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Chhattisgarh CM Sai chairs 1st cabinet meeting; promises 18L houses, paddy bonuses
At a press conference held after the cabinet meeting in Nava Raipur, CM Sai also said that the pending bonus of 2017-2018 on paddy procurement will also be given to the farmers on December 25
Newly-inducted Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday chaired his first cabinet meeting of the newly-formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in which he said that the first task will be to provide 1.8 million houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
At a press conference held after the cabinet meeting in Nava Raipur, CM Sai also said that the pending bonus of 2017-2018 on paddy procurement will also be given to the farmers on December 25.
“As mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even myself during the election campaigning, the first task of our government will be to provide 18 lakh houses to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” Sai said.
Deputy chief ministers – Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma – were also present at the press conference.
Sai said that the bonus of paddy procurement, which was pending in the last two years of the BJP government, will also be given to the farmers.
“On the birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as we have promised, we will give the pending bonus money of paddy procurement during BJP rule,” Sai said.
Notably, in the last two years of the then chief minister Raman Singh-led government (2017-2018), it did not give the paddy bonuses, which were Rs.300 per quintal then.
Answering a question about the promises of paddy procurement and other promises made in the BJP manifesto, Sai said, “It is ‘Modi ji ki guarantee’ and all promises mentioned in the manifesto will be fulfilled.”
Sai took the oath of office and secrecy as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
As per constitutional norms, Chhattisgarh, which has a 90-member assembly, can have a maximum of 13 ministers, including the chief minister hence, the BJP is yet to announce 10 cabinet ministers.
In the recently concluded state assembly elections, while the BJP won 54 of the 90 seats, the Congress, which had won 68 seats in 2018, was reduced to 35 seats. The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) managed to win one seat.
