Advani flags off Chhattisgarh CM`s `Vikas Yatra`

Raipur: Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Monday flagged off Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh`s state- wide `Vikas Yatra` which will cover over 6,000 km and conclude on June 20.

Advani flagged off the campaign this afternoon from Dantewada district in Bastar region after offering prayers at the famous Danteshwari temple, official sources said here. The CM`s mass contact programme comes just six months ahead of the Assembly elections. Speaking on the occasion, Advani said such campaigns play an important role in creating awareness about political and social issues. In this context, he cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi`s famous `Dandi March`. The BJP-ruled tribal-dominated state, under the dynamic leadership of Singh, has made rapid strides on the path of development, Advani maintained. In the past one decade, Chhattisgarh has launched several welfare schemes for ST/SCs and weaker sections of the society, he said. The aim of the yatra is to apprise the people about welfare initiatives being implemented by the BJP government, Advani said. Development and infrastructure projects, worth Rs 81 crore, were launched on the occasion, the sources said. The chief minister will cover 81 of the 90 Assembly constituencies during his nearly one-and-a-half-month long yatra. PTI