Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai chaired the first meeting of the reconstituted Central Region Tribal Development Authority at the Korba Collectorate on Wednesday, affirming the government’s commitment to the welfare and holistic development of tribal communities.
He declared that the budget of the Authority has been raised from ₹50 crore to ₹75 crore to accelerate development works in the Central Region’s Scheduled Tribe areas. “The government is taking all concrete measures for the welfare and holistic development of tribal communities, and there would be no shortage of resources for development works,” CM Sai said.
Restructured Authorities for Inclusive Growth
The Chief Minister explained that new structures, including the Bastar, Surguja and Central Region Tribal Development Authorities, have been formed to ensure transparency, accountability, and delivery of services. He said membership now includes MPs, district panchayat chairpersons, social workers, and experts in tribal development to strengthen planning and monitoring.
Highlighting lapses under the previous government, Sai said schemes failed earlier due to poor accountability and monitoring, which his government aims to correct through restructured authorities.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma stressed the importance of preserving tribal culture and suggested de-addiction centres, early education promotion, and permanent irrigation connections for PVTG farmers. Deputy CM Arun Sao underlined that the CM’s personal presence in Korba demonstrated his commitment, noting such a meeting was last held on November 30, 2019.
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Vice-Chairman Pranav Kumar Marpachchi said the increased budget would significantly boost development initiatives in tribal-dominated areas.
New Investments in Sports, Education, Tourism and Irrigation
CM Sai announced ₹10 crore each for boys’ and girls’ sports complexes in Korba, and another ₹20 crore for two sports complexes dedicated to PVTG athletes. He sanctioned ₹5 crore for a residential school for PVTG students.
For infrastructure, ₹9 crore was allocated for the construction of the Sunalia Bridge in Korba to streamline traffic. The CM also instructed Forest Department officials to expedite the Buka-Satrenga tourism project and submit a report within two months.
On irrigation, CM Sai said ₹2,800 crore has been sanctioned to complete 115 pending projects, which will benefit around 76,000 hectares of farmland.
Reviewing past performance, CM Sai noted that in 2021-22, 539 out of 544 sanctioned works were completed; in 2022-23, 482 out of 491; in 2023-24, 424 out of 464; and in 2024-25, 123 out of 508 works have been completed so far, with the rest in progress. He instructed authorities to complete all pending works quickly.
The meeting was attended by Deputy CMs Vijay Sharma and Arun Sao, Ministers Ramvichar Netam, Dayal Das Baghel, Kedar Kashyap and others, along with MPs, MLAs, district panchayat leaders, senior administrative officers, and collectors.
