Jagdalpur, December 13, 2025: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, addressing the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh today, said that in the next 5 years, the Bastar division will become the most developed tribal division in the country.
Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have resolved to make the entire Bastar and India Naxal-free.
They would not stop here, and the Bastar division, comprising the 7 districts of Kanker, Kondagaon, Bastar, Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Dantewada, will become the most developed tribal division in the country by December 2030, he said.
Providing every person in Bastar with a house, electricity, toilet, tap water, gas cylinder, 5 kg of food grains, and free treatment up to Rs. 5 lakh is the resolve of their government, the Home Minister said.
We have resolved to make Bastar the most developed tribal division in the country in the next five years, Shah said.
On this occasion, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, along with many other dignitaries, were present.
Shah said that they had decided to eliminate the red terror from the entire country before March 31, 2026, and today, at the Bastar Olympics-2025, they stand on the verge of achieving that.
By November-December of next year, by the time of the Bastar Olympics-2026, the red terror will have been eradicated from the whole of India and Chhattisgarh, and a Naxal-free Bastar will be moving forward, he said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Government of India and the Government of Chhattisgarh under the leadership of Vishnu Dev Sai will work together shoulder to shoulder to make Bastar a developed Bastar, the Home Minister said.
Every village in Bastar will be connected by roads, there will be electricity, banking facilities will be available within a 5-kilometer radius, and the government will also work to create the densest network of PHCs/CHCs, Shah said.
Units for processing forest produce will be set up in Chhattisgarh on a cooperative basis, he said adding that all seven districts of Bastar will become the highest milk-producing districts among all tribal districts, thereby increasing their income through dairy farming.
Shah said that they will also establish new industries, higher education facilities, the best sports complex and a state-of-the-art hospital in Bastar.
He said that a special scheme will also be launched here to address malnutrition. He further stated that they will introduce a very attractive rehabilitation scheme for those who have surrendered and those who have been injured due to Naxalism.
The Home Minister said that our goal is to eliminate Naxalism because the Naxalites are sitting like a snake with its fangs bared, hindering the development of this region. He said that with the end of Naxalism, a new era of development will begin in this region, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Sai, it will become the most developed region.
Shah said that in the Bastar Olympics-2025, there were seven teams from seven districts and one team of surrendered Naxalites. He said it was very heartening to see that more than 700 surrendered Naxalites participated in these games.
He said that their entire lives would have been ruined by falling into the trap of Naxalism, but today more than 700 such young people who have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream have come forward through sports.
Shah reiterated that by March 31, 2026, this country will be free from Naxalism. He appealed to the Naxalites involved in violence, saying that those of our people who are still misguided and holding weapons should lay down their arms, take advantage of the rehabilitation policy, think about their own and their family’s welfare, and join the resolve for a developed Bastar.
He said that Naxalism does not benefit anyone, neither the people who take up arms, nor the tribals, nor the security forces. He said that only peace can pave the way for development.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the 700 surrendered Naxalites, who participated as players in these games, have set a great example for the entire country.
He said that these players have chosen hope over fear, unity over division, and development over destruction, and this is the vision of Prime Minister Modi’s New India and developed Bastar.
Shah said that the culture of our Bastar is the richest culture in the world. He said that the food, environment, art, musical instruments, dances, and traditional games of all the tribes are not only the richest heritage of Chhattisgarh but of the whole of India.
Amit Shah said that recently, the Chhattisgarh government has set up a modern recording studio to preserve the traditional songs of this region. He said that many traditional festivals and celebrations, which were on the verge of extinction due to the red terror of Naxalism, have also been revived.
He said that a team of officials from the Sports Authority of India has come here to identify the talent of the players, who participated in the Bastar Olympics today. Shah said that our government has made arrangements to identify the talent of these players and ensure that players from Bastar participate in the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games.
Shah said that last year 1,65,000 players participated in the Bastar Olympics, while this year 3,91,000 players participated, which is an increase of almost two and a half times, and the participation of women has increased by almost three times.
He said that seeing this enthusiasm, Prime Minister Modi has chosen Chhattisgarh for the Khelo India Tribal Games in the coming days.
The Union Home Minister said that Bastar is now changing, and Bastar has now become synonymous with the future, not fear. Where the sound of bullets was heard, today school bells are ringing. Where building roads was a dream, today railway tracks and highways are being laid. Where slogans of “Lal Salaam” (Red Salute) were raised, today slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Victory to Mother India) are being chanted. He said that we are all committed to a developed Bastar.
He said that the Government of India and the Chhattisgarh government did not have the objective of killing Naxalites in encounters, because more than 2000 Naxalite youth have also surrendered. He said that the leaders of our tribal community have made a great contribution in this; their guidance has encouraged and given courage to the Naxalite youth. The Home Minister appealed to the community leaders and social workers to convince those who are still carrying weapons to return to the mainstream of society.
