New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said efforts were being made to improve primary infrastructure and facilities in Chhattisgarh, where the Congress rule had failed to provide even basic amenities for decades.
Outlining the BJP government's efforts to rebuild Bastar and rehabilitate victims of Left-Wing Extremism, Shah said eliminating Naxalism was not enough; the government must also address the suffering it had caused over five decades, particularly among the region's poor tribal communities.
Addressing virtually a ceremony to provide assistance to Chhattisgarh's Naxal-affected, Shah said a disability assistance programme held in Jagdalpur from October 5-7 had benefitted more than 3,600 people with disabilities, including around 1,570 in Bastar alone.
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The current initiative provides assistive devices, including artificial limbs, wheelchairs, tricycles, hearing aids and walking sticks, to people affected by Naxalism.
"The end of Naxalism does not mean that we can erase the suffering of these five decades," Shah said, adding that the government must help victims rebuild their lives and dignity.
He assured the state government of Central support in such efforts.
Citing the measures taken to rehabilitate former extremists and to extend basic services in affected areas, the Home Minister said approximately 8,526 Naxalites had surrendered. Around 7,500 people without bank accounts were provided with them, and 1,625 people received reward money.
Incentive payments were provided to 7,882 people; 455 received jobs, and 129 were allotted land, he said.
He said security camps will be converted into service centres and community facilities, allowing government officials to focus on health, education, employment and other development needs.
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"The very places where our security personnel once sat to protect you will now become the places where officials from the Government of India and the Chhattisgarh government will lay the foundation for a developed Bastar," The Union minister said.
The centres would help address children's health and education needs, employment concerns among young people and the economic needs of tribal communities, he said.
Shah also highlighted the state government's initiatives such as the Bastar Olympics, Bastar Pandum and the Niyad Nellanar scheme, saying they were intended to revive tribal culture, improve infrastructure and restore normal life in areas affected by violence.
He said the Bastar Olympics has brought people together for sports in places where gunfire and bomb blasts once created an atmosphere of fear.
Through Bastar Pandum, the government seeks to revive tribal art and culture, while the Niyad Nellanar scheme will improve basic facilities in remote areas, he said.
Shah said the government was determined to eliminate the remaining traces of Naxalism and restore Bastar as a peaceful and prosperous region.
"Simply eliminating Naxalism will not be enough. We must eliminate every trace of it and rebuild Bastar as a happy and vibrant place," he said.