Latest news with #Maoism-hit
India Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How Gadchiroli moved on from rifle bore to iron ore
Today, when trains halt at Chandrapur and Ballarpur (formerly Balharshah) stations in eastern Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, passengers often get down on the quiet platforms to grab a cup of tea with vada paos and freshly fried banana is a stark contrast to how things used to be here just a decade ago — platforms had hardly any shops, and passengers rarely opened their coach doors. It's because Chandrapur, which borders the Maoism-hit district of Gadchiroli, was once equally scarred by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).advertisementInterestingly, Gadchiroli, a hotbed of Maoist activity, was carved out of the larger Chandrapur district back in 1982. Chandrapur has been an industrial town since the 1970s — rich in coal mines, with a ferro alloy plant and a super-thermal power station. Most importantly, its neighbouring district has been Nagpur, a significant mainstream the other hand, Gadchiroli, equally rich in natural resources such as iron ore and forest produce, was defined more by its 76% forest cover, and its proximity to Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, India's most dangerous Maoist fact, until the late 2000s, Chandrapur was severely affected by LWE. But today, only sporadic incidents are reported, and the district no longer features among the Union Home Ministry's 38 LWE-affected after sunset, when trains pass through the Chandrapur-Ballarpur stretch, windows and doors remain shut due to the lingering fear of eyes watching from the surrounding fear stems from an incident that remains fresh in people's minds. Around 50 masked Maoists attempted to set a Mumbai-bound passenger train on fire in Chandrapur in up of railway tracks using dynamite was also common in the until a decade ago, this fear persisted even during the day. But today, just about 80 kilometres from Gadchiroli, when passengers step off the train, it signals an improvement not only in the law-and-order situation but also in the overall security perception of the progress appears to be spilling over into neighbouring Gadchiroli as well.A BEACON OF HOPE FORGED IN IRON OREToday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the first phase of a 5-Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) iron ore grinding plant and a 10 MTPA slurry pipeline project at Hedri in Gadchiroli – the first operational iron ore slurry pipeline in the state, giving a much-needed infrastructural and industrial boost to the ore mining began in Gadchiroli's Surjagarh area in 2016, but the new iron ore beneficiation plant is the first dedicated facility of its kind in a district where the economy is primarily driven by forest produce and will also lay the foundation stone for several projects in the Maoist insurgency-affected region, including a 4.5 MTPA integrated steel plant at Konsari, a 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, a school, and the 116-acre Lloyds Township. Lloyds is India's leading iron ore bringing development to a region hasn't been 2010 to 2020, over 50 security personnel have lost their lives here. But there are positive signs too. Not a single fatality from among the security forces has been reported since 2020 in Gadchiroli, only the Gadchiroli Police's elite C-60 commandos, backed by CRPF units and drone surveillance, are disrupting Maoist networks with more force than ever MAOISTS SURRENDERED IN HORDES IN MAHARASHTRAOver the last five years, more than 70 Maoists, with a collective bounty of Rs 2.8 crore, have surrendered in Gadchiroli primary reason for this has been disillusionment with Maoist ideology. Additionally, the Surrender and Rehabilitation policy, which offers an immediate grant of Rs 5 lakh for higher-ranked LWE cadres, and Rs 2.5 lakh for middle/lower-ranked cadres per surrender, has also seemingly served as a major 2005, as many as 704 Maoists have surrendered in to officials, only 40 Maoist cadres remain on record and just 24 are active armed cadres in Gadchiroli, according to intelligence sources, reported The Indian Express in recent surrenders include that of Vimala Chandra Sidam, who had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh and gave herself up in January this year, and Nangsu Tumaretti, who surrendered last year with a bounty of Rs 41 of the biggest blows to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) came in 2021, when top fugitive commander Milind Teltumbde, brother of noted academic and writer Anand Teltumbde, was among 26 Maoists killed in an encounter in Gadchiroli. A central committee member of the CPI (Maoist), Teltumbde carried a bounty of Rs 50 2021, security forces have neutralised at least 56 Maoists in encounters in all comes amid Union Home Minister Amit Shah's declared deadline to end Maoism by March 31, IN GADCHIROLI IS A SLOW BURNThese successes are largely credited to the fact that Gadchiroli has mostly had influential or firebrand leaders as its guardian ministers. Over the past 25 years, the district has been overseen by former Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil, former CM (now Deputy CM) Eknath Shinde, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and current CM Devendra has been a significant contribution from the people too. It must be noted that in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Gadchiroli recorded the second-highest voter turnout in the state at 73.68%, surpassing Mumbai (52.07%) and Pune (60.7%), showing the region's strong engagement with the democratic BJP's Milind Ramji Narote is the MLA from of now, according to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Maoist insurgency in Maharashtra is limited to just two districts, Gadchiroli and claim in June, however, raised eyebrows as Fadnavis had declared part of Gadchiroli, particularly the northern part of the district, "free of Maoist activities" over five months ago and asserted south Gadchiroli would also soon be rid of the Maoist the latest groundwork for one of the most significant development projects in this Maoist-affected district may change the region's development projects come shortly after the state government passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, aimed at combating LWE and "urban Maoism". Introduced in the Assembly by Fadnavis himself, the law empowers the state to declare organisations unlawful, seize their assets, and impose prison terms ranging from 2 to 7 years for involvement in such INITIATIVES HAVE PLAYED A BIG ROLESeveral other initiatives also signal change in the Red the unique "Ek Gaon, Ek Granthalaya" ("One Village, One Library") programme, 71 libraries have been set up over the past two years, enroling more than 8,000 students and providing access to books and learning resources in remote May, Gadchiroli got Maharashtra's first state-of-the-art inflatable theatre. The facility features an air-conditioned auditorium, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and push-back seating, with tickets priced at Rs 100, offering residents a modern cinema experience amid have been quiet contributors too. In the midst of insurgency, individuals like Dr Abhay and Dr Rani Bang have been providing low-cost healthcare to both tribals and local community since the by insurgency, their NGO, SEARCH (Society for Education, Action and Research in Community Health), based in Shodhgram, Gadchiroli, has been pioneered maternal and child health. They train tribal women to deliver neonatal care, and have significantly reduced infant mortality in the bamboo economy offers hope for the region. Reports suggest that villages like Mendha Lekha have benefited through direct sales of bamboo, bypassing middlemen and boosting farmers' incomes. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, which enables tribal villagers to harvest and sell bamboo directly, is proving successful in certain villages of Gadchiroli a region that has been gripped by the roots of Red terror for decades, change may be slow. But the much-needed push for infrastructure signals a potential turning education, and healthcare in the hinterland could further weaken the ideological hold of Maoist groups.- Ends
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chhattisgarh government nod for policy to promote tourism in tribal-dominated areas
The Chhattisgarh Cabinet on Wednesday approved a homestay policy to promote tourism in rural and tribal-dominated areas, including the Maoism-hit Bastar division. The 'Chhattisgarh Homestay Policy 2025-30' was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and comes at a time when security forces are carrying out anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar region. Bastar and Sarguja are the two tribal-dominated regions of the State and are known for their natural beauty. A government official said the homestays would offer a rural life experience to visitors and highlight the regional characteristics of tribal areas, local culture, art and craft. The official added that the policy will benefit the locals by offering them a business opportunity to increase their income, which will play a pivotal role in achieving the goal of 'Vocal for Local' and the development of rural tourism. Another major decision taken during the meeting was the transfer of government employees. Under the Transfer Policy 2025, there will be a window of 11 days for transfers at the State level. Under this policy, transfers will be approved by Ministers of the departments concerned from June 14 to 25. No transfer would be allowed after June 25. The official, however, said that emergency cases could be considered through coordination and added that the applications for transfers would be accepted from June 6 to 13.
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Chhattisgarh govt. nod for policy to promote tourism in tribal-dominated areas
RAIPUR The Chhattisgarh Cabinet on Wednesday approved a homestay policy to promote tourism in rural and tribal-dominated areas, including the Maoism-hit Bastar division. The 'Chhattisgarh Homestay Policy 2025-30' was approved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and comes at a time when security forces are carrying out anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar region. Bastar and Sarguja are the two tribal-dominated regions of the State and are known for their natural beauty. A government official said the homestays would offer a rural life experience to visitors and highlight the regional characteristics of tribal areas, local culture, art and craft. The official added that the policy will benefit the locals by offering them a business opportunity to increase their income, which will play a pivotal role in achieving the goal of 'Vocal for Local' and the development of rural tourism. Another major decision taken during the meeting was the transfer of government employees. Under the Transfer Policy 2025, there will be a window of 11 days for transfers at the State level. Under this policy, transfers will be approved by Ministers of the departments concerned from June 14 to 25. No transfer would be allowed after June 25. The official, however, said that emergency cases could be considered through coordination and added that the applications for transfers would be accepted from June 6 to 13.
