Amit Shah arrives in Raipur on three-day visit

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Raipur on Sunday on a three-day visit to Chhattisgarh, during which he will attend a series of programmes and chair a meeting of the Central Zonal Council in the Bastar region.

It is Shah’s first visit to Chhattisgarh after the state was declared free from armed Maoists on March 31. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said Shah’s visit will give new momentum to development works in the state and further strengthen the government’s resolve for a safe and prosperous Bastar.

Shah landed at Swami Vivekananda Airport here shortly after 8 pm and was received by CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, state ministers, BJP MPs, MLAs and other leaders of the party.

Sai and Sharma reached the airport in a single carcade while other leaders arrived in a bus in keeping with the austerity call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the West Asia crisis. Shah left for a hotel in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, where he will stay overnight, officials said.

In a post on ‘X’, Sai said, “A warm welcome and greetings to Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Amit Shah Ji, in Chhattisgarh, the ‘nanihal’ (the place of Lord Ram’s maternal grandparents) home of Lord Shri Ram and the sacred land of Mother Kaushalya.”

With the steadfast support of the Central government, Chhattisgarh has been continuously advancing towards a bright future of peace, good governance, and development, Sai said.

“Thanks to the Home Minister’s unwavering resolve and guidance, along with the dedicated efforts of the ‘Double Engine’ government, Bastar today stands liberated from Naxalism and is soaring to new heights of progress,” he said.

On Monday, at around 10.40 am, Shah will flag off new vehicles for the state police emergency response service ‘Dial 112’ and mobile forensic science laboratory from the parade ground of Police Training School in Raipur, a government official said.

Shah will then leave for the Bastar district and visit Netanar village, where he will inaugurate a ‘Jan Suvidha Kendra’ aimed at providing easier access to government and digital services in remote areas, the official said.

Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma had said that after Chhattisgarh became free from the Naxalite menace, security camps will be transformed into public facilities.

“The process has already begun. Netanar is the first place where the Union Home Minister will inaugurate the conversion of a security camp into a Jan Suvidha Kendra,” Sharma said.

“In the coming days, all such security camps will be converted into panchayat buildings, schools, anganwadi centres and health centres,” he added.

Shah will then go to Amar Vatika in Jagdalpur at 1.30 pm to pay tribute to security personnel who laid down their lives in the service of the nation, the official said.

At 2.30 pm, Shah will attend an interaction programme at Bastar Academy of Dance, Art and Literature (BADAL) and meet family members of martyrs, personnel of CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) and state forces deployed in anti-Naxalite operations, police officers, victims of Naxalite violence and representatives of various local communities, he added.

“The programme will focus on discussions regarding the ground situation in Bastar and issues related to development and security in the region. On Monday evening, Shah will attend ‘Bastar Ke Sang’ folk cultural programme at BADAL Academy as chief guest and witness Bastar’s tribal art and cultural traditions,” the official said.

On Tuesday, the Union home minister will chair the meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Jagdalpur from 11 am to 2 pm, which will be attended by the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.

He will address a press conference in Jagdalpur later before leaving for Delhi, the official informed.