New Delhi: Weeks before Amit Shah’s 31 March 2026 deadline to eliminate Naxalism, the Chhattisgarh government laid out a roadmap for the development of Bastar—a Naxal hotbed until recently—in its 2026-27 budget that includes big announcements for the region.
The government has allocated Rs 100 crore for Abujhmad and Jagargunda for the establishment of what it has called ‘Education Cities’ in Bastar.
With the same goal, an additional Rs 50 crore has been allocated for the construction of three new medical colleges—one in Bastar’s Dantewada in southern Chhattisgarh, and two others in Kunkuri and Manendragarh in the Surguja division, the state’s other tribal belt in northern Chhattisgarh.
Moreover, the budget allocated Rs 2,024 crore for building the Matnar and Deurgaon barrages on the Indravati River in Bastar, Rs five crore under the BastarNet project for maintaining reliable internet services in the region, and a combined Rs 100 crore for subsidy schemes in food processing, agro-forest processing, and allied activities in the tribal-majority areas of Bastar and Surguja.
Chhattisgarh Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary presented the Rs 1.72 lakh crore 2026-27 budget Tuesday.
In his speech, Choudhary, referring to Bastar, said the “dark chapters of its history” had passed.
While presenting the budget, the finance minister recalled the times when he, then the collector of Dantewada, witnessed the destruction of schools, hospitals, hostels, banks, and government offices. People’s dreams and aspirations were crushed under the feet of a “destructive, negative ideology”, he said, adding, “The era of Naxalism was not only one of physical destruction, but also of erosion of trust.”
Choudhary said that while liberation from Naxalism in Bastar was beyond anyone’s imagination, the “Iron Man of New India, the honourable Home Minister, Mr Amit Shah” had pledged to end it by March 2026 and was now making it happen. “Now that the sun is setting on Naxalism and the sacred land of Bastar is returning to peace, reconstruction, and trust, it is our duty to focus our efforts on Bastar’s development while eliminating regional disparities. This model of development will truly be inclusive,” he added.
Developing a tourism hub
Crediting Vishnu Deo Sai’s government for developing Bastar into a “tourism hub”, the finance minister said that Bastar was once a place avoided out of fear. But now, it’s full of tourist attractions, including Chitrakoot, Tirathgarh, Dhudmaras, Tatamari, and Dodkal, Choudhary said.
He said that since tourism had been granted “industry status”, investments in hotels and other tourism sectors in the Bastar and Surguja regions will receive additional benefits under the industrial policy.
In the Surguja region, the budgetary provision for Mainpat—known as ‘the Shimla of Chhattisgarh’—is Rs five crore. Funds have also been allocated for workshops for social media influencers and reputed tour operators, in a bid to elevate the beauty of Bastar and Surguja on the national as well as international tourism stage.
Another Rs 169 crore has been allocated for the expansion of various road networks in the Bastar and Surguja regions.
Choudhary, in his budget speech, also highlighted events, such as the ‘Bastar Olympics’ and the ‘Bastar Pandum’—a cultural festival to showcase the rich heritage and culture of the region—while crediting such events for lakhs of people “joining the mainstream and abandoning the destructive path of Naxalism and contributing to nation-building”.
In its 2026-27 budget, the state government allocated Rs five crore each for the Bastar and Surguja Olympics.
Announcing the allocation of funds for the ‘Education Cities’ in Abujhmad and Jagargunda, Choudhary said, “The place that used to be a Naxalite stronghold will now become synonymous with a centre of education; the youth of Bastar will be seen wearing bison horns on their heads and a stethoscope around their necks.”
According to the state’s plans, the ‘Education Cities’ will house primary schools, higher secondary schools, ITIs, boys’ and girls’ hostels (both pre-matriculation and post-matriculation), and teacher housing. “An eco-system will be developed,” Choudhary promised.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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