To give international fame to Bastar Pandum, Modi government is working to spread the tradition, culture and art of this place to the whole world.
Next year Modi government will celebrate ‘Bastar Pandum’ festival in 12 categories, and tribal artists from all over the country will participate in it.
Naxalites cannot stop the development of Bastar, Bastar has now become synonymous with future, not fear
Where there was the echo of bullets, now school bells are ringing, where building roads was a dream, highways are being built there
Everyone should make sincere and fearless efforts to make the dreams of development come true, no one needs to be afraid under Modi ji’s rule
Now Bastar is moving ahead with the flame of development, trust and victory instead of Naxalism
The Chhattisgarh government will declare the village which gets all the Naxalites to surrender as ‘Naxalism free’ and will give development funds of Rs 1 crore
Someone from Sukma becomes a sub-inspector, a barrister from Bastar, a doctor from Dantewada and a collector from Kanker – Bastar is being built like this
The Modi government is committed to making the entire country free from Naxalism by March 2026
Raipur 5 April 2025: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh Addressed the Bastar Pandum program. Many dignitaries including Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma were present on this occasion.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that Maharaja Praveer Chandra Bhanjdev had sacrificed his life for the water, forest, land and culture of the tribes. He said that his popularity as a people-loving king here was not tolerated by the then government and he was murdered under a conspiracy. Shah said that today when the whole of Bastar is on the verge of being free from red terror and has embarked on the path of development, the soul of Praveer Chandra ji, wherever it is, must be giving its blessings to the people of Bastar. Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from next year, artists from every tribal district of the country will be included during Bastar Pandum. He said that to give international fame to Bastar Pandum, Modi Government is working to spread the tradition, culture and art of this place to the whole world by making ambassadors of all countries visit Bastar. Shah said that 47 thousand artists from 1885 Gram Panchayats, 12 Nagar Panchayats, 8 Nagar Parishads, one Municipality and 32 districts have participated in this festival. District Administration and Culture Department has allocated Rs. 5 crore for Bastar Pandum. He said that this Pandum will work to promote and preserve local and traditional art, culture, crafts, festivals, food, dialect, language, customs, costumes, jewellery, traditional songs, music and cuisine in their original form. The Home Minister said that we want the youth of our Bastar to get the most modern education, compete with the youth of the world on every platform and achieve prosperity all over the world but never forget their culture, language, traditions. He said that the culture, dialects, musical instruments and food of Bastar are the jewel of the culture of not just Chhattisgarh but of the entire India and we have to preserve it. Shah said that the Bastar Pandum festival, which is being celebrated in seven categories, will be celebrated in 12 categories next year and tribals from all over the country will participate in it. The Home Minister said that the strength of India is unity in diversity, a confluence of various cultures, arts, traditions, languages, dialects and cuisines. He said that we will stand in every competition with the world but will also preserve our culture and other heritage and Bastar Pandum is the beginning of it.
The Union Home Minister said that the time has gone when bullets were fired and bombs exploded here. He appealed to all the Naxalites to surrender their weapons and come to the mainstream because Bastar wants development. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to give everything to Bastar, but this is possible only when there is peace in Bastar. Children here should go to school, mothers should be concerned about their health, tribals and youth should not suffer from malnutrition, there should be arrangements for the education of children, there should be a dispensary in every village and a hospital in the tehsil, only then development is possible. He said that all this can happen only when the people of Bastar decide that they will make every village Naxal-free. Shah said that the Chhattisgarh government has announced that the village which will make all the Naxalites surrender will be declared Naxal-free and a development fund of one crore rupees will be given. He said that no one wants to kill anyone, that is why Naxalites should give up violence and come to the mainstream and the Government of India and the Chhattisgarh government will protect them. The Home Minister said that Naxalites cannot stop the development of the entire Bastar by taking up arms. Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the slogan of Vocal for Local and has made arrangements for marketing a specific product of every district in the markets across the country by linking it with GI tag. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that history is not limited to books only, but our tribal leaders should get respect and reverence in the whole country. Prime Minister Modi has done the work of honoring freedom fighters like Veer Gundadhur, the hero of Bastar. He said that Prime Minister Modi has done the work of celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Birsa Munda as Tribal Pride Day and the 150th birth anniversary year as Tribal Pride Year.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the previous governments gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao for 75 years but did nothing in the name of development of the poor. Prime Minister Modi has built more than 4 crore houses for crores of poor people of the country in the last 10 years, provided 11 crore gas connections, built 12 crore toilets, provided tap water to 15 crore houses, provided free ration to 80 crore people and free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to 70 crore people. Amit Shah said that those who have understood that for development, one needs a computer and not a gun in hand, and a pen and not an IED or a grenade, have all surrendered. He said that in the direction of ending Naxalism, 521 Naxalites have surrendered so far this year, while a total of 881 Naxalites surrendered in 2024. Shah expressed confidence that the Naxalites who give up arms will be able to move forward by joining the mainstream, but the security forces will deal strictly with those who take up arms and follow the path of violence. He said that the Modi government is committed to making the entire country free from Naxalism by March 2026.
The Union Home Minister said that Bastar is now synonymous with the future and not fear. Earlier, politicians were prevented from holding rallies and meetings due to the terror of Naxalites, but times have changed. Today, they are celebrating Ram Navami, Ashtami and Bastar Pandum Mahotsav in front of 50,000 tribal brothers and sisters. He said that where there was once the echo of bullets, now the sound of machines is heard, where villages were deserted, now school bells ring, where roads were a dream earlier, highways are being built and where children were afraid to go to school, today children there are establishing contact with the whole world through computers. He said that Bastar is developing because now no one associates with Naxalism. Amit Shah said that Bastar is now moving ahead with the flame of development, trust and victory. He said that by calling a meeting in every village, Naxalites should be encouraged to surrender and help should be provided in opening the path of development. Shah said that development will happen when someone from Sukma becomes a sub-inspector, a barrister from Bastar, a doctor from Dantewada and a collector from Kanker, this is how we have to develop and build Bastar. He said that everyone should make sincere and fearless efforts to make the dreams of development come true because no one needs to be afraid in Modi ji’s rule.