Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that on the 500th birth anniversary of Rani Durgavati on October 5, foundation laying of a grand memorial will be performed at Madan Mahal. The memorial will be built at a cost of Rs 100 crore.
This grand memorial will be a symbol of the bravery, valour, service, good governance and glory of Rani Durgavati and will keep the memory of the queen alive for ages.
Chief Minister Chouhan, was addressing a programme organized on the Balidan Diwas of tribal leaders of 1857 revolution, Raja Shankarshah and his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah, at the Veterinary Ground during his Jabalpur stay. Chouhan was was given a warm welcome.
The Chief Minister said that the revolutionary Raja Shankarshah and his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah did not accept the slavery of the British and rebelled against them. Fearing their courage, the British put them in front of the cannon and blew them up. The sacrifices of Raja Shankarshah and his son Kunwar Raghunath Shah cannot be forgotten. They will always be a source of inspiration for us.
Chouhan said that Balidan Diwas is being observed every year on 18th September by the state government to remember the sacrifices of tribal heroes. He said that all the 14 announcements made for the poor tribal class in the Martyrs’ Day programme organized in Jabalpur last year in the hospitality of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah have been fulfilled. With the fulfillment of these announcements, the tribal people are joining the mainstream of the society and their social and economic empowerment is taking place.
Referring to the story of the brave queen Rani Durgavati, the ruler of the Gond Empire, Chief Minister Chouhan said that Rani Durgavati had established a huge empire which includes Madan Mahal, Gadha Mandla, Singrampur with her bravery and strength. They also fought bravely against the Mughal ruler Akbar and sacrificed their lives, but did not accept the rule of the Mughals.
Tribals empowered through PESA Act
Chief Minister Chouhan listed many schemes for the welfare of tribal people. By implementing the PESA Act, the government has given absolute rights over water, forests and land to the tribes in 89 tribal development blocks.
In these development blocks, tribal brothers and sisters have done remarkable work in tendu patta collection. Their economic condition has been strengthened. The government’s priority is that everyone has equal rights over resources. The government has reserved five percent seats for children of government schools, so that the children of government schools can also study medicine. He said that laptops have been given to the children who have scored more than 75 percent marks and scooties have been given to the children who have topped in class 12th with first division from government schools.
The state government has also done the work of honouring the women of the state by starting the Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana. Through the Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Awas Yojana, funds will be provided to Ladli Bahnas who live in kuchha houses to build concrete houses.
Beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Ladli Bahna Yojana will now be given LPG cylinders at concessional rates of Rs 450.
He said that the outstanding electricity bills of up to 1 kilowatt of poor families of the state will be paid by the government.
The campaign to change the lives of the people in the state by adopting the ideals of Raja Shankarshah and Kunwar Raghunath Shah will continue.
