Raipur, Sep 22 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday said a film city is being developed in Nava Raipur at a cost of around Rs 650 crore, which will expand opportunities for film production and shooting in the state.
Speaking at a Teej Milan festival event organised at the official residence of Revenue Minister Tank Ram Verma in Nava Raipur, Sai said the project would create new employment and opportunities for local artists, technicians and youth, and also boost tourism in the state, an official statement said.
He said the state government will continue to encourage artists and cultural talents, it said.
Artists have made an invaluable contribution to keeping Chhattisgarh’s folk art and culture alive. Through their talent, they have been taking the fragrance of Chhattisgarh’s soil and its traditions to the country and the world, Sai said.
He said women hold a special place in the state’s culture and traditions and their dignity, safety and economic empowerment are among the government’s priorities.
Although the Teej festival had been celebrated last week, the opportunity to meet a large number of women at the Teej Milan programme was a pleasant and warm occasion, he said.
The CM said the state government has been working to make women equal participants in building a developed Chhattisgarh, rather than treating them merely as beneficiaries of welfare schemes.
The Mahtari Vandan Yojana has become an effective means of economic empowerment for women in the state, Sai said.
Under the scheme, more than 68 lakh women have been receiving assistance of Rs 1,000 directly in their bank accounts every month. So far, more than Rs 20,000 crore have been transferred to beneficiary women through 31 instalments, he said.
Women have been using this money for their own and their families’ needs, children’s education, savings and small self-employment activities, he said.
The government’s effort is to ensure that every woman in the state gets opportunities, resources and necessary support to move forward, Sai said.
“So far, 13.85 lakh women in the state have become ‘Lakhpati Didis’. This is a positive picture of a changing and self-reliant Chhattisgarh,” he said.
Sai said the Centre and state governments have been working together to ensure that welfare schemes reached the last person, the release said.
The CM also said Chhattisgarh has achieved significant success against Naxalism with the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, courage of security forces and cooperation of local residents.
Areas where fear and violence had earlier hindered development are now witnessing new opportunities for development amid peace and confidence, he said.
Artists who have contributed to bringing recognition to Chhattisgarh’s folk art and culture in the country and abroad were felicitated at the event, it said. PTI TKP NP
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