Shah on 2-day CG visit from today as govt showcases post-Maoist development push

Raipur: Union home minister Amit Shah will begin a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh on Monday, marking his first trip to the state since the Centre declared that its March 31, 2026 deadline to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) had been achieved. The visit is being projected as a showcase of Bastar’s transition from a Maoist-affected region to a development-focused governance zone.Shah, who had announced the deadline during his 2024 visit to the state, will attend programmes in Bastar and chair the 26th Central Zonal Council meeting on May 19 in Jagdalpur.The tour will begin in Raipur, where Shah will launch the statewide expansion of the Dial-112 emergency response service.Deputy CM and state’s home minister Vijay Sharma said the upgraded system, earlier operational in 16 districts, will now cover all 33 districts with new response vehicles. Shah is also expected to lay the foundation stone for new forensic science laboratory infrastructure.In Bastar’s Netanar village, Shah will inaugurate a Jan Suvidha Kendra aimed at converting security camps into centres providing healthcare, education, anganwadi services and digital governance facilities. The initiative is intended to shift the image of security camps from anti-Maoist operations to public service delivery.Sharma said that Shah will also meet families of security personnel killed in anti-Maoist operations, victims of Maoist violence and people linked to rehabilitation and development programmes in Bastar.In Jagdalpur, he will pay tribute to slain personnel at Amar Vatika and interact with CAPF personnel, state police, Bastar Fighters, surrendered Maoist cadres, victims of violence and local community representatives at the Bastar Academy of Dance and Literature.Officials are expected to brief the Union minister on changing ground conditions and development works in former insurgency-hit areas. A cultural programme, “Bastar ke Sang”, showcasing tribal traditions and folk art, will conclude the first day of the visit.On May 19, Shah will chair the Central Zonal Council meeting, to be attended by the chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Officials view the decision to hold the meeting in Bastar as a symbolic statement on the region’s improving security and infrastructure.Large parts of Bastar, including Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur, had long faced insurgency, poor connectivity and limited state presence. Over the past two years, the government has expanded security camps and followed them with roads, electrification, mobile connectivity and welfare schemes in remote areas.