A seismic policy shift echoed through Bastar as Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, set a firm deadline of March 31, 2026, for rooting out Naxalism entirely. Delivered at the Bastar Pandum 2026 valedictory in Jagdalpur’s Lalbagh Maidan, the pledge blended cultural homage with developmental resolve.
Shah extolled Bastar as a shimmering emblem of Indian ethos, with the state breathing life into its traditions through Pandum’s three-day spectacle. Over 53,000 performers from 32 blocks and 1,885 panchayats excelled in 12 art streams, with podium finishers invited to the President’s residence.
No culture rivals Bastar’s, preserved immaculately from divine epochs, Shah asserted, spotlighting Modi’s Dharti Aaba and PM Janman for tribal renaissance across 700 communities.
The ‘Niyad Nella Nar’ blueprint has revolutionized access in Naxal zones: infrastructure, utilities, and services now reach the unreachable. Symbolically, 40 villages trade gunshots for school chimes, heralding peace.
Infrastructure surges ahead—a 118-acre industrial zone, tourism boom, 220 MW power for vast irrigation tracts in three districts, plus rail and river expansions to knit peripheries with cores.
Chief Minister Sai framed Pandum as Bastar’s identity fest, anchored in Danteshwari devotion. His tribute to Shah underscored the minister’s boost to morale, with participation leaping to 54,000 from 47,000, unveiling a tapestry of dances, crafts, literature, and healing arts to global acclaim.
Bastar Pandum emerges as a dual victory: cultural exaltation and the prelude to a secure, prosperous horizon.