Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday positioned Bastar as the new epicentre of Chhattisgarh’s growth story, declaring that the region will be free of Maoism by March 2026 and emerge as a model of investment-led development. Speaking at the Chhattisgarh Investor Connect summit in Jagdalpur, the Chief Minister said Bastar is moving beyond its troubled past and “ready to write a golden chapter of opportunity, trust, and prosperity.”
Sai emphasised that Bastar’s inclusion in the latest series of Investor Connect summits, after Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul, marks a turning point. “This is the era of bullet train speed. Guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Perform, Reform, and Transform,’ we have framed a new industrial policy that is reshaping Chhattisgarh’s economic landscape,” he said.
The Chief Minister announced that since the launch of the Industrial Policy 2024–30, the state has received investment proposals worth nearly ₹6.65 lakh crore. The policy offers more than 350 reforms and wide-ranging incentives across IT, AI, pharma, textiles, electronics, agro-processing, tourism, and green energy. Bastar, he underlined, will benefit from maximum concessions, with 88% of its blocks placed in the highest-incentive category.
Highlighting infrastructure as the foundation of change, Sai cited major projects, including the Raoghat–Jagdalpur rail line, the Visakhapatnam expressway, survey work on the Kirandul–Telangana rail link, and the upgradation of Maa Danteshwari Airport under the UDAN scheme. Industrial zones have also been established across Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma, and Bijapur.
Special incentives include an additional 10% subsidy for SC/ST entrepreneurs and a 40% wage subsidy for firms employing surrendered Naxalites. Tourism has been accorded industry status, with subsidies of up to 45% for hotels, eco-tourism, wellness, and adventure sports. Skill development centres are being established in all 32 blocks of Bastar to prepare local youth for new opportunities.
The summit concluded on an optimistic note, with NMDC showcasing its contribution to Bastar’s development and certificates of incentive distributed to 34 new industries. Senior officials, including Principal Secretary to the CM Subodh Singh and Bastar Commissioner Doman Singh, joined investors in what the Chief Minister called “a decisive step towards transforming Bastar from a red corridor into a hub of trust, investment, and inclusive growth.”