Updated: September 24, 2020 7:56:18 am
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (Archive)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaks with Iram Siddique about his government’s goals and achievements, and how he is handling the pandemic and related challenges.
How is the Chouhan government of 2020 different from those of 2003, 2008 and 2013, when it had a full term? Do you find it difficult to materialize your ideas for the state?
There’s no difference. There is only one goal: the prosperity of Madhya Pradesh and the advancement of its people. It was the same then and now, but there is a difference in situations and problems. Today we are facing a pandemic, with which there are economic problems not only in Madhya Pradesh but also in other states and the central government. The commitments are the same, but the problems are different. Then, as CM, I worked with my team and had no difficulties, even today I am surrounded by the same team that loves, trusts and works as a team. My friends who were in Congress before and now joined the BJP and become its workers, even they trust me. I am making decisions as soon as I would before, so there is no problem.
In recent days, he has implemented benefits worth Rs 60,000 crore under various schemes. How are you handling it in this economic crisis?
It is true that we are in an economic crisis, our revenue collection was down 24 percent last month. We receive some compensation from GST, but the central government also faces problems. But with the pandemic, people need these benefits more than ever. We looked for quotes from various departments where there was money that could be diverted and used. The money that remained in the different departments was withdrawn under various schemes that was not being used. We also tried to make better use of the money we earned as income. Then we also borrow money up to 3.5 percent of GDP. The positive side was that we gave 25 billion rupees to farmers to buy wheat. This gave the economy a little boost. I left no stone unturned. We reached out to various organizations where money was stagnant and money was being pumped to keep essentials moving. We distributed money to all poor people and restarted Sambal Yojna, 27 lakh people were included in the PDS, student scholarships and pensions were restarted, and we gave farmers crop insurance. There are difficulties, but we will not let things stop.
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You mentioned that state revenue was down 24 percent last month. What impact has it had compared to last year’s figures between April and August?
Half of March 2020 was fine, but soon after, positive cases were reported and everything stopped. This continued into April and May, and even today few people are buying things or leaving their homes. Compared to last year, revenue collection has suffered greatly. In August it was 24 percent less, but in previous months it fell between 80 and 90 percent. It will take some time to get back to normal. But we have tried not to affect things.
Do you think the central government should spend more?
We must be realistic, where will the Center get the money from? The central government also has its priorities. Today border protection is a high priority. We need to be alert, deploy more forces and make arrangements for them. The central government is doing what it can. They have their own problems and we must understand them and work together with a realistic approach.
Many states oppose farm laws. Your comment on the subject?
People are spreading myths. Why should we force the farmer to sell his product only in the mandi? Madhya Pradesh made these changes before the Center. We are not closing mandis through this bill, they will work and trade will continue through them, but we are providing options in addition to mandi. If in mandis there is a commission on vegetables of about 8 percent, then the farmer has to make concessions. If someone buys your produce on your farm and the farmer can save this 8 percent, why should we force him to go to the mandi? Before this bill, the sale of cereals outside the mandis was not allowed, and if it was sold it was called tax evasion. Why should we do this dadagiri? The mandis need to make themselves attractive so that the farmer himself decides to sell his product there. The merchant who will have a license can go out of the mandi and buy it. If there is a price agreed between the farmer and the merchant, which is acceptable to both, and the farmer gets someone to come to his door to buy produce, then why should he fill up his tractor-cart and go to the mandi? If someone is developing a ‘kharidi kendra’ or warehouse, and from there their product sells for a good price, why should we force the person to come to the mandi? If there is an exporter who wants to export fruits, dal, vegetables and rice, and is getting a good price, why should he be forced to come to the mandi? If someone has a food processing unit and wants to buy directly from the farmer, why should we force him to come to the mandi? If there is no one in the middle and the farmer receives more money, why should anyone have a problem? Mandis will continue to work, but other options will also be available. Today it is easier to do e-commerce. The bill is in the commercial interest of the farmer. It will encourage competition, so we should give it a try.
You recently announced that local jobs will be only for children from Madhya Pradesh, don’t you think this will go against the federal structure of the country?
We need to safeguard the federal structure of the country and, taking it into due consideration, we are working on how it can be done and the unity of the country is not affected. We are all children of Mother India and this is what we feel. But if a factory is set up, the local people feel that their land has been occupied and that they should be given priority for the jobs, this sentiment should be taken into account. We are taking a holistic approach and the decision will be made considering the unity of the country.
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Is there a need to increase the minimum working days under MGNREGA? Also, why is the average number of women under the MP scheme lower than the national average?
A provision has been made to increase the minimum working days to 150 days, the prime minister has also substantially increased the budget, so in Madhya Pradesh we have no problem with this. There has been no further demand on our part to increase the minimum working days. To this day, we have no problems to provide employment through the MNREGA, either for men or women. If the need is felt in the future, it will be studied.
A substantial number of about 14 ministers in his cabinet are those who came from the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp. Doesn’t this generate an internal rivalry within the ranks of the BJP?
There is no question of rivalry or break in the ranks, I interact with Scindia and Pradesh Adyaksh (from BJP, VD Sharma) on a regular basis by phone. They all work as friends. When this happened (22 MLA who switched from Congress to join the BJP), those who were ministers switched to the BJP, it was decided that they should be appointed ministers, otherwise it could have been an injustice to them. One has to be practical, otherwise you would have no government. There is no problem within the BJP, we are working effectively and making decisions regularly.
Why is there reluctance to include eggs as a way of nutrition for children in Anganwadi despite reiteration of the proposal?
Madhya Pradesh has the mentality that there are sadhu-sants on the banks of the Narmada, and non-vegetarians are generally not considered well. Anganwadis are frequented by those who eat vegetarians and non-vegetarians. You cannot distinguish between those who need milk and those who would receive eggs. If people want to eat eggs, they can have it at home, it is their choice. I think that milk and eggs are the same in terms of nutritional content. But making it a bone of contention in the sense that no matter what happens, eggs will be laid is not right.
Has a working group been formed to find a better alternative to Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana as many farmers in Madhya Pradesh are falling out of his league?
When the Prime Minister makes a policy that is implemented, he is always in favor of correcting any deficiencies. We are receiving your guidance and having conversations to improve it. Rs 4.5 billion was recently deposited into farmers’ accounts, but it is always stressed that those who suffer less damage do not receive enough money. It is like a blessing for the farmers, but there is room for improvement and the PM himself thinks about improving it, and sometimes we share our inputs with him.
There are over 1 lakh of Covid-19 cases in MP, which is headed for secondary elections, and the state is facing an oxygen shortage. How do you plan to handle the situation?
A lakh of cases does not mean that there is 1 lakh of active cases, there are currently around 21,000 active cases, but these numbers are constantly growing after unlocking, which is sure to happen. We were able to reduce cases as long as there was a closure. Compared to other states, we hardly had any cases during the closing. But the lockdown cannot continue as the wheels of the economy must keep turning or else people will starve. But we are increasing ICU beds, hospitals and giving importance to home isolation. Asymptomatic cases do not require hospitalization. We have created a command and control center in each district where doctors talk to patients twice a day to check for problems.
Due to the shortage of oxygen, we are working in all directions, we have spoken with the central government that is making it available and we are also obtaining it from the Bhilai steelworks. We have spoken with Maharashtra and the High Court has also stated that no one can interrupt the oxygen supply abruptly. We are also taking action for this in the long and short term.
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