Chhattisgarh government not to implement Nyay for now

New Delhi: The Congress government in Chhattisgarh has decided to put implementation of Nyuntam Aay (Nyay), a major poll plank of the party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, in abeyance.
Speaking to ET, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel confirmed that the state government had decided against implementing the scheme, despite a directive from the party high command to Congress-ruled states.
“The scheme was a promise at the central level. Congress could not win the elections. At present, we are fulfilling our promises made in the run-up to the assembly elections — loan waiver, employment guarantee to the youth and bonus to farmers. We will wait and see if other Congress governments introduce, then we could consider it in future,” Baghel said.
The Baghel government has been struggling with massive debt since coming to power, an official said. Raman Singh-led BJP government’s populist schemes ahead of assembly elections, especially free smart phones to women and youth, put huge burden on the exchequer.
When Baghel came to power in November last, the state government had to deal with a debt of Rs 50,000 crore and had to take a loan from the World Bank.
Baghel said: “We have taken a number of steps to set our finances right. Our farm loan waiver has put more money in the hands of the people. So the economy is coming back on track. Chhattisgarh is probably the only state which is showing an increase in auto sales, registration of properties and gold sale.”
The government has also started implementing its promise of ‘gothaan’, a dedicated place in every gram panchayat for cattle grazing and rest during the day. Though the government says it’s in a position to take a loan of Rs 12,000 crore, it would not be able to fulfil another cash intensive scheme like Nyay, which was the centerpiece of Congress’ Lok Sabha campaign, with a catchy slogan ‘Ab Hoga Nyay’.