Raipur, Jan 26 (PTI) Chhattisgarh, which suffered for years due to Maoist violence, is now poised to root out the menace by March this year, Governor Ramen Deka said on Monday, citing a coordinated security strategy, rehabilitation measures and accelerated development in tribal areas.
More than 2,500 Maoists have given up violence and expressed faith in the Constitution over the past two years in the state, Deka said while addressing the gathering after unfurling the national flag at the Police Parade Grounds here on Republic Day.
“I commend the courage and dedication of our brave security personnel, who remain vigilant day and night in difficult geographical conditions. Our forces have neutralised the Maoist think-tank that spread violence,” he said.
The governor said repeated appeals were made to Maoists to abandon violence and place faith in democracy, and many extremists have responded positively.
“A new rehabilitation policy was formulated, and in the last two years alone, more than 2,500 Maoists have expressed faith in the Constitution,” Deka said.
He said Bastar had borne the maximum brunt of the Maoist violence, and a concrete roadmap has been prepared to heal the region’s wounds.
The governor pointed out that the new industrial policy provides the highest incentives for investment in tribal areas, including subsidised land, special concessions for tribal entrepreneurs and additional incentives for investments of Rs 1,000 crore or projects generating employment for more than 1,000 local people.
He said that basic infrastructure is being strengthened in previously Maoist-affected regions through schemes such as Niyad Nella Naar, with a focus on sustainable development and better utilisation of forest produce to enhance tribal incomes.
Referring to flagship central schemes, Deka said large-scale development work is underway in tribal areas under initiatives such as the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana.
He noted that several schools that had remained closed due to Maoist violence in Bastar have been reopened.
“I firmly believe that the leadership of a developed Chhattisgarh and a developed India will emerge from these very schools,” he said.
Highlighting improvements in healthcare, Deka said medical facilities in the worst-affected areas are being rejuvenated.
The Chintagufa health centre in Sukma has received a national-level quality certification and now provides caesarean delivery services, he said, adding that 51 mobile medical vans were deployed last month to serve particularly vulnerable tribal habitations.
He further said that Ayushman cards have been issued to 81 lakh families under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, 4,106 gram panchayats have been declared TB-free, and cataract surgeries have crossed 2.81 lakh under the blindness prevention programme.
“Our state has been grappling with the problem of sickle cell disease. Effective measures have been taken to overcome this crisis. In the last two years, genetic cards have been distributed to more than 10 million citizens, and a total of 15.2 million people have been screened,” he said.
On education reforms, Deka said that the National Education Policy (NEP) has been adopted to ensure holistic development, with renewed emphasis on India’s scientific heritage.
“The purpose of education is not merely to secure a job, but also to build character. Like Newton and Galileo, our astronomers and mathematicians, such as Aryabhata and Brahmagupta, discovered mathematical formulas hundreds of years ago, strengthening our understanding of the universe. Unfortunately, they were given only a minor place in the curriculum. Now, they have been included in the NEP,” he said.
The governor highlighted that the new industrial policy promotes investment not only in core sectors but also in emerging areas, such as information technology, artificial intelligence and pharmaceuticals, with projects, including a semiconductor plant and an AI data centre park.
The state has received investment proposals worth more than Rs 7.83 lakh crore under the new industrial policy, he added.
Under the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, around 70 lakh women were receiving Rs 1,000 per month, while 4.93 lakh women have become ‘Lakhpati Didis’ through self-help group initiatives, Deka said.
He said Chhattisgarh would play a leading role in achieving India’s target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, with rapid adoption of green energy and a focus on green steel production.
More than 7 crore saplings have been planted under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, he added.
Speaking about water conservation efforts in the state, Deka said surveys have begun to link rivers such as the Indravati and Mahanadi, and extensive groundwater recharge measures have resulted in the construction of more than 1,000 new ponds and the renovation of over 5,000 others in the past two years.
He also recalled the Emergency, and said, “For us, the Constitution is a sacred document. There was an attempt to distort and undermine it by imposing the Emergency in 1975, but it failed thanks to the indomitable courage of our democracy fighters.” Chhattisgarh is a state that fully respects both its freedom fighters and its democracy fighters, and provides them with honorariums, the governor said. PTI TKP ARU
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