The Chief Minister has launched a scheme ‘Atal Jyoti Abhiyan’ named after Atal Behari Vajpayee, former prime minister and the most popular leader of the BJP. Under the scheme 24-hour supply of electricity for domestic use and eight-hour supply for agricultural operations in rural areas of the state is being ensured. According to Chauhan, the government hopes to cover all the 53,000 villages by the month of May under the scheme.

Already, twelve districts of the state are getting electricity for 24 hours. The scheme was inaugurated by former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani in Shahdol district.

The assured power supply, besides giving boost to agricultural production, will also give an opening to establishment of small-scale industries in the rural areas. Small-scale industries will help in reducing the problem of unemployment and will also check the migration of rural youth to urban areas. Speaking at a function held to launch Atal Jyoti Scheme, Chauhan said that Madhya Pradesh was the first state in the country which, instead of increasing power tariff, was planning to reduce it by five percent next year.

According to Mohammed Suleiman, Principal Secretary, Energy the state will need 6, 17,220 lakh units of power to meet the entire demand. He said that 90 per cent of the requirement will be met by entering into long-term power purchase agreements with various power generating companies. By 2014, state's power requirement to the extent of 36 per cent will be met by state's own sources, 25 per cent by the Central government power plants, 16 per cent by joint sector projects and 18 per cent by private ventures. The state has also initiated several steps to improve the supply network.

Besides ensuring constant power supply the state, government is purchasing wheat from the farmers on a price higher than the prevailing market rate. The government is also giving Rs 150 per quintal bonus to farmers on wheat sold by them. Till March 29, more than four lakh metric tons of wheat had been purchased by the state government.

Under the wheat purchase scheme, farmers have to register their names as potential sellers at the purchase centres set up by the government. So far, 17.23 lakh farmers have registered themselves at the 2,776 purchase centers. The purchase of wheat in four revenue divisions was launched on March 10 and in rest of the divisions it started from March 25. According to Civil supplies Minister Paras Jain, who is personally monitoring the purchase, all necessary facilities, including jute bags, are available at the purchase centres. ‘Our wheat purchase scheme is unique in the sense that it ensures adequate returns to the farmers’, says the Minister.

Chauhan has also announced compensation at liberal rates for the farmers whose crops have been damaged by the hailstorm that hit more than a dozen districts of the state over the last 15 days. Fifty per cent loss of crops is being treated as cent per cent loss and the farmers are being paid compensation at the rate of Rs. 15,000 per hectare, their old power bills have been waived off and their short-term loans have been converted into mid or long-term ones. It has also been announced that villagers who have lost their entire produce would be provided ration for four months at BPL rates. Instructions have gone out to the Commissioners and Collectors to ensure that the disbursement of compensation is completed within two weeks. Chauhan is personally travelling to different districts to assess the damage and meet the farmers.

The BJP leaders have been told to informally advise the farmers not to pay their power bills and also that irrespective of the official announcement, their damaged wheat would also be purchased by the government.

No wonder, the farmers are enthused. As the Chief Minister readied to leave a village in Satna district on the Holi day, after inspecting the damage to the crops and announcing the relief measures, exuberant farmers broke the security cordon to smear his face with gulal.(IPA Service)