Raipur Diary

Maiden batch of herbal gulal off to Europe 
Setting a new milestone for the women-driven herbal gulal industry, the maiden export batch with 23,000 kg of herbal gulal was exported to Europe through the Mundra port in Gujarat. The items are valued at Rs 42 lakh. In February, an MoU was signed between Shri Ganesha Global Gulal and the Directorate of Horticulture and Farm Forestry for the preparation of this gulal from marigold flowers. Marigold is cultivated at community gardens near gauthans (cattle shed premises). On Sunday, CM Bhupesh Baghel flagged off a truck carrying the herbal gulal. Around 150 women SHGs are engaged in production of herbal gulal and allied items.

Raipur vying to better its Swachh ranking  
Ranked sixth cleanest city by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs last year, Raipur has undertaken various activities in a bid to better its position in the Swachh Survekshan survey for 2022. The city corporation has revived night cleaning efforts at all municipal zones. Mayor Aijaz Dhebar and Commissioner Prabhat Malik urged residents to chip in to turn Raipur plastic free. Door-to-door garbage collection, processing and monitoring has been intensified with the city corporation working on a zero-waste management model. Raipur has improved its position from rank 21st in the survey 2020 to the sixth position the next year.

‘Talks only if Maoists rely on Constitution’
Congress government in Chhattisgarh is willing to initiate peace dialogue with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) but only if they reposed their faith in the Indian constitution. Maoists continue to be most active as they wage war on security forces and the government for over three decades. “The influence of Maoists is on decline and they are on the back foot in Bastar. If they wish to talk then our doors remain open but they should express credence in the constitution,” CM Bhupesh Baghel said. The Naxals had recently shown their inclination to hold a conditional dialogue with the state government.

Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh ejaz@newindianexpress.com