As Cong 'ideates', Modi puts poll plan in place

Mon, Jul 7 02:14 AM

As the Congress leaders in the state organise "chintin shibirs", the irrepressible Narendra Modi is typically one step ahead. With the Lok Sabha election buzz in the air, the Chief Minister has virtually launched himself into poll orbit, highlighting the developmental and welfare schemes by his government.

The performance of all ministers is being reviewed, while Modi holds meetings with party MLAs every Tuesday and gets regular feedback on how effectively his government's developmental programmes are being implemented in their Assembly segments.

At the same time, the Chief Minister has also unleashed measures to counter the UPA Government's much-publicised loan waiver package for farmers. During the month-long Krushi Mahotsav held recently, the state Government distributed farm kits among 15 below poverty line families in each of the 18,000 villages across Gujarat.

In the state-wide drive, over one lakh government employees, besides ministers, secretaries of departments and local BJP workers were involved. They travelled on as many as 230 motorised "Krushi Raths", educating villagers about modern farm technology and exhorting them to increase their crop yields. Modi himself participated in the annual Mahotsav and addressed farmers' conventions at several places.

Aware of the fact that his party lost miserably to the Congress in the tribal belt in the 2007 Assembly polls, the Modi regime has started implementing vigorously its ambitious Rs 15,000-crore Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana (tribal welfare scheme).

The CM has been holding review meetings with senior officials of tribal, panchayat, rural development and other departments to ensure effective and speedy implementation of the scheme in the entire eastern tribal belt.

Of the 75 lakh tribals in 43 talukas, the Government plans to bring at least five lakh BPL families above the poverty line in a year through economic activities. ITIs and engineering colleges are being set up in each of the talukas, besides induction of tribal youths into the Army through recruitment melas.

Over 50 lakh urban poor families are also in Modi's sight ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Under the Rs 13,000 crore Garib Samruddhi Yojana floated last year, the Government has already provided two-room houses to about 1.30 lakh poor families in urban and semi-urban areas.

Vocational training centres have been set up in urban and semi-urban towns to hone skills of the urban poor youth while employment opportunities are being created for them.

Even the state's coastal belt, where the opposition Congress wields considerable influence, is on the Chief Minister's election radar. In an apparent bid to woo the politically significant fishing community, a Rs 11,000-crore Sagar Khedu Yojana has been launched. It targets 60 lakh members of the community, spread over 39 coastal talukas.

To provide technical education to the community's youth, the Government plans to set up Industrial Technical Insitutes, besides a Marine Engineering Institute.

Another scheme announced recently was the Jyoti Gramodyog Vikas Yojana, to promote village industry in rural Gujarat. Financial assistance (including subsidy under the bankable scheme) is to be provided to individual rural artisans/entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHGs) who want to set up new projects, with investment ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, utilising 24-hour three-phase power under the same scheme.

Topping all this will be a series of mass contact programmes that Modi has lined up for his ministers and himself across Gujarat. "Under the current Swarinam Gujarat Sankalp Jyot Yatra programme, launched to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the state's foundation, ministers and party MLAs/MPs have been asked to reach people in all the districts and exhort them to take a pledge to make Gujarat a prosperous state. The CM himself will begin touring places from July 8, especially the 12 Lok Sabha constituencies represented by Congress MPs," informs a senior BJP functionary.

Meanwhile, the Congress is struggling to set its house in order. Since GPCC president Bharatsinh Solanki resigned following the party's debacle in the Assembly polls, the Congress high command is yet to name a new leader to head the state unit.

"Though senior Congress MLA Siddharth Patel has been tipped to replace Solanki... the intense factional fight in the state unit is the main reason for the delay," admits a senior Congress leader.

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