BJP TODAY

February 16--28, 2005 - Vol. 24, No. 4

'CM No. 1'
By Our Correspondent

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh has been adjudged the most popular Chief Minister in the country by an opinion poll conducted jointly by AC Nielson - ORG-MARG and India Today group. It is yet another feather in Dr. Raman Singh's cap, who already has many achievements in his crown. He became the State's 'Chief Executive' in December 2003 and within 14 months he was able to put Chhattisgarh back on the track of development.

'India Today' has showered Dr. Raman Singh with many impressive adjectives. It candidly says, "Dr. Singh is not a headline-grabbing politician. He has a defining characteristic to stay out of media glare." The magazine adds, "Dr. Singh has scored where it matters — on home ground by pushing the parameters of performance."

There is no doubt, in the last 14 months, Chhattisgarh has witnessed unprecedented growth. Impressed by the state's shining performance, the Planning Commission has approved a plan outlay of Rs 4,275 crore for Chhattisgarh in fiscal year 2005-06, up 29 per cent against the Rs. 3,322 crore allocated in 2004-05.

Recently, at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Mumbai, Dr. Singh informed NRIs that Chhattisgarh was emerging as the new investment destination. He substantiated his point with figures from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which revealed that, of the total investment of Rs. 76,133 crore received by the entire country in 2003-04, Chhattisgarh attracted Rs. 7,778 crore, which is 10.2 percent of the total investment. In fiscal year 2002-03, it was a meager 1%.

The magazine praises Dr. Raman Singh for being tech-savvy and for his focus on growth. It writes, "Conventional wisdom has it that incumbency kicks in six to nine months leading to a dip in popularity rating. That is not true in Raman's case, who has moved up to the top position from the No. 8 rating of September 2004."