Residents from conflict zones visit Gujarat to experience industrial development

The Union Home Ministry brought 5,000 people from 126 former Left-wing Extremism districts to Kevadia in Gujarat for a national unity celebration.

These visitors include village leaders and social workers from regions in Chhattisgarh and Odisha who previously lived under the constant threat of Maoist violence. The government organized the trip to show these residents the potential of industrial development and infrastructure.

Swapna Korsa, a 23-year-old village head from Sukma, Chhattisgarh, and Sitaram Hadmo, a 39-year-old village head from Bastar, traveled to the state to participate in the event. Swapna described how her village, Maraiguda, faced decades of isolation where government services and markets remained closed due to fear of violence. She noted that residents recently chose to break away from intimidation to seek development.

Sitaram shared that villagers previously faced landmines and ambushes while traveling to their fields, and he hopes the peace will lead to functioning schools and better facilities. Pramod Sahukar, a social worker from Rayagada, Odisha, spoke about the impact of Naxalism on his community, which peaked around 2002. He recalled how Maoists destroyed communication towers and killed those labeled as police informers.

Sahukar observed that industrial sites in Gujarat, such as the textile and diamond industries in Surat, demonstrated opportunities for his home state. The Gujarat Tourism Secretary stated the tour aims to expose these visitors to what development can achieve for their communities.