Govt claims of development mere hype: Singhdeo

Raipur, January 10, 2012

Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister Ramchandra Singhdeo has said that government claims of development in state were mere hype and it was rather deceiving people by publicising Chhattisgarh as highest GDP rate achiever in the country by  producing fake figures. “Ironically, according to CAG reports, the GDP of the state has halved in past five fiscals and so has the development” said Singhdeo while addressing the media at Congress Bhawan on Tueaday.

“The CAG reports say that state’s GDP rate was 26.88% in 2006-07, 22.74% in 2007-08, 19.88% in 2008-09 and 13.28% in 2009-10. The report of 2010-11 is yet to come but the government claims that its GDP reached to 11.6% in that fiscal. But with reducing GDP rates, the radical facilities in sectors like agriculture, forest, health, etc too have shrunken then how come the government claims to have progressed in past couple of years,” Singhdeo asks.

“The contribution of agriculture to state GDP in 2006-07 was 35% but it drastically dipped to 27% in 2009-10. Since agriculture comes under primary sector, the figures of mining too are attached to it. The abject condition of the farmers could easily be comprehended by separating figures of mining,” he elaborated.

On establishment cost, he said the government was hiding the actual fact. “There are 1.82 lakh Shikshakarmis in the state. The government does give them direct payment. Instead, it gives grants to the Panchayat department which in turn disburses payment to the Shikshakarmis. This is how the payment of Shikshakarmis is not included in establishment cost,” he said.

When asked whether he had given any suggestion to the government to improve conditions of the farmers in the state, Singhdeo said, “I have recently advised the Chief Minister to provide free hybrid seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to cultivate crop in at least one acre of land. These farmers should not have more than five acres of total agricultural land. This initiative will help these poor farmers to get high crop production and gradually their financial condition would also improve.”