Bastar Division

Jagdalpur: Yashwant of Sargiguda, a small village in Bastar, is a contrast and an ideal to the youth who rush to the metro cities for the longing of a high paying job and a luxurious life in multinational companies after higher education. However opposite to this Yashwant studied to be the first wood craft designing engineer from Chhattisgarh and left his multi-million rupee package job and dazzling life in Bengaluru to help the youth of his village.

With the passage of time, when his art flourished, he established a small-scale industry of wood crafts at home. Today, more than a hundred tribal artisans are employed here.

Sargiguda village in Bastar block, about 20 km from the district headquarters, is recognized today in Asia as well as parts of Europe because of this one guy who was determined. The result of the hard work and dedication of 28-year-old Yashwant Kashyap is that the demand for wood craft of his disciples is in many countries like Germany, France, UK etc. His father Ramnath is also a renowned woodworker of Chhattisgarh.

Yashwant is now teaching the nuances of bellmetal and iron craft along with wood. Two years ago, he started a small-scale cottage industry at home as a wooden crafts center, which over time is taking the form of a medium industry. Due to this, employment for youth is also increasing. The special thing is that Yashwant imparts this training at no charge. Shriram, Lakhuram, Manbodh and Rainu, who were among Yashwant's disciples, said that Bastar has craftsmen, but not those who teach the specifics of the craft.

Yashwant provides the nuances of the craft, design as well as markets. These young craftsmen said that due to Yashwant, today the demand for their craft is up to seven seas.

Happiness is bigger than money

Yashwant did his early education at the village school. After completing Higher Secondary studies from Bastar, got admission in ITI here. After this he was selected for the Indian Institute of Craft and Design Center Jaipur Rajasthan. There he earned a degree and moved to Bengaluru. Many well-known companies working in the field of designing offered him a job on a package of lakhs of rupees, but he chose to return back to his soil.  

Yashwant says that he could have earned a lot of money by staying there, but he would have never got the happiness and satisfaction of seeing the youth of the village are getting today when they stand on their feet. He said that the art works made in the training center are sold with GI tags to those companies associated with craft exports in Bangalore, who export crafts in the country as well as all over the world.

Raipur: Congress has recorded a big victory in Bastar by – election with a heavy margin of 17862 votes. This not only has clean bolded BJP in the state assembly seats but has also established Congress once again very strongly in Chhattisgarh.

Congress candidate Rajman Benzam has defeated BJP candidate Lachhuram Kashyap by heavy votes.

With the victory in Chitrakoot by-election, the position of Congress-BJP in Bastar division has become 12-0. At the same time, the BJP's seats within the Assembly have reduced to 14 while the Congress's position has increased from 68 to 69.

BJP was successful to acquire the Dantewada seat in Assembly elections with the victory of late MLA Bhima Mandavi. Mandavi was killed in an IED blast by Naxalites. After which this seat was vacant, but in the by-election held here recently , Devati Karma of Congress won the seat BJP candidate and Bhima Mandavi's wife Ojaswi Mandavi.

Deepak Baij who was elected as MLA from Chitrakoot, won the Lok Sabha elections. Due to which this seat was empty. To win this seat, the BJP had put all its strength here but the Congress managed to save this seat in the by-election. CM Bhupesh Baghel very crisply tweeted about the huge victory of Congress saying- Danteshwari Mata ki Jai 

दंतेश्वरी माई की जय।#चित्रकोट_उपचुनाव #ElectionResults2019

— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) 24 अक्तूबर 2019

Kondagaon : Three people were charred to death when a shop in which firecrackers were stored caught fire in makdi village of Kondagaon district ,said police on Tuesday .

According to Kondagaon police, a local grocery shop owner Kashi Sen used to sell firecrackers for which he was granted licence, on the occasion of Diwali. He along with two of his friends, identified as Balram Netam and Shivlal Shrimali, slept inside the shop on Sunday night after it was closed. The accident took place in grocer Kashi Sen’s shop late on Sunday night.

Police said that Sen ran a grocery shop at Bazaar Chowk in the village and also sold firecrackers from there during Diwali festival as he had a license.

Sen sold firecrackers to the villagers on Sunday on Diwali and his two friends – Balram Netam and Shivlal Shrimali – pitched in to help him in managing the crowd at the shop.

The three remained inside the shop after pulling the shutters and the firecrackers stored there caught fire at around 11.30pm, police said.

An official said police rushed to the spot and that the flames were doused with the help of locals.

The flames, however, gutted the entire shop and the three men died on the spot.

A team of experts from a forensic science laboratory visited the site on Monday morning to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

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The Chitrakoot assembly by-election has seen a lot of enthusiasm among the voters, by 5 pm when the voting exercise was over a total of 75% had casted their votes. There was tremendous enthusiasm seen in people right since 8 am. Despite being a Naxalite affected area, people stood in long queues to caste their vote.  

As per statstics the voting had seen a gradual rise with 9 per cent done till 9 am, 16 per cent done till 10 am, 39.53 per cent done till 12 am, 56 per cent done by 2 pm, 65 per cent polling done till 3 pm, 69.85 per cent polling done till 4 pm and 75 per cent polling till 5 pm.

Meanwhile Jogi Congress has accused the Election Commission. State President of Janta Congress Chhattisgarh  Amit Jogi said in a tweet “ look how during the Chitrakoot by-election, the presiding officers of booth number 15 are going with the voters  till the EVM machine and are making them vote in favor of Congress. He also questioned the election commission of why no action was taken even after the said booth was complained about.

संशोधित-गौर से देखिए किस तरह चित्रकोट उपचुनाव के दौरान बूथ क्रमांक 14 मारडुम के पीठासीन अधिकारी मतदाताओं को EVM मशीन तक जाकर @INCChhattisgarh के पक्ष में मतदान करवा रहे हैं! पैसे और प्रशासन का खुला दुरुपयोग पर शिकायत करने के बाद भी @ECISVEEP क्यों नहीं रोक लगा पा रहा है? pic.twitter.com/gyxqWofcvo

— Amit Jogi (@amitjogi) 21 अक्तूबर 2019

Chief Electoral Officer Subrata Sahu said that immediately after receiving the complaint, the presiding officer of booth number 15 Matnar was suspended.

One lakh 67 thousand 911 voters were there in Assembly by-election. These include 79 thousand 284 male voters and 88 thousand 626 female voters as well as a third gender voters. 

Lachhuram Kashyap from BJP, Rajman Benzam from Congress, Hidoram Mandavi from Communist Party, Lakeshwar Kawasi from Ambedkar Right Party, Bomdaram Mandavi from Janata Congress Party and Independent candidate Ritika Karma are contesting for the post of MLA in the CHitrakoot by election. 

229 polling stations had been set up for Chitrakote assembly by-election. Of these, 213 polling stations were located in Bastar district and 16 polling stations were located in Sukma district. 916 polling personnel had been deployed for these polling stations. These include the presiding officer as well as three more polling party officials. To ensure fair and free voting, micro observers were also deployed in 58 sensitive polling stations.