Chhattisgarh's focus on removing regional imbalance: Raman

Raipur, Nov 3 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today said his government's main focus was to check ''regional imbalance'' by paying more attention to the development of tribal and backward areas.

''Chhattisgarh was born because of the regional imbalance that existed in undivided Madhya Pradesh,'' he told journalists at the Mantralaya.

''Our effort is to remove such imbalances and bridge the gap,'' Dr Singh said, adding that setting up medical colleges and other institutions for higher education in tribal Bastar and other initiatives for industrial progress and development of agriculture were being taken up in the tribal areas.

The government was spending 65 per cent of the budget for irrigation in tribal Bastar and Sarguja region. Besides, a process has also been set in motion for setting up mega steel plants and a power plant in Bastar and Sarguja respectively.

''After the formation of Chhattisgarh in November 2000, the state has been struggling to enhance its visibility,'' the Chief Minister said, adding that the efforts during the previous years yielded results with the state fast emerging as a favourite destination for industrial investment.

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