Why in the news
The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister has been dropping in on villages without notice as part of a governance drive, listening to demands and deciding some of them on the spot.
Key facts
- Initiative: Sushasan Tihar 2026 (Good Governance Festival).
- Format: unannounced village visits by CM Vishnu Deo Sai, stressing real-time governance, on-the-spot decisions and ground-level checks.
- Demands raised by villagers: GI tags for their own rice types, irrigation works, and benefits such as sewing machines.
Schemes seen on the ground
| Scheme | What it is |
|---|
| Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) | Housing |
| Mahtari Vandan Yojana | State flagship giving monthly cash (about ₹1,000) to married women |
| Krishak Unnati Yojana | State scheme adding income support for farmers on top of MSP |
| SAMRIDHI-M-CAD | Irrigation modernisation run by the Jal Shakti ministry, from April 2025 |
About SAMRIDHI-M-CAD
- Full name: Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management Programme.
- Tools: pressurised and micro-irrigation, GIS-driven water budgets and management by Water Users’ Committees.
- Goal: better water-use efficiency, in tune with the ‘more crop per drop’ idea.
About GI tags
- A Geographical Indication marks products whose qualities or reputation come from a specific place of origin.
- Legal base: the 1999 GI Act (Geographical Indications of Goods, Registration and Protection).
- Run through the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks’ office, which sits under DPIIT.
- India has registered roughly 700+ GI tags; examples: Darjeeling Tea, Basmati Rice, Kanchipuram Silk, Banarasi Saree, Madhubani Paintings, Mithila Makhana.
| State | Rice GI tags |
|---|
| Kerala | Pokkali, Wayanad Jeerakasala, Wayanad Gandhakasala, Kaipad, Navara, Palakkadan Matta |
| Assam | Joha, Boka Chaul, Chokuwa |
| Bihar | Katarni, Marcha |
| Manipur | Chak-Hao Black Rice |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal Sharbati |
| Several states (IGP region) | Basmati |
Exam angle
- Festival name: Sushasan Tihar 2026.
- GI law year: 1999; nodal department: DPIIT.
- SAMRIDHI-M-CAD: Jal Shakti ministry, started April 2025.