“20 lakh houses will be built for the poor,” said Chouhan

Neha Dewan 

It was a full house listening with rapt attention as Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, addressed the gathering at CII’s Annual Session 2017.

Chouhan spoke on Madhya Pradesh’s transformational journey, illustrating how the state had come a long way to evolve into one which now has 7 cities under the National Smart Cities Mission owing to the progressive policies adopted by the state.

The state, he said, has improved power and road connectivity. “We are now a power surplus state. There have been miracles in water resources as well. 11 years back, irrigated land was 7.5 hectares but now it has increased to 40 lakh hectares! Irrigation projects which would take decades for completion earlier are now finishing in a matter of 1-5 years alone. An extensive river-linking project has ensured water availability even in the remotest areas,” he said.

Chouhan also stressed the significance of agriculture as central to a state’s advancement and progress, saying that agriculture needs to translate into a beneficial business. He mentioned how his government took the lead in taking several steps to ensure that this could be possible. “We introduced new crops such as Basmati and combined multiple sectors like dairy, poultry and aviary so that benefits could be passed on to the farmers. Such efforts from our end have doubled the agricultural output of MP in the last five years,” he added.

He also highlighted how the lopsided sex ratio in MP had always been a concern for him, thereby leading to various financial incentive schemes for families under the ‘Beti Bachao Abhiyan.’

In the coming years, he said, the government has plans to construct 20 lakh houses over the next couple of years for the poor. “This will not just stop here. I want to build houses for 35 lakh people and I will surely succeed in this endeavour,” he said.  

He also revealed that on agenda are plans to add 7.5 lakh skilled manpower every year and drew attention to the huge potential of IT, pharma and defence production in Madhya Pradesh.