Amit Shah chairs 26th Central Zonal Council meet in Bastar, stresses development in Naxal-free regions at par with rest of country

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 19 : In the first-ever Central Zonal Council meeting held in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region after the declaration of Naxal-free India on March 31 this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that the fight will not end until the erstwhile Naxal-affected areas are brought at par with the rest of the country in terms of development.

Chairing the 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in the presence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami along with senior officials from these member states and the Central government, the Home Minister mentioned "no disputes remain either among the four states or between these states and the Centre."

"This is a very significant achievement. Chhattisgarh connects nearly seven states, which gives the entire Central Zone immense strategic importance. This entire region has become not only Naxal-free but also free from disputes, which is a matter of great joy for all of us," Shah said while chairing the meeting.

Shah said, "Our fight is not over yet because the Naxal-affected areas have been lagging behind in the race for development for nearly five decades."

He added that "until these areas are brought at par with the rest of the country in terms of development, our fight will not end."

On the occasion, Shah said the entire credit for making India Naxal-free goes to the hard work and bravery of the jawans of our security forces. "Our agencies collected inputs with great precision and, in coordination with the police forces of all states and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), took timely and decisive action on every input. Along with this, under the 'Whole of the Government Approach', all state governments and all departments of the Central government worked together to deliver development to the areas freed from Naxalism."

He said that whatever was needed by the Chhattisgarh government in the fight against Naxalism, they coordinated with the Union Home Ministry and ensured it was provided. "Wherever leadership was required, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister provided it. This is the result of their efforts that today Bastar has become Naxal-free."

In the 10 years from 2004 to 2014, the Home Minister said only 11 meetings of the Zonal Councils were held, and this number has increased to 32 meetings between 2014 and 2026.

"During 2004 to 2014, the Standing Committee held only 14 meetings, which have risen 2.5 times to 35 meetings between 2014 and 2026. Between 2004 and 2014, discussions were held on just 569 issues, whereas from 2014 to 2026, discussions have taken place on 1,729 issues, out of which nearly 80 per cent have also been resolved. A large number of the pending issues are related to monitoring, in which there is no dispute of any kind," Shah pointed.

The Home Minister asked all four state members of the Central Zonal Council to focus on Jal Jeevan Mission-2 and ensure tap water to every household.

Besides, Shah highlighted health, nutrition, and social welfare as extremely sensitive issues in these states.

The Home Minister called upon all the chief ministers and chief secretaries to join hands and move forward shoulder to shoulder with the Central government in the fight against malnutrition.

"A lot of work still needs to be done in the field of education to reduce school dropout rates and improve the quality of schools. Financial inclusion and power sector reforms can make a very significant contribution in transforming this developing region into a fully developed one," he said.

The minister also emphasised proceeding with even greater momentum on urban planning, public health, financial inclusion, and power sector reforms, and appealed that "at least 50 per cent of our attention should remain focused on rural development and schemes that empower individuals."

Stressing the need for ensuring the availability of banking facilities within a five-kilometre radius because all government schemes are based on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Shah directed all the states to make concrete and serious efforts in this direction.

Timely DNA testing in POCSO and rape cases, establishment of special courts by High Courts for the speedy disposal of cases pending in courts for more than five years, administration's seriousness in dealing with serious crimes, implementation of state-level 1930 helpline in accordance with the model format of MHA and to update the call centres of the state helplines were among key issues on which the Home Minister focused in the meet.

Shah said that in cases of adulteration, wherever a case is registered and a penalty is imposed, there should be proper arrangements to publicise it widely. He added that this would make the public aware that adulterated items are being sold in those guilty shops.

Stating that there are many issues in the implementation of the three "Naveen Nyaya Sanhita of the criminal justice system" besides their very effective implementation, the Home Minister directed the four states to put greater emphasis.

"Just as we have freed the country from Naxalism, similarly, we must achieve the target of disposing of every criminal case - right up to the Supreme Court - within three years, before 2029," said Shah in the meeting.

The meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the Chhattisgarh Government as the host.

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