Tech slogans out, Hindi banners in for Jogi

In the next three months, the Publicity Department will sell the Jogi brand through giant hoardings to be installed at vintage points in urban towns, display boards on state and national highways and lakhs of newly-designed books, journals and special publications. Approximately, the department proposes to put up 20,000 hoardings in all 16 districts of the state, including the state’s interiors.

The text in Hindi and designs of all these hoardings have been approved by Jogi and are ready for display. Each multi-coloured hoarding, with the CM’s picture in one corner, is likely to cost between Rs 15,000 and Rs 22,000 but that is not a problem with the government.

Raut says, ‘‘We have not studied the exact financial implication. It’s also not the PR department that will spend its entire budget on this. We will ask the respective government departments to bear the cost. After all, we are doing their job to take the government schemes to the masses.’’

Till now, the government has been largely banking on the official website to highlight policy initiatives but bureaucrat-turned-politician Jogi knows this will not fetch him votes. ‘‘So he decided to go beyond the scope of website and tell the people what he has he done in the past two-and-half years for the state,’’ says an aide.

Take roads, for example, the hoardings will scream — Vikas Path: Chhattisgarh ki pehchan, ab uski saaf, suthri aur shandar sadak (Road to prosperity and development: Chhattisgarh is known for its roads). The hoarding will also mention the Rs 1,000 crore spent on the reconstruction and upgradation of the roads.

As far as Chhattisgarh’s much-publicised surplus power is concerned, sample the slogan: Chhattisgarh ki takat, bane aam admi ki takat (Chhattisgarh’s power should become every individual’s strength). Agriculture, irrigation, infrastructure, education, e-governance, tribal development, drought relief operations, social welfare and better fiscal discipline — the government expenditure capped at 40 per cent — people will see it all on the hoardings. Nai soch naye sapne, Chhattisgarh naye Bharat ka Chamkta Hua chamkila sitara (With new thinking, new dreams, Chhattisgarh is a rising star on India’s horizon) are few other themes.

Four new books with information on the districts and development schemes are already out. Panchman, the official journal of the Panchayat Raj Department, is being redesigned to give it a professional look. Vikas Rath, the giant publicity van, that had remained grounded, even proposed to be sold as junk at one point, has been sent for repairs.