Inter-departmental committee reviews survey data; over 31,000 people from Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur identified as migrants
TFP Bureau, Raipur, April 2, 2026: The Chhattisgarh government has initiated steps to prepare an action plan for the rehabilitation of families from the Bastar division who migrated to neighbouring states, particularly Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The first meeting of the State-Level Inter-Departmental Committee constituted for this purpose was held at Mantralaya (Mahanadi Bhawan) under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Manoj Kumar Pingua.
During the meeting, officials discussed in detail the preparation of a comprehensive rehabilitation strategy for displaced families who had left their native villages in Bastar division for various reasons.
Officials informed the committee that residents from Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts had migrated in large numbers to villages in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. A petition regarding the matter has been submitted before the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on behalf of these families, following which the commission directed the state government to conduct a survey within one month and submit a list of the migrated families.
Acting on these directions, the Divisional Commissioner of Bastar instructed the collectors of Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur to conduct a time-bound survey and submit their reports within 15 days.
According to survey findings presented in the meeting, 2,654 individuals from 618 families of Dantewada district have migrated to 60 villages in Telangana. From Sukma district, 12,026 individuals belonging to 2,733 families have moved to 293 villages, while 5,029 individuals from 994 families of Bijapur district have migrated to 114 villages in Telangana. Altogether, 19,709 individuals from 4,345 families across the three districts have migrated to 467 villages in Telangana.
Similarly, 568 individuals from 125 families of Dantewada district have migrated to 25 villages in Andhra Pradesh, while 10,787 individuals from 2,462 families of Sukma district have moved to 155 villages. From Bijapur district, 34 individuals belonging to seven families have migrated to four villages in Andhra Pradesh. In total, 11,389 individuals from 2,594 families of the three districts have settled in 184 villages across Andhra Pradesh.
Overall, the survey revealed that 31,098 individuals from 6,939 families across 667 villages of Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts have migrated to 651 villages in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
During the meeting, Pingua held a video conference with Bastar Divisional Commissioner Doman Singh and Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj, directing them to coordinate again with officials of neighbouring states to gather more detailed information about the migrated families.
The Additional Chief Secretary also instructed the collectors of Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma to compile detailed information about the migrants by collecting data from their native villages and current places of residence, which would help in preparing an effective rehabilitation plan.
He further directed various departments to designate nodal officers at the earliest to accelerate the preparation of the rehabilitation strategy.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of Forest and Climate Change Department Richa Sharma, Principal Secretary of Tribal and Scheduled Caste Development Sonmani Bora, Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shahla Nigar, Home Department Secretary Neha Champawat, IG Bastar Sundarraj and Bastar Commissioner Doman Singh, along with the collectors of Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma. Officials from the departments of General Administration, Finance, Revenue, School Education, Skill Development and Technical Education and Employment, Commerce and Industry, and Panchayat and Rural Development also participated in the discussion.
