New Industrial Area Being Developed Over 118 Acres Will Become A Strong Foundation For Employment For The People of Bastar

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attends the closing ceremony of Bastar Pandum 2026 in Chhattisgarh as the chief guest

Bastar’s identity is not gunpowder; its real identity lies in its rich culture and heritage

’Bastar Pandum’ has revived local culture by encompassing Bastar’s cuisine, dance and 12 cultural disciplines

Participation of 55,000 tribals in Bastar Pandum proves that Bastar is shedding the fear of Naxalism

The Modi government, fully committed to the protection of tribal communities, is giving global recognition to Bastar’s dance, art and tribal culture

Those Naxals who surrender will be rehabilitated by the government, but weapons will be met with weapons

In the next five years, Bastar will emerge as the most developed among all tribal regions; new tourism activities will generate employment

Declaring Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas and his 150th birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Year reflects PM Shri Modi’s respect for the tribal community

The core objective of the fight against Naxalism is the protection of tribal farmers, innocent children and women

A new industrial area being developed over 118 acres will become a strong foundation for employment for the people of Bastar

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is to take Bastar’s culture to the nation and the world

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attended the closing ceremony of Bastar Pandum 2026 in Chhattisgarh as the chief guest. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma and several dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Amit Shah said that Bastar, which a few years ago lived under the shadow of fear due to Naxalism—where mortar shells, gunfire and IED blasts spread terror among tribal brothers and sisters—has today witnessed 55,000 people reviving its culture through 12 disciplines, including cuisine, folk songs, dance, theatre, attire, traditions and forest-based medicines. He termed it a remarkable achievement.

Shri Shah said the Chhattisgarh government has infused new life into Bastar’s culture. In the previous Bastar Pandum, competitions were held in seven disciplines, while this time Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai added five new disciplines, further strengthening tribal and Bastar culture. He said participants from seven districts, 1,885 gram panchayats and 32 block headquarters took part across 12 disciplines.

The Union Home Minister said no tribal region in the world possesses a cultural and artistic legacy like Bastar, and the government is determined to preserve it for centuries. Bastar’s art, culture, songs and dances are not just ornaments of Bastar but jewels of India’s cultural heritage, and Bastar Pandum has taken this legacy forward. He noted that Bastar’s tribes have preserved their culture since the era of Lord Ram, and their major dances are now gaining national recognition.

Shri Shah said it is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision that Bastar’s culture should reach the country and the world. Bastar’s identity, he stressed, is not gunpowder but its rich culture and heritage. He added that the Shri Modi government is fully committed to tribal welfare and is giving global recognition to Bastar’s dance, art and culture. History, the PM believes, is not only what is written in books but what lives in people’s collective memory.

Shri Shah said PM Modi declared Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas and his 150th birth anniversary as Janjatiya Gaurav Year, reflecting deep respect for tribal communities. The government has promoted tribal crafts, culture, cuisine and forest produce, branding and marketing five lakh forest-based products and traditional crafts.

He said tribal achievers such as Pandi Ram Mandavi and Shri Hemchand Manjhi of Narayanpur, Shri Ajay Kumar Mandavi of Kanker and Shri Bhudhari Dati of Dantewada have been honoured with Padma awards in fields like art, health and education. PM Shri Modi has also launched a massive initiative to honour over 700 tribal communities and established a Rs 200-crore Tribal Museum to preserve the legacy of tribal leaders who participated in the freedom struggle.

The Home Minister thanked the President for attending the inauguration of Bastar Pandum. Shri Shah said he had requested that participants securing the top three positions in all 12 disciplines be invited for lunch at Rashtrapati Bhavan, which the President has accepted. These participants will showcase their culture and art at the President’s House, he said, calling it a matter of great pride.

Shri Shah said the core objective of the fight against Naxalism is to protect tribal farmers, innocent children and women. He questioned the inhumanity of Naxals planting IEDs, knowing they would maim tribal farmers and destroy innocent lives. Appealing to the remaining Naxals to surrender, he said the government would ensure dignified rehabilitation and that Chhattisgarh’s rehabilitation package is highly attractive.

He urged Naxals to at least send young girls for rehabilitation, as their entire lives lie ahead. Those who have surrendered in large numbers will not be harmed, he assured. However, those who fire bullets in villages, plant IEDs on roads and fields, burn schools and hospitals, or disable mobile towers will not be spared. Weapons will be met with weapons, he said, adding that Maoism has benefited no one.

Shri Shah said Bastar is emerging as a strong national brand. Schools closed for over 40 years have been reopened by the Chhattisgarh government. He asked tribal citizens whether shutting schools ever benefited anyone, noting that an entire generation was deprived of education. In the next five years, Bastar will become the most developed tribal region, with tourism creating employment. Closed primary health centres, hospitals and schools will be reopened, and new higher secondary schools and colleges built.

Post offices are opening in villages, mobile towers are being installed, and roads connecting villages are improving. Shri Shah noted that in several villages, the national flag was hoisted after four decades.

He said every village will have connectivity, with post offices or bank branches every five kilometres. Paddy will be procured from tribals at Rs 3,100 per quintal, and five kg of rice per person per month will be provided free. Gas cylinders, tap water in every home and proper governance through elected representatives were assured. With the end of Naxalism, adventure tourism, homestays, canopy walks and glass bridges will be developed. A new 118-acre industrial and auto gig zone will provide employment to tribal youth.

Shri Shah said work on the Rs 3,500-crore Raoghat–Jagdalpur rail project has begun. The river-linking project is being advanced, skill training for over 90,000 youth is underway, and a new irrigation project on the Indravati river costing Rs 36 crore will generate 120 MW of power.

He said Bastar no longer faces curfew-like situations, and cultural dances are visible in villages at night—a major transformation. Bastar Olympics has been successfully held, and Bastar Pandum is being expanded further. Shri Shah thanked security personnel for their decisive role in the fight against Naxalism and expressed gratitude to families of martyrs. He said there should be no doubt that Bastar will be freed from Naxalism within the stipulated time frame.