TFP Bureau, Raipur; July 18, 2024: The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee has criticized the BJP government in light of the SDG India Index 2023-24 report. Senior spokesperson Surendra Verma highlighted the significant developmental strides made during the previous Congress government’s tenure from 2018 to 2023, contrasting it with the current administration’s focus on commissions and alleged neglect of the people’s welfare.
Surendra Verma emphasized that under the Congress government, Chhattisgarh improved its SDG ranking from “performer” to “front runner,” achieving 67 points. He attributed this success to the Herculean efforts in education and groundwater conservation. The Congress-led Narva Samvardhan Yojana significantly increased groundwater exploitation from 44.47% to 47.2% and improved rural drinking water availability from 99.6% to 100%. The Congress administration also achieved 100% electrification of households in Chhattisgarh. However, Verma claimed that these programs were halted, and electricity prices increased under the BJP government, leading to power cuts.
Verma also noted that the previous Congress government saw the state’s GDP growth rate per capita rise from 5.36% to 6.05%, health scheme insurance coverage increase from 68.50% to 71.4%, and ATMs per one lakh population grow from 12.5 to 15.21. Manufacturing employment as a percentage of total employment in the state rose from 5.46% to 7.58%, and cases of human trafficking dropped tenfold from 11.72 to 1.37. Verma claimed that since the BJP took office, these gains have started to reverse.
The Congress spokesperson praised the previous administration’s educational reforms, including the Swami Atmanand Utkrisht School scheme and the printing of books in 22 local dialects for primary school teaching materials. Verma asserted that these measures significantly improved Chhattisgarh’s performance in quality education.
In stark contrast, Verma accused the BJP government of neglecting key sectors such as education, health, employment, electricity, and infrastructure over the past seven months. He alleged that the BJP is more focused on corruption and commissions rather than the economic, social, and cultural progress of the common people.
