CM: MMSSY can become India’s model scheme

Says he is a doctor who knows what people want

Raipur, February 27, 2013

Chief minister Raman Singh feels that Mukhyamantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (MMSSY) has potential to become model scheme of the country. “Our scheme will benefit 56 lakh families of Chhattisgarh through smart cards. We have also made right use of budget by making provision for Food Security Act 2012 in it. We will urge the Centre to adopt our formula of food security to benefit the poor,” he said in his address on during debate over government’s income and expenditure for 2013-2014 in state assembly on Wednesday. 

He informed the House that state marked 56% growth in development-oriented works. “This shows that we are taking the state to right direction,” he said.

Indirectly hitting at prime minister Manmohan Singh he said - “I am not an economist, but a doctor who knows what people want. I also understand the mentality of impoverished class. As compared to those expert economists at Centre who failed to rescue country from inflation, I am better an illiterate who brought steady growth in state."

“My government has spent 41% in social sector. The farmers and labourers are satisfied. We endeavour to take light to last house of the state. This is basic mantra of our budget that will certainly change common man’s life,” he added.

He said his government succeeded in pegging economic growth rate of 8.5%, better than national average rate, despite rising inflation. “This is the achievement of 12-year-old Chhattisgarh. What else do you expect from us to do? All these are happening only due to our effective financial management,” he said.

He pointed that state’s agricultural growth rate was 5.27%, more than double of national average rate - 5.27%. “In the backdrop of recession and policy paralysis in the country, we also succeeded in obtaining 6.4% industrial growth rate as compared to national average rate 3.1%,” he said.

He informed the House that his government succeeded in increasing crop area and per acre production in agriculture sector. “We achieved this task through proper work-plan,” he said.

He told the House that the farmers of Chhattisgarh were getting electricity at most economical rates as compared to other states despite increase input cost. 

He said he had urged prime minister Manmohan Singh to provide untied funds to the state instead of tied finds. “The Centre cannot compare Chhattisgarh with Punjab and Haryana. Our state’s geographical conditions are totally different. Let the Centre provide us fund and allow us to make use of it on our discretion. This is how our developmental programmes will gain momentum,” he added.

He informed the House how effectively the government’s core public distribution system (PDS) was running. “Under this system, a cardholder can choose any fair price shop to purchase ration,” he said. 

On government’s decision to distribute laptops and tablets to graduates and post graduates, he said the aim was to make the new general fully equipped with hi-tech facilities for convenience of their studies. 

Terming government’s pension scheme for non-institutional labourers was unique he said while the Centre did not make much effort in implementing it the Chhattisgarh government did it.

He said considering scarcity of doctors in remote areas the government had launched mobile medical facility to provide quick medical service to the needy in distant locations. 

He was surprised that the opposition expressed its disappointment over the budget when the entire state was welcoming it. “This is a people-centric budget. The opposition should admire our efforts and hail it,” he said.