Kumar Bahukhandi
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai buys an earthen lamp from roadside vendor Meera during an interaction at Telibandha Marine Drive in Raipur on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Photo Credit: channel24india.com via CG/DPR
Vishnu Deo Sai buys an earthen lamp from roadside seller Meera at Telibandha, asks whether welfare schemes are reaching her
Key Highlights
- Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai stopped at a roadside stall at Telibandha Marine Drive and interacted with earthen-lamp seller Meera.
- He bought an earthen diya for the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme and gave the vendor ₹1,000.
- Meera told the Chief Minister that she has a Jan Dhan bank account and receives ₹1,000 a month under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana.
- Sai stressed the importance of supporting local vendors, potters and artisans as part of strengthening local livelihoods.
- The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan will run from September 17 to October 17, with an emphasis on service and public participation.
Raipur: It was an ordinary day of selling earthen lamps by the roadside for Meera until an unexpected visitor stopped at her modest stall at Telibandha Marine Drive in Raipur on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 .
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai stepped out to meet the woman vendor, looked through the earthen lamps arranged for sale and bought a diya from her for the upcoming ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme. He gave her ₹1,000, turning a brief roadside purchase into a conversation about livelihood, dignity and whether government welfare schemes were actually reaching people at the grassroots.
Sai spoke to Meera about her work and family and asked whether she was receiving benefits under Central and State government schemes.
Meera told him that she had a bank account under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and was also receiving ₹1,000 every month under the Chhattisgarh Government’s Mahtari Vandan Yojana.
For the Chief Minister, the answer offered an opportunity to underline what he described as the real test of welfare delivery.
“Government schemes become meaningful only when their benefits reach the person who needs them, provide support and help improve their life,” Sai said.
He said ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive welfare benefits directly and transparently remains a priority of the government.
A moment of livelihood and dignity: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai interacts with Meera as she shows him earthen lamps at her roadside stall at Telibandha Marine Drive in Raipur on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. Photo Credit: channel24india.com via CG/DPR
Referring to financial inclusion, Sai said the Jan Dhan initiative had brought economically weaker and previously unbanked families into the formal banking system, making direct transfer of benefits possible.
“Through the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, mothers and sisters of Chhattisgarh are receiving financial assistance of ₹1,000 every month. Besides helping them meet everyday expenses, the assistance is also strengthening their economic confidence,” the Chief Minister said.
A Roadside Purchase With a Larger Message
Sai also used his interaction with Meera to highlight the contribution of small vendors, potters, artisans and women producing and selling goods locally.
“Whether they are small roadside vendors, potters, artisans or our mothers and sisters making local products, the strength of an Atmanirbhar Chhattisgarh lies in their labour,” he said.
The Chief Minister said purchasing locally made goods should be viewed as more than a commercial transaction because every such product carries the labour and skill of the person who makes or sells it.
“Behind a local product is a family’s labour, an artisan’s skill and the livelihood and self-respect of a small entrepreneur. When we buy from local vendors and artisans, even a small purchase supports their family and livelihood,” Sai said.
The diya purchased from Meera is to become part of the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ programme under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’.
Drawing on the symbolism of the earthen lamp, Sai said a diya represents more than illumination in Indian culture.
“A diya is not merely a source of light; it is a symbol of hope and positive resolve. Just as a small lamp dispels the darkness around it, an individual act of service can contribute to larger positive change when society acts together,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ initiative seeks to connect service, public participation and development through collective involvement.
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is scheduled to run from September 17 to October 17. Sai appealed to people to participate through activities such as cleanliness drives, environmental conservation, helping those in need, planting and caring for trees and supporting local artisans and vendors.
“No act of service is too small. Helping someone in need, keeping our surroundings clean, planting and caring for a tree, buying something from a local artisan or making any small contribution for society can become an important form of public service,” Sai said.
What began as a brief halt beside a roadside stall ultimately carried a wider message. For Meera, it meant recognition of the work through which she earns her livelihood. For the Chief Minister, the small earthen lamp became a symbol through which he sought to connect welfare delivery, local enterprise and public service.
In that sense, the most striking element of the encounter was perhaps its simplest one — a small diya bought from a roadside vendor becoming a conversation about livelihood, dignity and participation.
