Page 11 - Chhattisgarh

How long will people of Chhattisgarh remain poor: Min defends coal mining

Chhattisgarh Forest and Climate Change Minister Kedar Kashyap has defended coal mining and other developmental projects in the state, saying these are essential for improving the living standards of the people. In an interview with PTI, Kashyap also said that the state government will ensure strict implementation of the law in response to the Centre's recent directions to expedite the relocation of villages from core areas in tiger reserves. Asked about protests against tree felling for a coal project in the biodiversity-rich Hasdeo Aranya forest, the minister acknowledged that some people have opposed coal and other development projects but stressed that most have supported these. "How long will the people of this resource-rich region remain poor? Development and energy are equally important. People need jobs. Yes, if trees are cut, it is our responsibility to compensate for that loss. We must also ensure that the health and livelihoods of affected communities are protected," he ..

Bodies of 3 more Naxalites found in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, toll hits 31

The bodies of three more Naxalites were recovered on Saturday morning in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, where a fierce encounter with security personnel took place a day ago, police said. With this, the number of Naxalites killed in the gun battle with the security personnel on Friday has risen to 31, they said, adding that a search operation is still underway in the area. "Bodies of three more Naxalites were recovered this morning from the dense forest where the encounter took place on Friday," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI. "With this, the toll of Naxalites in the encounter rose to 31. The identity of the Naxalites is yet to be ascertained, but prima facie it appears that they belonged to PLGA (People's Liberation Guerilla Army) company No. 6, Platoon 16 of Maoists and east Bastar division of Maoists," he said. On Friday, the gunfight broke out between security forces and Naxalites around 1 am in a forest between Nendur and Thulthuli villages on .

28 Naxalites gunned down in Chhattisgarh's Bastar by security personnel

The gunfight broke out at around 1 pm in the forest between Thulthuli and Nendur villages in Abhujmaad on the Narayanpur-Dantewada inter-district border

Chhattisgarh's fake SBI branch fraud: How a village fell victim to the scam

The scam involved fraudulent job appointments, fake training sessions, and a meticulously constructed setup to deceive both unemployed individuals and local villagers

Security forces bust Naxalite camp in Chhattisgarh; recover explosives

Security forces on Thursday busted a Naxalite camp in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district following an encounter and recovered a huge cache of explosives and other materials, police said. The face-off took place in the morning in the forests of Botelanka, Eranpalli and adjoining villages near the Chintavagu river where Naxalites had set up a transit camp, a senior police official said. Sensing the presence of security personnel, Naxalites opened indiscriminate fire, prompting retaliation by the men in uniform, he said. The intermittent firing lasted for a long time following which Naxalites escaped from the spot, within Chintagufa police station's jurisdiction, leaving behind their belongings, the official said. A huge cache of explosives and items related to Maoists were recovered from the transit camp of Maoists, he said. A search operation was still underway in the area and security forces were reported to be safe, he added. Personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar ..

Chhattisgarh's SECL plans to remove 2,200 mt of scrap under special drive

This will free up a huge amount of space, which can be reused. Along with this, it will also generate additional revenue of about Rs 10 crore

Mahadev app case: SC to hear bail plea of Chhattisgarh bizman on Oct 3

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on October 3 a bail plea of Chhattisgarh-based businessman Sunil Dammani, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in August last year in a money laundering case linked to the illegal gambling Mahadev app. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was urged by the counsel for the jailed businessman that the bail plea needed to be heard urgently. "We usually do not skip the board (cases listed for hearing on a given day), but this is a bail plea... We will hear it on Thursday," the CJI said after Damani's lawyer said that his client has been in jail for over 13 months. On August 23 last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Dammani along with three others for their alleged involvement in the Mahadev app money laundering case. The central probe agency had also conducted searches at the properties of 10 people including Vinod Verma, political advisor to former Chhattisgarh ch

Chhattisgarh govt aims to procure 160 mn MT paddy in current kharif season

The Chhattisgarh government has set an estimated target of 160 lakh metric tonne paddy procurement for the 2024-25 kharif marketing season, officials said on Tuesday. The cabinet sub-committee constituted to review and give suggestions on the policy of paddy procurement and custom milling at the support price in the ongoing kharif marketing season took the decision to this effect in a meeting at Mantralaya Nava Raipur on Monday, a public relations department official said. The committee, during the meeting chaired by state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Dayaldas Baghel, decided to procure an estimated 160 LMT of paddy from farmers in the state, he said. Forest and Climate Change Minister Kedar Kashyap, Health and Family Welfare Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Tank Ram Verma were also present in the meeting. Keeping in view the Diwali festival and the State Foundation Day celebration Rajyotsav, the committee discussed

Env clearance to Adani's Chhattisgarh coal project despite NGT's rejection

The Centre has again approved a coal mining project operated by an Adani Group company in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, just six months after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) revoked its environmental clearance, directing the environment ministry to reexamine the case from the stage of the public hearing. There was no reaction available from the Adani Group till the filing of this report. The Rs 7,465-crore coal mine project, which will affect 14 villages in the Gare Palma area of Tamnar tehsil, belongs to the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco), with Gare Palma II Collieries Pvt. Ltd., an Adani Group company, as the mine developer and operator. The environmental clearance has been granted despite studies highlighting serious concerns about the project's impact on the socio-economic and health conditions of villagers, hydrology, and carrying capacity, suggest government records. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised the Centre for granting clearance again

Chhattisgarh is fifth among states with lowest unemployment rates

The state government plans to develop 160 industrial training institutes (ITI) that will give young people employment-oriented skills

Amit Shah's ultimatum to naxals: 'Surrender or face all-out operation soon'

Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed an all-out operation against naxalism if the naxalites fail to lay down guns. He also revealed the 2026 deadline set by the Centre to eliminate this issue

Tata Power installs rooftop solar systems at 600 locations in Chhattisgarh

Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd (TPSSL) has installed rooftop solar systems at more than 600 locations in Chhattisgarh under an initiative, a company official said on Sunday. The company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), launched its rooftop solar system installation initiative after its success in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, the official said.. Though the installation of rooftop solar systems under the initiative, 'GharGharSolar, Tata Power ke Sang', started in mid-this year in the state, it was officially launched by Tata Power Company Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Praveer Sinha and TPREL CEO and MD Deepesh Nanda this week, the official said. The initiative intends to make clean energy available to all households in the state, building on the commitment to promoting sustainable energy solutions throughout India, he said. Chhattisgarh has become a significant hub for TPSSL's activities and initiatives, with a cate

Chhattisgarh farmers surpass sowing target hoping high paddy price

Though the state has surpassed the paddy sowing target, it is yet to achieve the overall kharif crop sowing target for the season even as the sowing has come to a halt

7 killed, 3 injured in lightning strike in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar

Seven men were killed and three injured after they were struck by lightning in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district on Sunday, officials said. The incident took place this evening in Mohtara village when the victims were working in a field, a district administration official said. "As per preliminary information, these persons gathered at the edge of a pond near their field amid heavy rainfall when lightning struck. The deceased were identified as Mukesh (20), Tankar Sahu (30), Santosh Sahu (40), Thaneshwar Sahu (18), Pokhraj Vishwakarma (38), Dev Das (22) and Vijay Sahu (23)," he said. The three injured persons have been hospitalised, the official added.

Raipur BJP MP seeks govt intervention for rollback of hike in cement prices

Raipur BJP MP Brijmohan Agrawal has raised objection over the "steep" hike in cement prices by its manufacturers and demanded intervention of the Chhattisgarh government and the Centre for a rollback of the increased cost. Agrawal said the sudden increase in the cement prices by Rs 50 per sack would affect infrastructure projects, including roads, buildings, bridges, schools, colleges and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. In separate letters to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Competition Commission of India on September 6, Agrawal said despite Chhattisgarh being a state rich in minerals, iron, coal and energy resources, the cement manufacturers, by forming a cartel, tremendously increased the prices from September 3. The attitude of cement companies has become that of "looting" the innocent people of Chhattisgarh, he said, adding the government needs to take strict action against cement manufacturers. Mines, coal, energy, cheap ...

Chhattisgarh scientists launch India's first Covid severity biomarker kit

The new biomarkers, created by the MRU team, are designed to identify patients at risk of severe Covid-19 in the early stages of infection

Centre approves 800,000 PMAY houses in rural areas of Chhatisgarh

The Centre has sanctioned construction of more than 8 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) in rural areas of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Wednesday. The CM also informed that his government, which assumed office nine months ago, has requested the Centre to approve houses under PMAY separately for surrendered Naxalites and people affected by Maoist violence in the state. Slamming the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh (2018-23), he alleged it failed to implement the scheme in the state, as a result 18 lakh families were deprived of pucca (concrete) houses. "The Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress dispensation had been inactive in implementing the housing scheme and therefore 18 lakh families could not get homes under it. The Baghel government did not disburse the state's share of 40 per cent for the scheme as the 'PM' word was linked to it and they were scared the credit will go to the BJP government (at the Centre) and Prime Minister Narend

Nine Naxalites killed in encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh

Nine Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, a senior police official said. The gunfight broke out around 10.30 am in the forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P told PTI. Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation, which was launched based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites belonging to its west Bastar division unit, he said. The intermittent exchange of fire lasted for a long duration, following which the bodies of nine Naxalites clad in 'uniform' were recovered from the spot, he said. Besides, a huge cache of weapons was also seized from the encounter site, he said. Security personnel were reported to be safe and the search operation was still underway in the area, he added.

Dantewada administration imposes Rs 1,620.5 cr fine on NMDC for violations

The administration in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district has imposed a penalty of Rs 1,620.5 crore on the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), a central PSU, for alleged violation of mining laws, officials said on Saturday. The NMDC has termed the move "completely inappropriate" and claimed the penalty was imposed "solely and blindly without considering the facts and circumstances in the case". The NMDC has mining operations in Bailadila hills in Kirandul and the Bacheli area of Dantewada in the Bastar region. In a letter dated August 29, Dantewada collector Mayank Chaturvedi directed the NMDC to deposit the penalty amount within 15 days. The letter stated that iron ore mining leases have been approved for Deposit No. 14 ML in an area of 322.368 hectares, Deposit No. 14 NMZ in 506.742 hectares, and Deposit No. 11 in 874.924 hectares in Kirandul village under Bacheli tehsil of Dantewada to the NMDC. The collector wrote that the NMDC's clarifications to the show cause not

Chhattisgarh CM announces aid of Rs 15 crore each to Kerala, Tripura

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced an assistance of Rs 15 crore each to Kerala and Tripura, where heavy rains and landslides have wreaked havoc, a government official here said on Friday. In a post on X, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated that the chief minister has decided to provide Rs 15 crore assistance each from the Disaster Relief Fund to Tripura and Kerala. "In the last few days, we have received sad news about the loss of lives and property on a large scale due to natural calamities in Tripura and Kerala. My sympathies are with the disaster-affected people. The Chhattisgarh government is ready to help both states in this adverse situation," Sai said in the post.