Raipur: In an eye-catching development, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on November 17 inagurated the ‘Café Pandum’ in Bastar’s Jagdalpur.
Located at the police line complex in Jagdalpur, the café is being run by the former Maoists who shunned the path of violence and joined the mainstream under the initiative of the state government led by CM Sai.
“The inauguration of the Pandum Café marks the beginning of a new chapter in socio-economic transformation in Bastar. The café is a significant initiative of the Chhattisgarh government for the victims of Naxalite violence and surrendered Naxals, providing dignified and sustainable livelihood to those who have renounced the path of violence and returned to the mainstream,” said the government in an official release issued on Monday.
“This unique initiative showcases the inspiring journey from struggle to cooperation,” added the statement.
The CM on the occasion also had a cordial conversation with the staffs operating the café and extended his best wishes to them.
“The opening of the Pandum Café is an inspiring symbol of the positive change underway in the Bastar region towards the eradication of Naxalism,” said CM Vishnu Deo Sai.
The CM noted that the café is a symbol of peace, hope and progress and the youth employed at the café including both the victims of Naxalite violence and those who have shunned the path of violence have now embarked on the path of peace.
He added that with the support of the police and the administration, these youths have been provided intensive training in hospitality services, hygiene standards, food safety, café management and entrepreneurial skills.
Former Maoists who have now joined the mainstream on the occasion also narrated their ordeal related to the transformation brought by the rehabilitation drive of the government.
#WATCH | Bastar, Chhattisgarh | CM Vishnu Deo Sai says, "Today, in Jagdalpur, the land of Maa Danteshwari, this Pandum café has been inaugurated as a result of our duties… Our youth who are victims of Naxalism and those who surrendered will run this together. The government is… pic.twitter.com/iTJ0KxZXTL
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2025
“We saw darkness in our past. Today we have got the opportunity to serve the society. It’s a new birth for us. Serving coffee instead of gunpowder and living off our hard-earned money, this feeling is giving us peace and dignity,” said an emotional woman who was once part of the outlawed group.
Expressing delight on the transformation another member at the café stated “Earlier we couldn’t even dream of providing a dignified life to our families but now with this hard earned money we can shape the future of our family members. All this has been made possible due to administration and this café.”
Emphaising on the significance of community support, another member at the café stated that earlier they were under the impression that it would be difficult for them to return to the mainstream.
“We thought that it would not be easy to return to the mainstream, but the police and the administration won our trust and trained us. More significantly, we are now working with the victims which has given us the opportunity to amend our past crimes and establish peace,” said another member.
He added that the ‘Pandum’ reflects the cultural roots of Bastar.
“Pandum reflects the cultural roots of Bastar and its tagline ‘Where every cup tells a story’ symbolizes that the coffee served here not only bring only the taste but the story of courage, victory over struggle and a new beginning,” he said.
The inauguration of the café shop was also attended by several ministers of the state government, senior leaders, and senior officials of the administration and police.
It is to be noted that the state government led by CM Vishnu Deo Sai has launched various welfare schemes along formulating a lucrative rehabilitation policy for the victims of red terror and those who are returning to the mainstream of society.
More than 2100 former Naxals have surrendered before officials announcing their return to the mainstream since the formation of the incumbent government led by CM Sai. Significantly, the Union Government has announced to eradicate red terror from Bharat by March next year.
