Directs officials concerned to visit Gauthans, look after arrangements
Chief Minister virtually releases Rs 4.40 crore to beneficiaries under Godhan Nyay Yojana
Approval of Gauthans in dependent villages of Panchayats as per demand
Raipur 20 April . Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday asked the officials concerned to ensure that arrangements for fodder, water, and shade are made for the cattle in more than 10,000 Gauthans in Chhattisgarh, given the prevailing heat conditions. He has directed all the collectors of the state and the Chief Executive Officer of the District Panchayat to visit the Gauthans and make arrangements for green fodder, sheds, and water there along with paddy stubble. He also asked to approve the construction of Gauthans in dependent villages of Panchayats as per the demand.
Chief Minister was addressing a virtual programme held today at his residence office here, under the Godhan Nyay Yojana, during which an amount of Rs 4.40 crore was transferred online to rural stock farmers, women self-help groups associated with Gauthans, and Gauthan committees. He emphasized the importance of holding regular meetings of Gauthan Samitis to ensure better management of income-generating activities conducted in the Gauthans. He expressed satisfaction with the fact that more than half of the Gauthans in the state have become self-sufficient. Due to the hot weather, he suggested that the process of filling water in ponds from canals should be expedited to ensure water availability and increase water levels. Agriculture Minister, Shri Ravindra Choubey, also addressed the programme.
It is worth mentioning that a total of 10,690 Gauthans have been approved in 11,000-gram panchayats of the state, and over 10,000 have been completed. Among these Gauthans, 5,398 are now self-sufficient, and they have provided total assistance of Rs 50.82 crore for the purchase of cow dung. From April 1 to April 15, a total of 1.30 lakh quintals of cow dung have been purchased in Gauthans, and out of the amount of Rs 2.59 crore to be transferred to cow dung vendors, Rs 1.24 crore has been paid by the Agriculture Department, and Rs 1.67 crore has been paid by self-sufficient Gauthans.
Meanwhile, units for manufacturing natural paint from cow dung have been approved in 49 Gauthans of the state, out of which 34 units have been established, and paint is being produced in 32 units. A total of 87,827 liters of paint has been produced from these units, and an income of Rs 97.08 lakh has been earned from the sale of 47,547 liters of paint. Arrangements for 20.20 lakh quintals of paddy stubble and water have been made in 7,859 Gauthans in 33 districts of the state.
Under the Godhan Nyay Yojana, about Rs 439.73 crore has been paid to the beneficiaries in the state so far. Till April 15, 2023, 112.34 lakh quintal cow dung has been procured in Gauthans in the state. Rs 224.68 crore has been paid in lieu of cow dung purchased after the transfer of today’s amount. On the other hand, an amount of Rs 192.65 crore has been paid to Gauthan committees and women self-help groups after the payment of Rs 1.81 crore made today.
Forest Minister Shri Mohammad Akbar and School Education Minister Dr. Premsai Singh Tekam virtually attended the programme while Chief Minister’s advisors Shri Pradeep Sharma and Vinod Verma, Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Chairman Shri Girish Dewangan, Chief Secretary Shri Amitabh Jain, Additional Chief Secretary Shri Subrat Sahoo, Agriculture Production Commissioner Shri Kamalpreet Singh along with other senior officials were present in the programme.
