CM Bhupesh Baghel begins his new year with the labourers at Chawdi in Raipur, shares joyful moments with the hard-working daily wage workers, distributed sweets and blankets

Raipur:
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel spent the first morning of the New Year today at
Kotwali Chawdi of capital city Raipur with the hard-working labourers.

Baghel
extended hearty greetings of New Year 2022 to the people at chawdi and
distributed sweets-blankets to the labourers at chawdi. On this occasion, he extended
New Year greetings to all the people including the labourers.

As
a New Year gift to the workers, Chief Minister Mr. Baghel announced the
increase in financial aid under Bhagini Prasooti Sahayta Yojana of Building and
Other Construction Workers Welfare Board from Rs.10, 000 to Rs.20,000. He said
that Chhattisgarh has received the award for being the cleanest state of the
country for the third time in a row, all thanks to the hard work and
determination of the sanitation workers. He congratulated the sanitation
workers for this achievement. Chief Minister said that State Government is
carrying forward the tradition of honoring the labor, as per the teachings of
Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. He said that our New Year resolution is to
fulfill the dreams of the elders and our ancestors, our forefathers.

Today
morning, chief minister reached Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Shram Ann Yojana
Kendra, established to provide hot-cooked meals to the labourers in Gandhi
Maidan of capital city Raipur, and interacted with the labourers there. He also
enjoyed morning tea with them. Labourers informed Chief Minister that at this
center, registered labourers get freshly-cooked meal at just Rs 5, while the
non-registerd ones can get a full meal at Rs 10. He said that State Government
has decided to provide an annual financial assistance of Rs 6 thousand to the
landless labourers in the state. Soon the eligible beneficiaries will start
receiving this financial aid under Rajiva Gandhi Grameen Bhoomiheen Krishi
Mazdoor Nyay Yojana. On the occasion, Mayor Raipur Municipal Corporation Aijaz
Dhebar and Chairman Chhattisgarh Building and Other Construction Workers
Welfare Board Susheel Sanni Agrawal and many public representatives were also present.

On
the occasion, Chief Minister said that ever since he took charge as Chief
Minister, he celebrates the first morning of new year with the labourers and
daily wage workers in Chawdi. He said that it is because of the hard work of
labourers that we have quality infrastructure such as buildings, roads and
drains. We have clean surroundings because of the sanitation workers, we have
food on our plates because of the farmers. He added that we have learnt this
valuable lesson of respecting the labour from Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi,
who had fought for the rights of indigo farmers. Gandhiji made the weavers’
spindle, the spinning wheel a symbol of the national movement; he himself did
the work of manual scavengers. Gandhiji went to the locality of the Dalits and
did the cleaning work there. Mahatma Gandhi taught us that no work is small, if
done with dedication and sincerity.

While
addressing the labourers at Chawdi, Chief Minister said that after the
formation of our government, we gave fair value of their produce to the
farmers. Today, farmers are being provided Rs 2500 per quintal for paddy,
including the support price of paddy and input subsidy under Rajiv Gandhi Kisan
Nyay Yojana. Referring to the State Government’s decisions in the interest of
the labourers, he said that the retirement age of laborers working in
industries has been extended from 58 years to 60 years, benefitting about 4
lakh workers. More than 16 lakh workers have been provided assistance of about
Rs 284 crore under various schemes.

Chief
Minister further said that 172 Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools have been
opened in the state to provide quality English medium education to the
underprivileged children of the state. As labourers have to leave for work
early in the morning, they are unable to take care of their family’s health,
they have to wait in lines at the hospitals, and lose out on that day’s wage.
To solve this problem of labourers in the state, State Government has launched
Mobile Medical Unit. Dai Didi Clinic Yojana has been started separately for
women. Mukhyamantri haat Bazar Clinic Yojana has been started in rural areas
and Mukhyamantri Shahari Slum Swasthya Yojana has been started in urban areas.

With
the efforts of the state government, the number of workers joining the
Employees’ State Insurance Service has exceeded one lakh in 3 years. 1 lakh 43
thousand workers have been treated and provided medicines by the dispensaries
run by the Employees’ State Insurance Service. During the COVID-19 crisis in
the year 2020, proper arrangements were made to bring the laborers home safely,
they were provided employment locally, and were provided food and accommodation
facility in the quarantine center. Medicines were also arranged free of cost.
Chief Minister said that with everyone’s support and cooperation, we will soon
overcome the challenges of hunger, poverty and inequality and build a
prosperous and developed Chhattisgarh.