Cong charges Chhattisgarh govt of more than 30 scams

Raipur, Nov 12 (UNI) The Congress Chhattisgarh unit today released a 'white paper' on ''misrule'' of the state's Raman Singh regime and charging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with more than 30 scams besides making the state slide from the top to 18th position in the country over the past half a decade.

Releasing the chargesheet in a booklet here, state Congress Working President Charandas Mahant said that Dr Singh's tenure should be known as a regime of corruption and scams. The state, which was termed the top state in 2004, slid to number 18 of 20 in 2008, the booklet alleged.

The Congress also blamed the BJP government of ''communalising'' the administration and attempting to create communal discord.

''Except for a publicity stunt over the naxal movement, the regime did nothing for tribals and backward communities,'' Mr Mahant said.

The scams highlighted by the Congress included the Public Distribution System scam, mixing pebbles in rice, bitumen scam, memoranda of understanding scam, power purchase scam, Sarvasiksha scam, farmers' fake bank loan scam, seed and fertiliser purchase scam, teachers' appointment scam, land scam, medicine purchase scam, illegal logging in forests scam, uniforms scam, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme scam and illegal mining scam.

The chargesheet said that Chhattisgarh lagged behind on the development front and failed in achieving the spending target under the National Agricultural Development Scheme.

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