Raipur, 10th April 2022 / Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel said on Sunday that our great men have done the job of connecting all sections of society. It is the path followed by the whole country, including ourselves, that will eventually lead us to peace. He said we must do the work of connecting the society with the spirit of ‘Ram-Kaj Kishen Bina, Mohe Kahan Vishram’.
Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupesh Baghel addressed the closing ceremony of the major three-day program organized to mark the inauguration of the first phase of renovation, beautification and development works at Shivrinarayan, a famous pilgrimage site in Chhattisgarh located at the confluence of Mahanadi. , Shivnath and Jonk – as part of the Ram Van Gaman tourist circuit project. He said that Shivrinarayan is the city of Lord Rama, Lord Jagannath and Mata Shabri. He extended his greetings and best wishes to the people of the state on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister announced the opening of the SDM office in Shivrinarayan and the development of Laxmaneshwar Temple and Shabari Temple in Kharaud. He inaugurated and executed Bhumipujan of various development works worth Rs 238 crore at Shivrinarayan. These include engineering works of public health, panchayat and rural development, urban administration.
The Chief Minister said that in Treta Yuga, Lord Rama worked to connect India from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka, Lord Krishna from Mathura to Dwarka in Dvapara Yuga, Shankaracharya from south to north and Swami Vivekananda from Kanyakumari to Cashmere. All of our great men have done the work of connecting every section of society, they have worked to tie different classes into one thread.
He added that but today Lord Rama is presented as Warlord Rama and Lord Hanuman as Angry Hanuman. He wondered if our gods were like that. Addressing the friends of ‘Ramayana Mandalis’, the Chief Minister said you should also follow the path of Lord Ram and do the job of connecting society, not breaking it. The work of connecting everyone is our basic culture and it takes an hour to work in this direction.
The Prime Minister said that the development of the individual is the central concept of our development model. He said our goal is to provide nutrition, health, education, employment and equal opportunity for all. He said that for three years our “Annadata” farmers have been benefiting from Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. 35 kg of rice is given to 66 lakh families. 40 lakh families benefit from half electricity bill system. More than 13 million forest dwellers benefit from the purchase of minor forest products at a support price and the collection of Tendu leaves. More than two million people earn income by selling cow dung. A scheme has been launched to provide financial assistance of Rs 7,000 per year to 3.5 lakh landless agro-workers in the state. Over the past three years, the state government has endeavored to put an amount of Rs 91,000 crores directly into the pockets of farmers, tribals, women and labourers. It is Gandhi’s ‘Ram Rajya’ in which everyone is happy and prosperous and has a sense of equality and brotherhood among all. The Chief Minister called on the people to do their part to make the government’s welfare programs a success.
Mr Baghel said Chhattisgarh is probably the first state where the Ramayana Mandalis ‘Manas Gaan Competition’ has been organized selflessly with the cooperation of the government. The text of Ramcharitmanas is the culture of Chhattisgarh. He said Shivrinarayan has been the religious, spiritual and commercial center of Chhattisgarh since ancient times. Navratri has special significance in Chhattisgarh. Sheetla Mata is worshiped from village to village, Jawara is strewn from house to house, flames are lit and goddesses are worshipped. While paying tribute to Goswami Tulsidas ji, the Chief Minister said that he composed Ramcharitmanas in simple terms. He said Goswami Tulsidas ji did the job of passing Ram and Ramayana from door to door to people. He said Chhattisgarh is not only known as Naxalites and mines and minerals. Chhattisgarh has a unique and rich tradition. Whether it is the Treta Yuga or the Dvapara Yuga, whether it is the Buddhist period, we have been present at all times. Chhattisgarh was dear to Lord Ram because the people here are calm, simple and honest. When Lord Ram had to leave Ayodhya, he spent most of his time in Chhattisgarh, as the people here were dear to him. First, he befriended the tribals and ate the leftover Shabri Mata berries. He did the connection work of the society.
He further said that after December, the Ramayana Mandali event is held from village to village in Chhattisgarh, but these events could not take place due to the third wave of Corona. But today, I congratulate you all on the phenomenal success of this event. Today, this event has been held for three days in 26 districts, including more than 65 hundred Manas Mandalis in total and 140 Manas Mandalis in Janpad. Our jury has carefully selected them. They selected Janjgir-Champa Manas Mandali for the first place and awarded them Rs 5 lakh as the winning prize, Korea District Manas Mandali for the second place with Rs.3 lakh winner and Bijapur Manas Mandali for the third place with Rs. 2 lakh winner and a copy of Ramcharitmanas.
The Chief Minister said that other places selected under the Ram Van Gaman tourist circuit will be developed like Shivarinarayan and we will glorify these places to a new height. Mr. Baghel said we can go to Malhar, Chandrahasini and Giraudhpuri considering Shivrinarayan as the central point and this place will connect to other places.
The Minister of Interior and Tourism, Mr. Tamradhwaj Sahu presided over the event and addressed the people. The Minister of Urban Administration, Dr. Shivkumar Dahariya, and the President of Chhattisgarh Gauseva Aayog Rajeshree Mahant, Dr. Ramsunder Das, also expressed their views on this occasion.
On the program, the Chief Minister inaugurated the renovation, beautification and upgrading works of the Shivrinarayan temple complex, the Ramayana interpretation center and the tourist information center, development works and Beautification of the river bank, a statue of Mata Shabri at Baba Ghat, Viewpoint, unveiling a statue of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar at Ambedkar Chowk. An action plan of Rs. 39 crore has been prepared for the development of tourist facilities at Shivrinarayan. In the first phase, the works worth Rs. 6 crores have been completed, which were inaugurated today.
On this occasion, MPs Ms. Indu Banjare, Mr. Chandradev Rai, Mr. Ramkumar Yadav, Shakambhari Board Chairman, Mr. Ramkumar Patel, Nagar Panchayat Chairwoman, Ms. Anjani Tiwari, as well as many representatives of the public and a large number of people were present.
