Chhattisgarh: Question papers of board exams airlifted to Jagargunda as govt prepares to hold exams in Maoist hotbed

In a significant move that reflects the government’s intent to reach the Maoist-affected regions, the Chhattisgarh State government is all set to hold the higher and senior secondary examinations (10th and 12th board examinations) in core Maoist zone of Jagargunda of Sukma district for the first time.

The State government has airlifted question papers for the higher secondary examinations for as many as 36 students of Jagargunda who will be appearing for the examination in their hometown, reportedly for the first time.

“This is our Chhattisgarh, where we first thought of the wellbeing of the future of our children, question papers have been airlifted to the remote region of Jagargunda of Sukma,”  informed the tweet of the Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Office (CMO) on late Thursday evening, February 29.

Alleged sub capital of Maoist

Located at a distance of around 400 km from the State’s capital, Raipur, the town of Jagargunda is considered a sub-capital of the Maoists. The town was once famous for Asia’s largest markets for tamarind functional until 2006, when the left wing insurgency took the region under its grip.

Though things are looking much brighter in recent times as the security forces have been successful in establishing a few security camps along the Bijapur-Jagargunda route, which is expected to open up the route for public in years to come,.

CM’s appeal to the youths  

It is noteworthy that Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister (CM), Vishnu Deo Sai, while interacting with a delegation of tribal (Janjati) youths from Maoist-affected villages on Wednesday, February 28, made an appeal to support the government in making Chhattisgarh an ideal State.

The CM was interacting with the youths of the Maoist affected villages of Silger, Puverti, Teakalguda and others who had arrived on an educational tour in State’s capital Raipur.

During the interaction with the delegation, the CM also educated the youths about the flagship Niyad Nellanaar (Your good village) scheme of the government, aimed at providing with the benefits of government schemes to the residents of remote Maoist affected regions.

Notably, the incumbent State government, after assuming office, has time and again reiterated that the focus of the current State regime will be on the inclusion of residents of Maoist affected regions into the mainstream while ensuring that the benefits of government schemes will reach to the masses without any interruption.

Significantly, the security forces stationed in the core Maoist zone of Bastar have also taken major strides lately, as they have managed to establish tactical headquarters at Maoist hotbed of Puverti village, the alleged capital of the Maoist armed wing, alongside establishing camps in nearby areas such as Tekalguda a strategic village located near the borders of Bijapur and Sukma.