Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Congress' major focus on farmer schemes

Ahead of the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, the state government is taking out schemes for the farmers as they constitute around 70 per cent of the state's population and are a key vote bank in the state.

The Chhattisgarh government allotted Rs 300 crore for new irrigation projects in the Budget 2023-24. The state uses a paddy variety less susceptible to pest and disease attacks. The Bhupesh Baghel-led government promised to hike the paddy purchase price to Rs 3,600 per quintal if Congress is re-elected in the upcoming Assembly elections next month.

The state government had earlier waived an amount of Rs 9,000 crore owed by farmers and another Rs 350 crore of irrigation tax.

Solar pumps in Chhattisgarh

The state government's Saur Sujala Yojana (solar pumps programme) has worked in the favour of the Congress.

Venkat Ramanujam Ramani, postdoctoral research associate at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, said, "Chhattisgarh's success has been its targeting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) farmers, who are among the most marginalised in irrigation access. The government, directly or indirectly, led them to agriculture when it built roads, and infrastructure, thus helping tribals move away from dependence on forests and go towards agricultural lands."

According to a study by the think-tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), around 60 per cent of the solar pumps in the state were deployed by ST farmers. The study reported: "The state has done remarkably well in ensuring equitable access, with 90 per cent of small and marginal farmers reporting better access to irrigation through solar pumps."

However, according to a NITI Aayog report, implementing the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati scheme in the state has not been successful.

Currently, organic farming in the state stands at just 71,000 hectare or 1.5 per cent of the total agricultural area.