C'garh CM Raman Singh woos villagers to buck anti-incumbency

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has been making surprise visits to villages in the Naxal-affected state in a bid to gauge public mood ahead of the assembly polls due later this year.

Singh, the longest serving chief minister of the BJP who helmed three governments in Chhattisgarh on the trot, hopes to beat the anti-incumbency factor.

He meets villagers to enquire about their problems and directs officers accompanying him to provide "instant solution", as part of an initiative called "Lok Suraj".

The chief minister today visited Amora, a remote village in the Akaltara block of the Janjgir-Champa district, and heard various matters concerning people and development of the area.

At an open gathering, officers of various departments informed the chief minister about the status of implementation of central and state governments-run schemes.

Some of the villagers attending the programme complained about poor construction of public toilets, non-availability of power and irregularities in the issuance of ration cards in some areas, among others.

Singh asked the district collector and other officials concerned to look into the matter immediately.

Later talking to PTI, he termed "Lok Suraj" a unique good-governance initiative to interact directly with the people.

"The idea to improve the schemes of the Chhattisgarh government, including the ones related to the public distribution system, health insurance and skill development, came after talking to people during the earlier Lok Suraj initiative," the chief minister said.

He said the motive behind visiting villages is "to know what ails my people and address their issues".

The Lok Suraj initiative began in 2005. The on-going, around a fortnight-long edition began on March 11.

Singh distributed LPG cylinders and stoves to 63 villagers under the Ujjwala scheme announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also provided financial assistance to 11 families under a state government-run welfare scheme.