Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, requested the Home Minister to resume the special assistance that is given by the Centre to Naxal-affected districts across the country.
Of the total 70 districts notified as Naxal-affected in the country, 14 are in Chhattisgarh. Baghel, who was visiting Delhi for the first time since the Uttar Pradesh Assembly results, where he was handling the party’s campaign, also discussed the impact of GST on the tribal state’s resources and coordination with Central paramilitary forces. There was no word on whether Baghel would be meeting the Congress leadership. His visit to Delhi comes just hours after he stated that Rahul Gandhi should be appointed as the Congress party president.
Chhattisgarh government officials told The Daily Guardian that Baghel also raised the issue of enhancing communication facilities in Naxal prone areas, deployment of two additional CRPF battalion in Bastar and the formation of a “Bastariya” battalion that will have local tribal youths. Shah, according to officials, assured all possible help to Baghel to tackle the problem of Naxalism.
Baghel, who has avoided the path of unnecessary conformation with the centre unlike some of the non-BJP Chief Ministers, sought a sympathetic consideration for the state while stating that the discontinuing of GST compensation to the states will negatively impact the state’s economic condition especially in carrying out the development work in Naxal-affected states.
He also discussed the issues related to the development of Naxal-affected districts such as expansion of road network, livelihood development, development of banks and other infrastructure projects. Baghel apprised Shah of the abundance of iron ore in the Bastar region. According to him, if iron ore is made available at a 30% discount to the steel plants to be set up in Bastar, then investment of hundreds of crores and thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities will be created there.
In September 2021, Baghel had skipped a meeting chaired by Shah in Delhi on Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
The Chief Ministers of 10 Naxal-hit states, including Chhattisgarh, were invited to the meeting during which Shah was to take stock of the ongoing operations against the ultras and development activities undertaken at the ground level, officials said. However, Baghel had sent the then Chhattisgarh’s Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain and Director General of Police D.M. Awasthi to Delhi to attend the meet as he had a prior commitment to attend a social gathering of Kurmi Samaj in the state.