Chouhan admits shortage of power

Pandhana, MP, Nov 26 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan admitted the state was facinga shortage of power but said the government was taking steps to tide over the crisis.

Mr Chouhan, while addressing election meetings here yesterday, said the crisis will be resolved by next year when the state will start receiving power from under-construction power projects.

''The BJP Government will not rest until agriculture was made a profitable venture,'' he said, adding that in this regard, the interest on loans from cooperative banks had been reduced from 14 per cent to 7 per cent and the government will meet the deficit.

Pointing out that the government had taken several steps for welfare of peasants and public, Mr Chouhan said earlier the tahsil was regarded as a unit in event of crop loss during natural disaster but 'patwari halke' had been made a unit due to the government's efforts.

The Chief Minister said two crore families had been insured as a part of insurance scheme of poor families and the government had deposited its premium.

He said 14,000 girls from poor families were married on government expense under the Kanyadan scheme and efforts were being made to ensure that no girl of a poor family was left unmarried due to lack of funds.

Mr Chouhan said he did not regard politics as a profession but as a religion. ''I came into this field to work for the welfare of poor people and for development of the state and the nation, he said.

The CM addressed more than 10 election meetings. Khandwa MP Nandkumar Singh Chouhan, PWD Minister Kailash Vijaywargiya, Backward Class Welfare Minister Rustam Singh and Tribal Welfare Minister Vijay Shah were also.

The by-poll to Pandhana constituency was necessitated due to the death of BJP leader Kishorilal Verma. BJP candidate and Mr Verma's Devandra Verma is pitted against Congress rival Hiralal Silawat for the by-election.

UNI AA-PS VD KP1205