Grant Demands Exceeding ₹15,386 Crore Passed for Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao’s Departments
Raipur:The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly has approved grant demands totaling ₹15,386 crore 42 lakh 47 thousand for the financial year 2025-26, covering various departments under Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao. The allocations include:
- ₹2,793 crore 60 lakh 73 thousand – Public Health Engineering Department
- ₹24 crore 38 lakh 13 thousand – Urban Administration & Development (Urban Bodies)
- ₹4,664 crore 8 lakh 56 thousand – Public Works (Roads & Bridges)
- ₹894 crore 45 lakh 20 thousand – Judicial Administration & Elections
- ₹2,101 crore 99 lakh 36 thousand – Public Works (Buildings)
- ₹1,715 crore 44 lakh 46 thousand – Urban Welfare (Urban Administration & Development)
- ₹69 crore 20 thousand – Foreign-aided projects under the Public Works Department
- ₹3,123 crore 45 lakh 83 thousand – Financial assistance to urban bodies
Public Health Engineering Department
Responding to discussions on grant demands, Deputy Chief Minister and Public Health Engineering Minister Arun Sao emphasized that even after decades of independence, many rural households still lack access to clean drinking water. To address this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, ensuring water supply to every household. Under Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai’s leadership, the state government is actively working to overcome past shortcomings, focusing on quality, efficiency, and timely execution. Strict actions have been taken against negligent contractors and officials.
Key Approvals Under Jal Jeevan Mission:
- 29,173 Single Village & Retrofitting Schemes worth ₹22,389 crore 99 lakh approved
- 70 Group Water Supply Schemes for 3,212 villages sanctioned at ₹4,166 crore 50 lakh
- 50 lakh 4 thousand rural households to benefit from these projects
- 40 lakh 10 thousand rural families have already received tap water connections
- Households to receive 55 liters of water per person per day
- ₹4,500 crore allocated in the 2025-26 budget for drinking water projects
Budget Allocations for 2025-26:
- ₹28 crore 51 lakh – Maintenance of hand pumps
- ₹28 crore 51 lakh – Rural tap water supply maintenance
- ₹8 crore – Operation & maintenance of group water supply schemes
- ₹3 crore 50 lakh – NABARD-funded solar-powered water projects
- ₹2 crore – Groundwater recharge through conservation projects
- ₹2 crore 60 lakh – Borewell drilling in urban areas
- ₹56 crore 37 lakh 6 thousand – Grants for urban drinking water projects
- ₹41 crore 99 lakh 46 thousand – Loans for ongoing urban drinking water projects
- ₹1 crore – Drinking water supply to Bhilai IIT via Shivnath River project
Strengthening Rural Drinking Water Infrastructure:
- ₹3 crore – Dashboard development for Jal Jeevan Mission monitoring
- ₹1 crore 19 lakh – Human resource development
- ₹1 crore 60 lakh – State & district-level water testing labs
- ₹5 crore – Maintenance of tap water supply schemes
- ₹1 crore 65 lakh – Construction of departmental offices
- ₹250 crore – New group water supply schemes
Public Works Department (PWD)
As PWD Minister, Arun Sao stressed that roads are crucial for development, and the government is accelerating road construction across the state.
Major Approvals & Initiatives:
- ₹892 crore 36 lakh sanctioned under CRIF (Central Road & Infrastructure Fund) for upgrading 8 highway sections spanning 323 km
- ₹356 crore 71 lakh approved by the Central Government for 7 Railway Over Bridges (ROBs)
- Strengthening National & Major District Highways
- Reconstruction of weak & narrow bridges
- ₹9,451 crore allocated for PWD in 2025-26, a significant increase from ₹103 crore 85 lakh in 2001
Vision for Road Development Until 2030:
- 4-lane roads in high-traffic urban areas
- Better connectivity between urban clusters near major cities
- Stronger roads in mining & heavy traffic zones
- Inter-state road development for enhanced connectivity
Major Road Infrastructure Projects:
- Bharatmala Project: Under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, this nationwide project is advancing, with the 4-lane Raipur-Visakhapatnam Expressway under construction in Chhattisgarh
- Connectivity enhancement for Bastar region through planned surveys and new roads
Budget Allocations for 2025-26:
- ₹1,902 crore – 1,909 new roads & bridges
- ₹917 crore – Upgrading & strengthening 168 roads
- ₹120 crore – Bridge widening, accident prevention, and black spot rectification
The government aims to create a modern and well-connected Chhattisgarh with improved drinking water access and a strengthened road network, ensuring holistic development.
