Ministers to focus on districts for LS polls

Raipur, December 30

Considering ensuing general elections, CM Raman Singh will soon assign additional task to his ministers – the charge of districts so that BJP may not lose grip and perform better than recently concluded assembly polls.

The ministers becoming district incharges is not a new trend in Chhattisgarh. This has been in practice since inception of the State. Interestingly, no minister gets charge of his/her home-district.

The objective of assigning districts to the ministers is to ensure that local administrations function properly and maintain pace of development works. The ministers looking after the districts also deal public grievances. The reports of these district incharge ministers are being discussed during cabinet meetings and necessary measures are taken accordingly.

There are 27 districts in the State. Presently, CM Raman Singh’s cabinet comprises of nine ministers and three more are likely to be inducted after Lok Sabha polls. Hence, the districts would be allotted within ten ministers including CM himself. In previous term, CM had kept three districts with him while allotted remaining 24 in equal parts to his 12 ministers.

According to information, CM is likely to keep Bastar, Kondagaon and Sukma districts with him. The BJP insiders say that considering significance of Bastar and Kanker LS seats, the CM wants to concentrate in these tribal areas.

The party’s vote share declined sharply in 12 assembly seats of the two LS constituencies in recent polls. Presently, both Bastar and Kanker LS seats are held by BJP.

Home minister Ramsewak Paikra, who hails from Sarguja district, may get charge of Bilaspur, Mungeli and Korba, while WRD minister Brijmohan Agrawal is said to be getting the charge of Sarguja, Surajpur and Balrampur-Ramanujganj.

Health minister Amar Agrawal and food and civil supplies minister Punnulal Mohle may be allotted the same districts which they were handling in the past. In previous term, while Agrawal was incharge of Koria, Jashpur and Raigarh, Mohle was looking after Raipur, Balodabazar and Mahasamund.

Similarly, PWD minister Rajesh Munat too will be incharge of Rajnandgaon, Kawardha and Balod and school education minister Kedar Kashyap will be allotted Bhanupratappur, Bijapur and Dantewada.

Among the new ministers, higher education minister Premprakash Pandey may be asked to oversee Kanker and Bemetara districts, panchayat and rural development minister Ajay Chandrakar may get charge of Dhamtari and Gariyaband and women and child development department minister Ramsheela Sahu may get Janjgir-Champa.