Ghanshyam Sahu, a resident of Uparwara of Durg, sold two acres of land to invest the proceeds in a chit fund company, only to realise he had been duped. Like hundreds others, Sahu had given up hope of getting the money back. So when he received Rs 9 lakh from the state government last month, he couldn't believe his luck. "I did not expect the money to be recovered," he candidly told Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel at an event in January.

The Chhattisgarh government has decided to set up model fair-price shops (FPS) in each district and encourage owners to act as banking correspondents for providing financial services. The state has around 12,300 fair-price shops across 33 districts. The state government is, however, encouraging FPS owners to provide a host of services besides acting as a banking correspondent.

State Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu said that in 2013-14, the state had received Rs 50 crore for police modernisation from the Centre. The allocation has come down to Rs 20 crore right now.

The centuries-old belief that worshipping at the temple cures fatal dog bites still continues, with victims from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh visiting the temple, reports R Krishna Das.

Globally recognised organisations including the CDC, the Clinton Foundation, and domestic pharmaceutical and health care companies have sent their teams to visit the centres and study the concept, reports R Krishna Das.

The Russia-Ukraine war is likely to improve the export profile of landlocked Chhattisgarh, which has already nearly tripled during the past three years. Chhattisgarh's exports reached Rs 25,241.13 crore in the financial year 2021-22 against Rs 9,067.92 crore worth of products shipped in 2019-20, according to the state government's data. While exports of iron and steel surged seven and a half times, rice shipping increased 4.68 times.

Given the dismal show of the Congress in the recently concluded assembly polls and the JMM eating into its vote bank, the possibility of Congress MLAs switching sides is not bleak, reports R Krishna Das.

The private college and hospital has been in the thick of controversy following irregularities and fraud, raising questions on why the Chhattisgarh government wants to acquire the debt-ridden institution by paying double the amount of its valuation.

Many issues dog the Mahagathbandhan of the Congress, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the most prominent of which is seat sharing.

The high-pitched election speeches skipped corporate issues, unlike during the assembly polls about four months ago.

The move could hurt the BJP as the JCC, according to political analysts, might have eaten into the Congress' votes in at least four of the 11 parliamentary constituencies in the state. R Krishna Das reports.

Bhupesh Baghel revived the Congress in Chhattisgarh after the party's frontline leadership was wiped out in a Maoist attack in 2013.

The CM's failure to keep his house in order coupled with the arrogance of ministers and top leaders riled BJP cadres.

Setting aside a popular political dictum that Bastar holds the key to power in the state, the 24 assembly constituencies in Bilaspur division would now decide who will form the next government in Chhattisgarh. So far the BJP's Amit Shah has held two public meetings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed one in the division in the last one month, reports R Krishna Das.

In Chhattisgarh, 40 lakh BPL smart card holders under the state's existing MSBY will be beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat.

How Raipur's District Collector Om Prakash Choudhary ensures that poor children study at good schools.

Before the situation in the Naxal-affected areas got out of hand, the Raman Singh government intervened to calm tempers between the police and human rights activists.

'The party had opposed FDI when it was in the Opposition. Now, its government has allowed FDI in all sectors.' 'Modi had opposed GST when he was chief minister. Now, he is strongly advocating it.' 'The BJP must come clean and inform its supporters and the people why it is diverging from its basic agenda.'

Political stability and a couple of big projects are pluses, but focus on medium and small industries is still missing.

Projects include steel plant & railway line; Modi's visit first by a PM to the tribal belt in 30 yrs