Chhattisgarh@25-Shifting the Lens, the conclave curated by Organiser Weekly to revisit the developmental path revolutionised in Chhattisgarh and particularly in the naxal-hit regions of the state witnessed thought provoking conversation by the Finance Minister of the state O.P. Choudhary. The Minister hailed the visionary policies and rapid developmental path revolutionised in the state in line with the Vikist Bharat goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As PM Modi speaks about the next 25 years of India’s growth story as the period of ‘Amrit Kaal’, the contribution of Chhattisgarh to realize this vision is pivotal, given the youth power and human resources of the state, said Minister O.P. Choudhary.
The first 25 years of the state of Chhattisgarh was challenging due to policy failures. Historical problems such as naxalism and left-wing extremism were not addressed effectively and there were no effective policies to completely uproot the naxal activities, the Minister asserted. The youth of the regions such as Dantewada were indoctrinated towards Naxalism to fulfill political motives, the Minister further added. However, the current BJP government in Chhattisgarh with its visionary policies and effective implementation strategies are channelising a transformative path to the youth of the state who can blend with the mainstream of the country and contribute to Viksit Bharat, the Minister affirmed.
A blend of education, employment and cultural ethos
Minister O.P. Choudhary said that the youth of Chhattisgarh, especially those from the naxal-hit zones have to be harnessed as the human resources for the country, without destroying their cultural or tribal ethos. In this direction, in line with the Government of India’s National Education Policy(NEP) swift educational reforms are necessary in the state. Also, better employment, exposure to global opportunities and skill development for the youth is crucial to merge them with the mainstream, the Minister further added.
Red Corridor to Education Corridor: The saga of Dantewada
The Finance Minister of Chhattisgarh also reiterated that the Dantewada region which was once infamous as the naxal region and the red corridor of the country is now emerging as the education corridor. State-of-the-art infrastructure and educational institutions are emerging in the region. The region is being furnished as the key education city in association with industry partners such as KPMG and others, the Minister said.
Further, infrastructure development such as roads and other connectivity ecosystems is rapidly being revolutionised to these hinterlands of Chhattisgarh. Thus, the era of fear, conflict and isolation have faded in the state and in the naxal zones. Instead, the era of hope, aspiration, livelihood and transformation is brewing the Minister thus expressed the success story of Chhattisgarh as it is dismantling from its previous title as naxal zone and is rapidly evolving with the developmental pace of India.
Organic farming is the oxygen for the economic growth of Dantewada
Speaking about the visionary policies of the Chhattisgarh government for the economic and sustainable growth of the naxalism hit regions, Minister O.P. Choudhary asserted the aspiration to revolutionise the organic farming ecosystem in the Dantewada region, in line with the state of Sikkim. The organic produce from the region will be exported to the global market, thus integrating the hitherto naxal-prone region to the globalised world.
This will provide employment and livelihood opportunities to the youth of the region, the Minister added. To realize this goal, skill development, vocational training and adequate education is being given to the masses and key connectivity or infrastructure growth is being accelerated to integrate Dantewada into the global market, the Minister expressed. For example, the Imli(Tamrind) from Jagargunda, the naxal-affected area of Chhattisgarh was historically popular as the Imli Bazar. Unfortunately, it was a naxal-prone zone for these years. However, with the latest policies of the BJP government, attempts are underway to revive the Jagargunda imli Bazar and provide global value to it.
Raipur is the emerging greenfield economic hub
Speaking about the growth of the capital city Raipur, the Finance Minister of the state asserted that with the government’s integrated economic planning model Raipur and other major centres are emerging as the economic hub and growth engines. For example, a series of greenfield projects such as AI data centre, National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Electronics, Semiconductor centre etc. are coming up in the capital city. They are the engines of opportunities for the youth of the state who will script the growth story of the state and the country, Minister O.P. Choudhary expressed.
Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary thus hailed the growth and success story of Chhattisgarh and particularly the regions such as Bastar as the saga of fear to hope, isolation to connectivity and growth and conflict to building a livelihood of opportunities and accomplishments.
