PM Hails Bastar’s Transformation; CM Sai Vows to End Maoism by 2026
Today, the youth of Bastar are taking sports instead of guns.
Raipur: Transformation of Leftwing extremism- affected Bastar in Chhattisgarh has figured in the Independence Day address to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Friday.
In his Independence Day speech, Mr. Modi said that there was a time when the very name of Bastar evoked memories of Naxalism and violence, but ‘today, the picture has completely changed’.
“Today, the youth of Bastar are taking sports instead of guns. Events like Bastar Olympics have become a symbol of energy, talent, and enthusiasm of the youth there”, he said.
The PM described this transformation as the result of security, development, and people’s participation.
The region is witnessing growth of sports, education and tourism sectors, giving a boost to employment opportunities.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday pledged to end Maoist menace in Bastar by March 2026.
Taking salute of the 79th Independence Day parade at Raipur, Mr. Sai said that the aggressive anti-Naxal operations coupled with attractive Naxal surrender policy had led to sharp decline of Leftwing extremism in Bastar in the last one and half years.
Security forces were now hitting the Maoists in their hideouts, he said.
Mr. Sai said that as many as 450 Naxals were killed in the last one and half years.
Similarly, 1,578 Maoists were arrested and 1,589 others surrendered during the period.
As many as 50 schools in Bastar which had remained closed for two decades due to Naxal threats have now reopened, while 326 villages in the region have received basic amenities, he said.
Meanwhile, 29 villages in south Bastar, once a Maoist-stronghold, celebrated Independence Day for the first time this year.
While the Indian Tricolour was hoisted for the first time in 11 villages in Abujhmad of Narayanpur district, 11 villages in Bijapur district and seven villages in Sukma district celebrated the Independence Day for the first time this year, Bastar police said.
Maoists used to hoist black flags in these villages on the Independence Day and Republic Day earlier as a mark of defiance to the Indian constitution.
