Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday reopened 260 schools in Maoist affected Bastar region of the state.
He announced their opening at a simple function held virtually from his official residence on the occasion of ‘Shala Pravesh Utsav’ (School Admission Fest).
These schools are among the 400 schools situated in insurgency-hit areas, which were shut in the past 15 years due to various reasons including Maoist violence.
Acting on the demands of local communities, the state government has decided to reopen 260 of these 400 schools in Sukma, Narayanpur, Dantewada and Bijapur districts.
The reopened 260 schools include 158 in Bijapur, 97 in Sukma, 4 in Narayanpur and 1 in Dantewada.
The villagers where the schools opened are happy that their children can now avail education in their village and don’t have to cross a river or nullah to reach a far-away school.
Naxalites have been pushed to the backfoot due to the government's focus on developmental activities, said a government official.