduled Caste population is more than 25 percent.
In the meeting, Janjgir-Champa District Panchayat President Smt. Satyata Anand Miri, Shri Rajesh Suryavanshi from Bilaspur, Shri Gaurishankar Kashyap from Gariaband, Additional Chief Secretary Smt. Richa Sharma, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Subodh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary Shri Sonmani Bora, Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri P. Dayanand and Shri Basav Raju, Director General of Police Shri Arundev Gautam, Departmental Secretary Smt. Shehla Nigar, Shri Rohit Yadav, Shri Kamalpreet Singh, Smt. Reena Baba Saheb Kangale, Shri R. Prasanna, Smt. Shammi Abidi and many senior officers were present.