Shah reaffirms March 2026 deadline to end Maoist insurgency, unveils development roadmap for Bastar

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Maoist violence would be eliminated from Bastar and the rest of the country by March 31, 2026, declaring that India is now “standing at the threshold” of becoming free from Left Wing Extremism. Addressing the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics 2025 in Jagdalpur, Shah said the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government were working in close coordination to ensure that peace, development and opportunity replace decades of conflict in the region.

With Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma present, Shah said the government’s resolve was not limited to ending violence but extended to transforming Bastar into one of the country’s most developed tribal regions by December 2030. He outlined an expansive vision covering the seven districts of Bastar division, Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Dantewada, promising universal access to housing, electricity, toilets, piped drinking water, cooking gas, free food grains and healthcare of up to ₹5 lakh per family.

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Reiterating the Centre’s long-term commitment, Shah said every village in Bastar would be connected by roads, banking facilities would be available within a five-kilometre radius, and a dense network of primary and community health centres would be established. He also announced plans to set up cooperative based units for forest produce processing, expand dairy activity to boost rural incomes, develop new industries, strengthen higher education facilities, and build a modern sports complex and advanced hospitals in the region. Special schemes to address malnutrition and an enhanced rehabilitation package for surrendered Maoists and those injured due to insurgency related violence were also highlighted.

Referring to the Bastar Olympics as a symbol of changing ground realities, Shah said the 2025 edition featured teams from all seven districts, along with a special team comprising surrendered Maoists. He described the participation of more than 700 former cadres as a powerful message of reintegration and hope. “These young people chose hope over fear, unity over division, and development over destruction,” he said, urging those still involved in violence to lay down arms and join the mainstream under the government’s rehabilitation policy.

Shah noted a sharp rise in participation at the event, with nearly 3.91 lakh athletes taking part this year compared to 1.65 lakh last year, and said women’s participation had increased nearly threefold. He added that teams from the Sports Authority of India were present to identify talent and groom promising athletes for national and international competitions, including future Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. He also said Chhattisgarh had been selected to host the Khelo India Tribal Games, reflecting growing national recognition of Bastar’s sporting potential.

Highlighting cultural preservation, the Home Minister said the state government had set up modern recording studios to document traditional tribal music and revive festivals that were once on the verge of disappearing due to insurgency. Bastar’s rich traditions, he said, were not only a heritage of Chhattisgarh but of the entire country.

Shah stressed that the government’s objective was never limited to neutralising Maoists through force alone, pointing out that more than 2,000 youths had surrendered in recent years. He credited tribal leaders and community elders for playing a crucial role in persuading young people to abandon violence, and appealed to social leaders to continue encouraging those still in the forests to return to society.

Describing Bastar as a region in transition, Shah said places once marked by gunfire were now echoing with school bells, and areas where roads and railways were once unimaginable were now seeing rapid infrastructure expansion. “Peace alone paves the way for development,” he said, adding that with sustained cooperation between the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government, Bastar is moving from fear to the future.

The Union Home Minister’s Bastar visit, which included a warm reception at Jagdalpur airport by notable political figures and senior officials, is being seen as a reaffirmation of the Centre’s focus on security, development and youth engagement in one of India’s most sensitive regions.