Raipur, Aug 06: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday launched the statewide ‘Meri Beti–Mera Abhiman’ campaign under the Vikasit Bharat–Rozgar and Livelihood Guarantee Mission (VB-G Ram Ji), announcing a major push for rural infrastructure, female sanitation, water conservation, and job creation.

The special drive will run from 15 August 2026 to 26 January 2027. Under the initiative, the state government will construct dedicated toilets for girls in all rural government schools and build covered cremation grounds with waiting rooms across villages in Chhattisgarh.

Speaking at Mahanadi Bhawan in Nava Raipur, Chief Minister Sai highlighted that 6,671 girls’ school toilet units will be built in rural areas at an estimated cost of ₹286.85 crore, with each unit costing ₹4.30 lakh. Additionally, 6,524 villages will get new cremation grounds with waiting rooms worth ₹391.44 crore, alongside 549 smaller units at ₹18.22 crore.

Addressing groundwater depletion, the Chief Minister directed officials to install sand filters and recharge structures in 10,027 defunct borewells across the state at an outlay of ₹52.14 crore. Each recharge structure will cost roughly ₹52,000 to tackle drinking water shortages and boost rainwater harvesting.

Highlighting the scope of the VB-G Ram Ji Mission, implemented nationwide on 1 July 2026, Sai stated that daily wages under the scheme have been hiked to ₹300. Gram Sabhas will hold approving authority for all local development projects.

The Chief Minister noted that Chhattisgarh expects to receive nearly ₹6,855 crore combined through MGNREGS and the VB-G Ram Ji Mission during the 2026–27 financial year, with the Union government already releasing the first instalment of over ₹1,538 crore.

To prevent agricultural labour shortages, the scheme allows a temporary suspension of works for up to 60 days during peak farming seasons, balancing the interests of local farmers and wage workers.

The mission encompasses 318 project categories across four major areas: 107 in water conservation, 90 in rural infrastructure, 86 in livelihood promotion, and 35 in climate adaptation. Planned works include check dams, Anganwadi centres, additional classrooms, cold storage units, and flood shelters.

In terms of implementation metrics, Chhattisgarh leads nationally with 98 per cent e-KYC worker completion and ranks second with 99 per cent geo-tagging of assets created under the scheme.

Out of a proposed annual budget of ₹5,591.42 crore for 2026–27 under the mission, the state has already utilized ₹1,264 crore in the first quarter, the Chief Minister added.