New Delhi: The News18 Rising India Summit is finally here. What began with state-level summits, celebrating the role of some of India’s biggest states in strengthening the nation, will culminate in the Rising India Summit on March 16 and 17.
Chief Ministers of India not only discussed the progress their respective states have made but also talked about how to tackle the challenges facing their governments. In Punjab, for instance, the issue of the drug menace was still plaguing the border state. Speaking at the Rising Punjab Summit, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, “"I never promised to completely eradicate drug menace in the state in four weeks but I did promise that I would break the back of the drug trade. We have been successful in doing just that. If you try to buy chitta (a synthetic drug sold in Punjab) on the street today, you will find that the price has gone up by 60%."
Captain Amarinder Singh also said that the only way to bring Punjab's youth out of drugs is to generate employment. "The biggest problem in the state right now is unemployment. I have 90 lakh young people who are out of work right now. Unless we give them jobs, we can never bring them out of drugs," he said.
At the Rising Uttarakhand Summit, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat spoke about banning alcohol in the hill state and why it was not possible. “We will not enforce prohibition in our state. That is not the solution. Look at what is happening in Bihar. Earlier, people used to queue up to get alcohol, today they can get alcohol home delivered. The solution to alcoholism is raising awareness.”
UP CM Yogi Adityanath presented his government’s achievements at the Rising Uttar Pradesh Summit in Lucknow. “We have stopped farmer suicides in Uttar Pradesh and we are working towards making them self-reliant. Electricity was very irregular before. We have ensured that the power supply is regularised in all parts of the state and not just in VIP areas. We started the anti-Romeo squads to protect our girls. We acted on the instructions of the National Green Tribunal and cracked down on illegal slaughterhouses,” he said.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, during the Rising Madhya Pradesh Summit, addressed the agrarian distress that had caused farmers to protest against the state government, in addition to all other key focus areas of his government. “Madhya Pradesh has gone far ahead from where it used to be. In the agrarian sector, our focus will be on value addition. Liquor stores near schools and colleges have been shut down. We are taking women’s safety very seriously in Madhya Pradesh.”
Talking about his philosophy of development during the Rising Bihar Summit in Patna, CM Nitish Kumar said, “For us, the idea of development is people-centric. Development does not mean the increase in wealth of only a certain, small group of people.”
Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh shared the government’s plans to increase development in Naxal-affected areas. “The Chhattisgarh government has decided to give out cell phones to residents. We will set up new 1,500 mobile towers across the state. Of these, 400 will be in Bastar district. Along with this, our focus will also be on health and education.”
With Chief Ministers talking about the growth of their states, the focus now shifts to the national stage. The keynote address on March 16, the first day of the Rising India Summit, will be delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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