Chhattisgarh seeks Rs 942 mn for building schools

Chhattisgarh has sought an assistance of Rs 94.22 crore (Rs 942 million) from the central government to build educational infrastructure in the Maoist-hit areas, an official said on Wednesday.

Chhattisgarh has sought an assistance of Rs 94.22 crore (Rs 942 million) from the central government to build educational infrastructure in the Maoist-hit areas, an official said on Wednesday.

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"The demand for central assistance was put up by Chief Minister Raman Singh himself before Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kantilal Bhuria when the duo met here Tuesday at the state secretariat building," the official said.

The official said Singh also handed over a memorandum giving details of the assistance sought.

"Singh informed Bhuria that the state government needed the central assistance mainly for construction of some 218 ashram schools, providing employment-oriented training to the unemployed youth of poverty-hit tribal families, and constructing houses for the tribals," he said.

The tribal welfare department-run ashram schools are basically residential schools where government takes care of all the needs of the students.

But in recent years, Maoist rebels have demolished dozens of such school buildings in the interiors of their stronghold Bastar region, spread out over about 40,000 sq km. The guerrillas claim that they blow up the school complexes because they provided shelter to police personnel for anti-Maoist operations.