Sunita Dubey

Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan is brimming with the enthusiasm and willpower to see his state among the pioneer states of the country and not only removing the sufferings of people, especially destitutes, but also helping them join the mainstream. The same enthusiasm has given him a historic achievement beyond imagination; Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has become the first non-Congress Chief Minister to have completed five years in office. What is most significant is that the common man feels that the Chief Minister is one from among them.

The secret behind this historic achievement of Shri Shivraj Singh is amalgamation of two diverse qualities in his personality; while working as Chief Minister, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan heart and mind remains with the common man. The common man who is a farmer, who is worried about marrying off his daughters, who not only wants to brighten the future of people’s daughters but also wants to change the age old ill feelings about girls. The welfare schemes introduced by Shri Chouhan like providing wheat and rice to the poor at the rate of Rs 3 and 4 per kg respectively, Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana, spreading the network of roads to every village, unprecedented expansion of education and health facilities for the poor and other welfare schemes endeared Shri Chouhan to people so much that they started to call him chacha (paternal uncle) and mama (maternal uncle).

The concept of ‘son of the soil’ is first and foremost in the thinking of Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He sets about to make a Golden Madhya Pradesh by rising above the feelings of party, class, caste, religion etc. and ‘sons of soil’ like him give him company during his “Aao Banayen Apna Madhya Pradesh” – a campaign that aims to see Madhya Pradesh on top of the pinnacle of development by forgetting all the differences. The thinking of taking one and all together for the development of the state and making its future golden is laying the foundation stone of a fort on whose highest post will fly the flag of pioneer Madhya Pradesh.

The residents of the second largest state in India – Madhya Pradesh – has reposed great faith and trust in Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan by electing him Chief Minister for the second time. During these years, Madhya Pradesh, which was considered as a sick state has now left even such developed states such as Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal behind in growth rate. Madhya Pradesh registered Gross Domestic Product rate of 8.60 per cent during the last financial year, which is less than only Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. At the static rate of the year 2003-04, the per capita income of the state’s residents was Rs 11 thousand 870, which has now risen to Rs 15 thousand 929. On the prevalent rates, this per capita income amounts to about
Rs 25 thousand. During the last 5 years, Madhya Pradesh has increased its revenue thrice and raised its budget to two-and-a-half fold. During the period, the revenue of the state has risen from Rs 6 thousand crore to Rs 18000 crore.

Industry is an important medium for the economic uplift of the common man and the state. Changed conducive atmosphere, strengthened infrastructure and Global Investors’ Meets have attracted investors’ attention towards Madhya Pradesh. As a result, MoUs worth Rs two lakh 35 thousand have been singed for establishing industries in the state.

Power generation capacity was 2 thousand 935 megawatt in the year 2001-02 which has now risen to 6 thousand 81 megawatt. Efforts are on to make the state power hub by increasing the power generation capacity by 5 thousand megawatts by the year 2013. The most powerful aspect of Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is engaged vehemently in giving a concrete shape to the concept of Golden Madhya Pradesh, is that he becomes a common man when among the common people.

Despite commanding reins of the state for the last five years, he is still simple, easygoing, humanistic and cordial. Rather, these qualities of the Chief Minister have increased further. He has used his good offices for public service in true sense. In the regime of earlier chief ministers, it was next to impossible for labourers, farmers and people of weaker sections to meet the chief minister but Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself goes among them frequently and suddenly. Such people are pleasantly surprised when the chief minister appears suddenly among them and become virtually speechless but Shri Chouhan’s simplicity and easygoingness soon removes their awe. And, the process of conveying benefits to the last man in the last row gets started. The scenes of the Chief Minister’s interaction with common man have become frequent now. Such a scene was witnessed in Burhanpur recently when the Chief Minister reached a tea stall at the crossing at 12 midnight after participating in a programme. Initially, people were overly surprised but later shared their feelings freely with the Chief Minister. His interaction with the common man is so intense that when while going somewhere he sees labourers sitting anywhere, he alights from his car, hears their woes, gives instructions to remove them and then moves towards his destination. His close and unprecedented interaction with tribals and forest dwellers during Vanvasi Samman Yatra touched people’s hearts.

The first order passed by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan after becoming the chief minister was instruction to release funds for the treatment of poor persons. In his first order, he had sanctioned financial assistance for the treatment of ten patients of kidney, cancer and heart diseases. Rhetoric about all round development of farmers, women and the poor is nothing new. But Chief Minister Shri Chouhan has gone beyond the rhetoric and proved true to his words about these welfare steps by introducing Kanyandan Yojana for the marriage of poor girls and Ladli Laxmi Yojana to curb female foeticide. Now, both these schemes are being followed by other states as well. So far, 5.50 lakh girls have received the benefits under Ladli Laxmi Yojana and the benefit of Kanyadan Yojana has been extended to over 1.50 lakh girls.

The birth of girl is no longer a bane for family and in fact has become a boon due to Ladli Laxmi Yojana. Now the birth of a girl child fills a family with umpteen happiness and joy since the state government has undertaken the responsibilities of her education, health, marriage etc. Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country where 50 per cent reservation has been given to women in panchayats and local bodies. Women have also been given 50 per cent quota in teaching posts, 10 per cent reservation in police and 30 per cent quota in other government services. Over 11 lakh girls studying in villages have been provided free cycles. The percentage of institutional delivery in the state has risen to 81 per cent from a mere 26 per cent due to the state government’s intensive efforts. This has reduced the mother and infant mortality rate also.

Through Samadhan Online, the Chief Minister also comes face to face with people’s problems. Erring officials, be they junior or senior, are being punished. For facilitating people in general, MP Lok Sewa Pradan Guarantee Adhiniyam has been introduced. The Chief Minister is reaching even remotest parts of the state under the campaigns “Aao Banayen Apna Madhya Pradesh” and “Vanvasi Samman Yatra”. He is overly sensitive towards the poor and helps one out as soon as he sees a person in distress. It has become a general practice for the Chief Minister to celebrate his birthday in old age homes and orphanages among the destitutes and making night halt in any village, interact with villagers till late night, hear their problems and remove them. When Shri Chouhan felt that poor patients are not getting adequate assistance from Rajya Beemari Sahayata Nidhi for chronic diseases, he did not hesitate to sanction more funds from his discretionary funds.

He turns a child among children. Recently, he reached his old school – Model School, Bhopal – along with his wife and interacted with students freely. He not only gave replies to the questions posed by the students unhesitatingly, but also profusely enjoyed their company so far as when power was shut suddenly and children started hooting, the chief minister also chorused with them.

This farmer’s son, who has raised the slogan of making agriculture profitable, has done something, which was never done in the country earlier. First he reduced the interest on farm loans from 7 to 5 per cent and then further curtailed it to 3 per cent. This interest rate was 16 per cent in the year 2002-03. Not only this, but also the farmers were given subsidy on electricity bills. Madhya Pradesh is also the first state where bonus is being given on the procurement of wheat and paddy at the rates of Rs 100 and Rs 50 per quintal respectively. The state government has added irrigation potential of 26 lakh 82 thousand hectare by completing 11 mega, 134 medium and 5 thousand 546 minor irrigation projects fully or partially. A feeder separation scheme has been started with a view to ending power problem in the rural areas. A separate department has been formed for unconventional power. Due to construction of 35 thousand kilometer roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, rural economy, education system, health conditions and social status have seen great rise. The Union government has lauded the efforts of Madhay Pradesh government for best implementation of rural health schemes.

The Chief Minister has also brought about a new strategy for increasing employment opportunity through technical education and training as well as skill development. The Chief Minister has made it mandatory for new industries to provide 50 per cent jobs to the local people. This term was made binding for the investors who signed MoUs recently at Khajuraho Investors Summit. Special provisions have been made for the companies that will provide 90 per cent employment to the local people. For the benefit of various sections of society, the Chief Minister has convened their panchayats at his residence, made direct interaction with them and solved their problems on the spot. These sections include women, farmers, porters and tulawatis, domestic working women, kotwars, handcart and rickshaw pullers, artisans and handicapped persons. These panchayats are proving a boon for the uplift of all the sections of society.

The efforts of Chief Minister Shri Chouhan for the development and progress of the poor and bring them to the mainstream are now in full swing and the day is not far when efforts will materialize the cherished dream of “Golden Madhya Pradesh”.