Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the 18th Chief Minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and has been the CM of MP for the last 13 years, winning 3 consecutive terms since 2005. Although involved in controversies like the Dumper scam and the Vyapam scam, the state of Madhya Pradesh has seen significant developments under the leadership of Chouhan. Here are some of the achievements of Shivraj Singh Chouhan:
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1. Increase in Madhya Pradesh’s economic growth rate (GDP)
Madhya Pradesh, once known as a ‘BIMARU‘ state, was the third poorest state in India with a GDP of Rs 15,927; 39% less than India’s per capita income in 2005-06. The per capita income of MP increased to Rs 51,852 in 11 years, under Chouhan’s leadership.
Though the growth rate has been fluctuating in the last decade, The Madhya Pradesh Economic Survey registered a rise in MP’s growth rate at 5.79% as of 2017-18.
2. Increase in Agricultural GDP and Enhanced Irrigation
Madhya Pradesh is primarily an agrarian state with 70% of its population employed in agriculture. MP’s agricultural growth rate increased by 9.7% between 2006 and 2015. The percentage increased to 14.2% in the last five years, under the CM’s leadership.
In the last ten years; Irrigation ratio increased by 35%, fertiliser use per hectare increased by 55%, seed replacement rates increased for wheat, soybean, gram and paddy. These factors led Madhya Pradesh to become the largest producer of certified seeds in the country, at 4.4 million quintals for the above mentioned crops.
The success of Madhya Pradesh’s agriculture GDP can be attributed to the state’s emphasis on enhancing irrigation facilities for farmers. in 2017, CM Chouhan facilitated the provision of irrigation facilities for 13 lakh hectares in the state. The state also provided a subsidy of Rs. 26000 on five horse power water pumps for farmers.
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh stated that 5.5 lakh hectares have already been provided with irrigation facilities through the Narmada River, in the last 11 years. Potable water to 16 districts in MP, and water to industries have also been supplied with water from the Narmada River.
The Lift Irrigation Scheme was set up to provide water to areas situated at a higher altitude, areas that cannot be irrigated through canals. More than 60000 people from 92 villages will benefit from this scheme.
3. Increase in Food Grain and Milk Production
As of 2016-17, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of food grains in India, estimated at a massive 273.38 million tonnes, an 8.7% increase from the 265.04 million tonnes produced in 2014-2015.
This can be attributed to the measures taken to improve agricultural practices in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The food grain basket consists of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.
The production of milk saw a 75% increase from 5.5 metric tonnes in 2004-05 to 9.7 metric tonnes in 2013-14. Madhya Pradesh became the third largest producer of milk as of 2017, from being at number seven 12 years ago.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the establishment of 500 new dairy societies and 100 new veterinary clinics for these animals, under the 100 day action plan.
4. Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana
This Bhavantar Bhutan Yojana was introduced in October 2017, with an aim to support farmers in case of sales gone bad in Mandi which fetches them less than the Minimum Support Prices (MSP). If the market prices are lower than the MSP, the farmers have the option to sell their crops to the government at the MSP.
This scheme was introduced to plug loopholes in the public distribution system and provide reasonable prices for farmers to sell their crops. If the farmer sells at less than the MSP, the scheme will allow compensation to the farmers- the difference between the model price (Price at which the farmer sold his produce at the Mandi) and the MSP.
5. Madhya Pradesh: A Power Surplus State
Madhya Pradesh, once considered to be one of the poorest states in India, is now a power surplus state. The state saw a 64% growth in power supply since 2011. Non-agriculture consumers receive all of 24 hours of power supply while agriculture consumers receive about 10 hours of power supply.
In 2016, Madhya Pradesh saw an increase of 2670 MegaWatts of power. Today, the total renewable energy installed capacity stands at 447.79 MW. Madhya Pradesh also supplies power to the national capital Delhi, and to the state of Bihar.
6. Urban Water Supply and Environmental Improvements
The Urban Water Supply and Environmental Improvement project sought to address deficiencies in basic urban services in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur.
The benefits were listed as sustained improvements in water supply, sanitation and Solid Waste Management within the listed cities. Other benefits would be achieved through improved living condition, healthier living environments, and prospects of improved health status of the population. The project also aimed at assisting the cities in participating in planning exercises that would meet the needs of the urban poor.
7. Ladli Lakshmi Yojana
An initiative by the Madhya Pradesh state government to stress on the improvement of women’s health and education, along with developing positive attitudes towards women in general.
The scheme enables the government to purchase a National Savings Certificate of Rs. 6000 each for 5 years. The National Savings Certificate (NSC) is a government savings bond used for the purposes of small savings and income tax saving investments in India.
A girl will receive Rs. 2000 at the time of admission into the 6th grade, Rs. 4000 at the time of admission into the 9th grade, and she would be entitled to Rs. 7500 on admission to the 11th grade, as well as Rs. 200 per month during the tenure her high secondary education; under this scheme.
8. Madhya Pradesh Global Investment Summit (GIS)
The organisation of the GIS in the state of Madhya Pradesh presents an idea of the kind of vision CM Chouhan has for the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is biennial event organised by the government of Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
The summit serves as a platform to bring together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers, with a purpose of understanding and exploring the business opportunities in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
The Global Investment Summit has signed hundreds of MOU’s worth trillions of Indian rupees.
9. Indore and Bhopal – Swachh Survekshan
Swachch Survekshan is an initiative by the government to assess the levels of cleanliness and sanitation across rural and urban sectors in India. The objective of this survey is to encourage citizen participation on a large scale and create awareness about the importance of cooperation towards making towns and cities conducive places to live in.
As of 2018, Bhopal and Indore emerged as the being the cleanest cities in India, followed by Chandigarh. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan praised the residents of Bhopal and Indore for achieving the status of cleanest cities in the country.
10. Increase in Tourism in Madhya Pradesh
The state of Madhya Pradesh saw an increase in tourism, particularly after implementing the State Tourism Policy, 2016. The State Tourism Policy enabled foreign companies to invest in the sector, and set up shop across Madhya Pradesh, as opposed to previously being allowed to invest only in 13 special tourism zones.
The MP State Tourism Development Corporation can hand over its units to private companies for their management on a managerial agreement, under the State Tourism Policy 2016.
The number of tourists in MP increased from 7.5 crores in 2016 to 15.05 crore tourists in 2017, 3.63 Lakhs of which were foreigners.