By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Saturday asked the people to take a pledge to free the state from the Maoists and announced a Rs.2,060-crore plan to create jobs through rural employment generation scheme.
In a 20-minute speech after hoisting the national flag here on India’s Independence Day, Singh said: “I salute the brave tribal brothers and sisters who created a movement against Maoist terrorism through Salwa Judum. I also salute the common people and security personnel who laid down their lives in the fight against Maoists.
“I appeal to you all people to take a pledge to free the state from Naxalites (Maoists),” he added.
“Naxalism has become a threat to the country’s security and sovereignty. They are maintaining a hold in inaccessible areas on the strength of violence and suppression,” said Raman Singh, who has headed a Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state since December 2003.
People in all 18 districts of the state defied a Maoist boycott call to attend Independence Day celebrations in large numbers.
Even Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker, Bastar and Rajnandgaon districts, which are worst-hit by extremism, saw enthusiastic celebrations at schools and elsewhere.
The chief minister announced that Rs.2,060 crore would be spent in the current fiscal for creating employment under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The state will achieve total electrification by 2012, he added.