Once a Maoist bastion, Bastar’s Usoor now among India’s top-performing blocks

Raipur: Bijapur’s remote Usoor block, once counted among Bastar’s toughest Maoist-hit zones, has secured the second position nationally in NITI Aayog’s ‘champions of the quarter’ rankings for aspirational blocks in the central zone for Oct-Dec 2025 — giving turnaround to a region long associated with conflict, isolation and poor access to healthcare.There was a time when reaching many villages in Usoor meant crossing forests shadowed by Maoist violence, broken roads and near-absent healthcare access. Today, the same block has emerged as one of India’s top-performing aspirational blocks.The achievement has become more than just a bureaucratic ranking in Bastar — it is a symbolic shift in a region once associated almost entirely with conflict, isolation and governance vacuum.The rankings were based on key health and social development indicators, including control of communicable diseases, institutional deliveries, vaccination coverage and screening for serious illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer.Officials said Usoor showed strong improvement in malaria and dengue control campaigns, maternal healthcare access and immunisation coverage, including HPV vaccination in remote villages.For many health workers in Bastar, the recognition feels deeply personal.In villages where health teams once travelled under security escort or struggled to convince families to access institutional healthcare, local mitanins, ANMs and frontline workers are now being credited for carrying govt services into some of the state’s toughest terrains.Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the achievement as proof that governance delivery was finally reaching the “last mile”.“Usoor securing second place nationally is direct evidence of effective implementation of welfare schemes and good governance even in difficult regions,” Sai said, congratulating residents, healthcare staff and district officials.Over the past year, the state has aggressively pushed healthcare outreach programmes, mobile medical services, vaccination drives and institutional delivery campaigns in deep interior areas of south Bastar.Officials said institutional deliveries in Usoor saw a significant rise, helping reduce maternal and infant mortality risks in remote tribal settlements.NITI Aayog assessed aspirational blocks on key health and social development indicators, where Usoor emerged as a standout performer in multiple categories:Communicable disease control: Intensive campaigns against malaria, dengue and other infectious diseases were carried out deep inside remote villages.Safe motherhood: Institutional deliveries saw a sharp rise, leading to a significant reduction in maternal and infant mortality.Stronger vaccination coverage: Regular immunisation drives for children and pregnant women, including successful grassroots implementation of HPV vaccination, boosted healthcare outreach.Screening for major illnesses: Free screening and treatment facilities for non-communicable diseases such as BP, diabetes and cancer were expanded to village level.