Bastar: With the intention of bringing a change in the lives of the people of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has launched the Chirag project in Bastar. The CM believes that this will be the biggest project ever. It should be noted how “Chirag Project” will spread new light of development in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh. CHIRAG which stands for Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth (CHIRAAG) has been sanctioned by the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization and IFAD. An assistance of Rs 730 crore by World Bank, Rs 486.69 crore by IFD has been given for this project.
The objective of the scheme is to increase the income opportunities of the farmers, to ensure the availability of nutritious food in the villages, to develop a nutritional-production system based on the climate of the region, to develop the methodology for better management of natural resources. Through this project, new and developed methods of development in the agriculture sector will be promoted. The Chirag project will be implemented in tribal development blocks of Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma, Mungeli, Balodabazar, Balrampur, Jashpur, Koriya, Surajpur and Surguja districts.
Some important things under the “Chirag Project” are that this project will bring new opportunities and new hopes for the tribals by joining modern farming and innovations. Local youth of tribal areas will also benefit. They will be associated with fisheries, animal husbandry, horticulture, production of special species of crops, production of nutritious food items based on regional climate. Youth will be given training in sales and marketing. They will be given education in state-of-the-art farming techniques. They will also be trained and encouraged for startups. With the implementation of this project, the youth of tribal society will become self-reliant. 30% of the total amount of this project, Rs 518.68 crore has been provided from its state treasury.