TFP Bureau, Raipur, December 13, 2025: Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that Naxalism will be completely eliminated from Bastar and the entire country by March 31, 2026, declaring that the region is witnessing a historic transition from violence to development. Addressing the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics 2025 in Jagdalpur, the Home Minister said the next edition of the Bastar Olympics, to be held in 2026, will take place in a Naxalism-free Bastar.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma, senior officials and thousands of sportspersons from across the Bastar division. Describing the occasion as a symbol of changing Bastar, Shri Shah said the nation now stands on the threshold of fulfilling its resolve to end Left-wing extremism, a goal pursued under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
The Home Minister said that beyond eliminating Naxalism, the government has set an ambitious target to transform the seven-district Bastar division—Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Dantewada—into the country’s most developed tribal region within the next five years. He said the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government are working “shoulder to shoulder” to ensure holistic development and lasting peace in the region.
Shri Shah outlined an extensive development roadmap for Bastar, stating that every family will have access to housing, electricity, toilets, piped drinking water, LPG connections, 5 kg of free food grains and free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. He added that all villages will be connected by roads, electricity will reach the remotest hamlets, banking facilities will be available within a five-kilometre radius, and Bastar will have one of the densest networks of primary and community health centres in the country.
Emphasising livelihood generation, the Home Minister said cooperative-based forest produce processing units will be set up, while all seven districts will be developed as leading tribal regions in milk production to boost incomes through dairying. New industries, higher education institutions, state-of-the-art hospitals and one of the country’s finest sports complexes will be established in Bastar. Special schemes to combat malnutrition will also be launched.
A key highlight of the Bastar Olympics 2025, Shri Shah said, was the participation of more than 700 youths who had surrendered after abandoning Naxalism. Calling it a moment of pride for the entire nation, he said these young men and women chose “hope over fear and development over destruction”, reflecting Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a developed Bastar. A special team comprising surrendered Naxals also took part in the games, symbolising their successful reintegration into the mainstream.
Appealing to armed Naxals to shun violence, Shri Shah said peace alone can pave the way for development. He urged them to lay down arms, avail the government’s rehabilitation policy, think about the future of their families and join the national development journey. He announced that the government will soon introduce an attractive rehabilitation package for surrendered Naxals as well as enhanced support for victims of Naxal violence.
Highlighting the growing role of sports in social transformation, the Home Minister said participation in the Bastar Olympics has increased dramatically—from 1.65 lakh players last year to 3.91 lakh this year, a nearly two-and-a-half-fold rise. Women’s participation, he added, has grown almost threefold. Encouraged by this response, Prime Minister Modi has selected Chhattisgarh to host the Khelo India Tribal Games.
Shri Shah said officials from the Sports Authority of India have already visited Bastar to identify talent, and arrangements are being made to ensure that sportspersons from the region compete at national and international levels, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.
Reflecting on Bastar’s transformation, the Home Minister said where gunshots once echoed, school bells now ring; where slogans of “Lal Salaam” once dominated, chants of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” now resonate. He credited tribal community leaders and social workers for guiding misguided youths back to the mainstream and appealed to them to continue counselling those still holding weapons.
“Bastar is no longer a symbol of fear, but of the future,” Shri Shah said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to building a peaceful, prosperous and developed Bastar through security, trust and inclusive growth.
