Raipur Jan 28 PTI Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday warned that strong disciplinary action will be taken against collectors and superintendents of police SPs if they fail to curb illegal sand mining in their respective districts in the state an official said He also said that cases should be lodged against those involved in illegal sand mining activities and vehicles used in unauthorised transportation should be seized according to the official Taking serious cognisance of the reports of illegal mining and transportation of sand by mafias Baghel has directed the officials to take stern measures in this regard an official statement said Illegal sand mining should not take place in any district and if complaints are received in this regard then collectors and SPs will be personally accountable for it If action is not taken against illegal mining the responsibility of the district officials will be fixed and strict disciplinary action will be taken against them the release quoted the chief minister as saying He instructed the collectors and SPs to physically visit the spots wherever such illegal activity is taking place it said Citing the loss caused to the state exchequer due to illegal mining Baghel has also directed senior officials of the mineral department to take stern measures in this regard it said Wherever complaints of illegal mining and transportation of sand are received inspection should be conducted by the officials of the Mineral Department and field staff on a regular basis Cases should be lodged against those involved in such activities and the vehicles used in illegal transportation should be seized Baghel said In February 2019 the Bhupesh Baghel government had withdrawn the rights of panchayats over sand mining and powered the state-owned Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation CMDC for its extraction and trade PTI TKP NP NP

Raipur Oct 28 PTI Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said the United Progressive Alliance UPA has always been committed to working towards uplifting the downtrodden people tribals labourers and farmers and make them economically empowered Addressing the inaugural function of the five-day long National Tribal Dance Festival and Rajyotsav 2021 statehood celebration as a chief guest here in Chhattisgarhs capital Raipur he described the event as an honour towards those communities which have been isolated and exploited for centuries Meanwhile Congress leader Rahul Gandhis message was read out at the event in which he hailed the tribals for being at the forefront of preserving the countrys ancient wisdom The event is being held at Science College ground here In his speech Soren praised his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel for organising the tribal dance festival and said It is not only a dance event but it is a respect towards those classes referring to tribals which had been isolated and exploited for centuries We talk a lot about tribals tribal development departments are made ministers are made but even today this class is in a deprived state This effort of Chhattisgarh CM of holding dance fest will definitely prove to be a milestone and this class will get an opportunity to come forward he said He said he also belonged to a tribal community in Jharkhand and reaching the top position in the state was a big challenge for him His father Shibu Soren had also served as chief minister of Jharkhand He further said tribal communities have always struggled to protect their culture and tradition and such events will give them hope strength and energy in this direction We all know tribals do not possess so much money and their assets are actually their farms livestock and forest produce I am happy that Baghel ji has been providing a minimum support price on forest produce I believe unless the villages become prosperous the country the state and the country will not become prosperous either he added Therefore we have to focus on increasing the income and purchasing power of those living in the villages Our UPA alliance has always been committed towards uplifting the weaker poor labourers tribal backward and minorities he added The Congress which leads the UPA is also an ally of Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha JMM government in Jharkhand Citing that the risk of COVID-19 infection was still not completely over Soren asked people to follow the safety protocols during the event Speaking on the occasion Baghel said the event is aimed at providing a platform to tribals all over the world so that they could know about each other their culture and strengths so that they can march ahead together on the path of growth Meanwhile he also highlighted his governments schemes and steps taken for the welfare of tribals in the state Rahul Gandhi expressed his best wishes to the Chhattisgarh government for organising the dance fest and the participants in his greeting message read out by Rajya Sabha MP BK Hariprasad at the function In the message Gandhi stated Our Adivasi brothers and sisters are repositories of our heritage and they have been at the forefront of preserving our ancient wisdom Every folk song dance painting and sculpture tells a unique story and provides a window into the fascinating world of our ancestors It is through these living traditions that societies and communities keep their collective memories alive I am happy that the Chhattisgarh government has been working proactively to support and recognize our Adivasi artists the message said He extended his best wishes for the event and said that this event will further strengthen the spirit of diversity that is at the very core of the idea of India it added More than a thousand artistes from 27 states and 6 union territories of the country and seven foreign nations have been participating in the Tribal Dance Festival which will conclude on October 30 a government official said As part of the five-day event an exhibition and other programmes centered on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel will be held on October 31 while the next day November 1 will see the culmination of the statehood celebrations he added PTI TKP NP NP

Raipur Sep 29 PTI As the suspense over the possibility of change in leadership in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh continues the political heat appears to be once again escalating in the state after over a dozen Congress MLAs reached Delhi on Wednesday The political circle in the state was abuzz with speculation that the legislators have gone to express their support to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel However the MLAs who have reached the national capital said their visit was linked with the proposed tour of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to the state Around 15-16 party MLAs have reached Delhi and are staying at different places Rahul jis visit to Chhattisgarh is proposed We wanted to convey a request to Rahul ji through our state in-charge P L Punia ji that he should extend a little the duration of his tour so that all the MLAs could get benefit of it said Brihaspat Singh the party MLA from Ramanujganj seat of state We have come to Delhi just to make this request and we will speak to Punia sir on Thursday in this regard Our visit should not be seen in other way he told PTI over phone from Delhi When asked whether their visit was aimed at expressing support to Baghel Singh said Our party has 70 MLAs in the 90-member state assembly of whom 60 legislators had last time told everything to Punia ji When there is blessing of the high command support of the MLAs and the chief minister is working well then no such issue of leadership change exists He also denied the alleged tussle between Baghel and state health minister T S Singh Deo and said that both the leaders had recently shared the stage and exchanged sweets He also said that they respect each other The situation in Chhattisgarh is not similar to Punjab The high command of any party would not put the entire government at stake just to make one leader happy he said without naming anyone Singh considered as close to Baghel was embroiled in a controversy in July this year when he alleged that there was a threat to his life from Singh Deo However the MLA who hails from Singh Deos home turf Sarguja later withdrew the claim The demand for a change of guard reared its head after Baghel completed two and a half years as chief minister in June 2021 Singh Deo camp claimed that the high command in 2018 had agreed to hand over the post to him after the government completed half its term Congress in-charge of the state P L Punia has time and again denied that any such deal was struck in 2018 when the party came to power by dislodging the BJP The Congress high command summoned both Baghel and Singh Deo to Delhi in August to resolve the feud It appeared that Baghel had won this round when he told reporters upon return that party leader Rahul Gandhi had agreed to visit the state on his invitation and those talking about rotating the CMs post were promoting political instability As many as 54 out of 70 Congress MLAs had visited Delhi separately when Baghel was in the national capital in an apparent show of strength on his side While both Baghel and Singh Deo have desisted from saying anything about the leadership issue since then the feud has not abated PTI TKP NP NP

Raipur Sep 19 PTI Seven persons were killed and nine others injured after an autorickshaw collided with a sports utility vehicle SUV in Chhattisgarhs Kondagaon district on Sunday police said The accident took place near Borgaon turn under Farasgaon police station limits when the occupants of the autorickshaw were returning after attending a funeral in the nearby village an official said The autorickshaw collided with the SUV that was coming from Jagdalpur Seven occupants of the rickshaw died on the spot which is located over 200 km away from the capital Raipur he said Nine others who were travelling in both the vehicles have suffered injuries and were admitted to a local hospital he said As per the preliminary information all the deceased belonged to the same family but it was yet to be confirmed Their bodies were taken to the hospital for post-mortem he said adding that further investigation was underway PTI TKP NP NP