Raman makes tea sweeter, waives off sugar entry tax

During end of 1^st part of Jan-March VS session 

Raipur, January 15, 2010

Now adding extra sugar in tea would not affect your wallet as the state government has announced to waive off entry tax of sugar on Friday. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister Raman Singh during the end of first part of Vidhan Sabha’s (VS) January-March session while he was speaking on the debate of the Governor’s speech that was proposed on January 11 and answering to the allegations leveled by the Leader of the Opposition Ravindra Choubey that prices of daily use items had skyrocketed during BJP’s regime.

Singh was surprised by Choubey’s remark on price rise in the state and said, “How can my government be blamed for rising prices of daily use items when the actual decision is being taken by the Union government. The Congress in the state must understand that the prices of sugar or petrol, diesel and even the rate of interests in banks are not being increased by my government but it happens after the decision made by the Union cabinet ministers.”

Pointing out towards the statements of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Singh said, “Sometimes, Pawar says he is not an astrologer who can predict sugar prices and later he claims that the rising sugar prices would be checked in next ten days. However, sugar prices remained as usual.”

Lamenting Centre for framing weak policies that resulted in price rise in the country, Singh said, “The price of sugar was Rs 10 per kg some ten years back but ironically, now common man has to buy salt at this price.”

Answering to Choubey’s remark that BJP government’s claims of development in the state were empty boastings and the ruling party failed to get even fifty percent of people’s mandate in the recently held civic polls, Singh said, “We have performed well in the civic elections owing to which we succeeded in winning six out of nine municipal corporations. While the per capita income in the state has sustainably grown during BJP’s tenure was Rs 25,380 in the 2007-08 and has not shot to Rs 29,000. Similarly, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the state has achieved a milestone in the country as the figure has reached to 17.73% which places Chhattisgarh among top three states.”

While answering to allegations made by Choubey that BJP government had failed to create employment opportunity in the state, Singh said, “More job opportunities in the Chhattisgarh has been actually created after BJP came in power. After 2003-04, it was the initiative of the BJP government that inducted about 25,000 daily wagers working in different departments as permanent staff. Beside, the government has created about one lakh job vacancies in the past six years.”

Denying the charges of Choubey that the number of poor have increased in the state with swelling list of BPL (below poverty line) families year after year, Singh said, “Instead, apart from BPL cardholders, the government has included thousands of poor families to provide them rice at Rs 2 per kg. But, I am surprised that the Congress party had mentioned in its manifesto about providing rice at Rs 3 per kg to the people after coming in the Centre again but it has not yet fulfilled its promise.”