GI tag for rice, irrigation, sewing machines: As Chhattisgarh CM travels to villages, residents queue up with requests | India News
4 min readMarwahi, SaktiJun 11, 2026 07:00 AM IST Sitting outdoors on a cot alongside the district collector and senior officials in Marwahi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai listened as villagers queued up to air their grievances. There were complaints about erratic electricity supply and pending road projects. Some sought lift irrigation schemes, colleges and community halls. Members of a women’s self-help group requested support for securing a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Vishnubhog, an organic rice variety grown in the region’s black soil. The meeting in Marwahi, near the Madhya Pradesh border, was one of dozens of such “chaupals” that Sai has conducted across Chhattisgarh over the past 40 days as part of a state-wide outreach programme. Travelling largely by helicopter, the Chief Minister visited more than 30 districts, holding informal public meetings aimed at hearing complaints and demands directly from residents. The Indian Express accompanied Sai during the final leg of the tour in Marwahi in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district. Analysis of the 6.47 lakh complaints received showed that a majority — 5.37 lakh …

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