New Delhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has established his image as the flag-bearer of 'Chhattisgarhia (original inhabitants of people of state) pride'.
Bhupesh Baghel has been ranked as the CM facing least public anger, as per the quarterly IANS-CVoter tracker mapping anti-incumbency index across all layers of governance in India.
With the rise of Chhattisgarhia feelings in recent years, the majority of the state's roughly three crore people regard him as the protector of Chhattisgarhia peoples' interests.
Bhupesh Baghel has popularised several ancient festivals and cultural events with government support and launched a unique 'Chhattisgarhia Olympics' this month with a purpose to revive the age-old Desi games popular in villages, under direct sponsorship of the state government.
Bhupesh Baghel is one of the most physically fittest CMs in the country and he works roughly 16-hour a day consistently to ensure success of his flagship schemes. His daily schedule of official meetings and events starts at 9 a.m. which goes past midnight.
He has ushered in an economic revolution in the vast rural landscape in Chhattisgarh with his flagship schemes such as 'Godhan Nyay Yojana', which was launched in July 2020 with the prime objective to raise income to cattle-rearers, organic farmers and also strengthening the rural economy.
Chhattisgarh is the first state in the country which launched a scheme in July this year to purchase cow urine at Rs 4 per litre from farmers. This initiative is turning out to be a huge success.
With 'Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana', Bhupesh Baghel has made farmers richer, and a majority of the farmers in the state now own tractors from their own incomes and even without taking loans.
Baghel makes prompt policy decisions. He has instructed the bureaucrats to not to sit on the files and constantly monitor the proper execution of the government schemes on ground. He even does not hesitate to suspend or take legal action against top officers if schemes are not implemented in a time-bound manner.
Chhattisgarh has topped the country with the lowest unemployment rate in recent months.
The latest data in September shows a whopping 99.9 per cent of the adult population is more or less associated with livelihood options.
Chhattisgarh was known as the worst Naxal-hit state of country, but the situation has turned around significantly during Bhupesh Baghel-regime as he built roads and opened schools and hospitals in deep forested and inaccessible areas and took the government welfare schemes to every village, including in no-go areas of Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada and Narayanpur districts where Naxals had monopoly since late 1980s. Naxal violence incidents have dipped more than 90 per cent in Chhattisgarh during the past two years.