CM himself to present budget in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Feb 18 (UNI) For the first time in the history of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Raman Singh will himself present the Annual Financial Statement, 2007-08 during the Assembly session that gets underway tomorrow and is likely to be stormy.

Dr Singh is directly handling the Finance portfolio after last month's resignation of Finance Minister Amar Agrawal. During the predecessor Congress regime led by Mr Ajit Jogi, the then finance minister Ram Chandra Singhdeo presented the budget thrice and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) successor Agrawal presented it a like number of times.

Mr Jogi's wife Renu will make her first appearance in the Vidhan sabha after emerging victorious in the Kota bypoll.

The main opposition Congress will try to place the government in the dock over power supply, the public distribution system, low utilisation of last year's budgetary allocation, ''indiscriminate'' nomination of BJP leaders to corporations and boards.

UNI