Also attended the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics as the chief guest
Team News Riveting
Raipur, December 15
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday met the Maoists who laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society.
The former rebels who met Shah at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh hailed from the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Assam. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma.
In his address following the meeting, Shah said in 2019, youth in Kashmir, the Northeast, and Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas were ruining their lives by taking up arms, engaging in violence, and keeping their regions deprived of development. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a decision was taken to provide an opportunity for those willing to lay down their arms and reintegrate them into society.
The Union Home Minister informed that from 2019 to 2024, over 9,000 individuals in the Northeast alone have surrendered and laid down their weapons. He added that many youths in LWE-affected areas have similarly joined the mainstream, and now the Government of India is formulating a comprehensive plan for the welfare of these individuals and those suffering from the impact of Maoist menace.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi has approved the construction of 15,000 houses in LWE-affected regions. Additionally, the government is launching a programme to establish dairy cooperatives by providing one cow or buffalo to every family in the affected areas.
The Union Home Minister said that after the formation of the government in Chhattisgarh last year, a commitment was made to make the state free from LWE. He emphasized that violence is not the solution, and those who have taken up arms must be reintegrated into society. He praised the Chhattisgarh government’s surrender policy as one of the best, and expressed the intention to replicate this model nationwide, aiming to rehabilitate the youth who have laid down their arms and help them rejoin the mainstream of society. Shah urged the youth involved in violence to lay down their arms and join the mainstream of society.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today attended the closing ceremony of the Bastar Olympics as the chief guest. Speaking about the Bastar Olympics, he highlighted that the talented youth of Bastar represent the future of India. He said that a process should be started to make the children of Bastar capable of winning medals from 2025 onwards till 2036 Olympics. Shah added that when a girl from Bastar wins a medal in the 2036 Olympics, it will serve as a powerful response to LWE and send a global message that development, not violence, is the path to success.
The Union Home Minister said that only a few areas remain affected by LWE. He said that those involved in violence were also their own people. Asserting that the citizens of the state require essential services like schools, dispensaries, hospitals, free food grains, electricity, toilets, and clean water, Shah said it was the responsibility of the Chhattisgarh government to provide the facilities to every village.
He added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Bastar is the top priority for all welfare schemes of the Central Government. He assured that those who have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society have placed their trust in Prime Minister Modi, and that trust will not be broken. He also expressed confidence that seeing these individuals, many more youths will give up arms and choose the path of peace and development.
