In Vajpayee’s memory, Chhattisgarh’s capital to be named Atal Nagar

Raipur, Aug 22: Chattisgarh's proposed new capital, Naya Raipur will now be called Atal Nagar. The decision to rename the capital after former Prime Minister, Bharat Ratna, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was taken by the state government.

Further the state cabinet also decided that a memorial of Vajpayee would come up in Naya Raipur. Further a statue of the late leader would also be installed in Naya Raipur as well as in all 27 districts of the state. The state has also decided to commemorate the former PM's contribution to the country when the Pokhran tests were undertaken. A battalion of the Chattisgarh Armed Force will be called the Pokhran Battalion.

Chief Minister, Raman Singh said that on October 1 which is Chattisgarh formation day, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sushasan award will be given to panchayats and urban bodies for good governance. A biography of the late leader will also be included in the textbooks of the Chattisgarh board of school education.

The Bilaspur University, the newly-built medical college in Rajnandgaon, the Marwa Thermal Power Plant in Janjgir-Champa district, and the under-construction expressway in Raipur will also be named after Vajpayee, Rama Singh also said.

A national level poetry award would also be named after Vajpayee, who himself was a renowned poet, the government also decided.