Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 19 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired the high-profile 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.
The meeting served as a critical platform to deliberate on various regional-level issues of common interest, aiming to foster deeper inter-state collaboration and strengthen the framework of cooperative federalism.
Reinforcing the framework of cooperative federalism, the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh converged in the historic Bastar region to participate in the high-profile 26th meeting of the Central Zonal Council on Tuesday.
Underscoring the high strategic importance of the council meeting, the session was attended by top-tier central officials, including Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Deka. Their presence facilitated a comprehensive review of regional security frameworks, left-wing extremism mitigation, and national-state intelligence sharing protocols alongside the ongoing development agendas.
Senior officers from the member states, including Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police (DGPs), were also part of the extensive deliberations to ensure seamless coordination between the state and central administrative machinery.
Earlier on May 18, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the ‘Bastar Ke Sang’ folk cultural programme at the Bastar Academy of Dance, Art and Literature (BADAL) in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur.
The Home Minister was accompanied by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
The event, ‘Bastar Ke Sang’, aimed at showcasing and preserving the rich cultural heritage, traditional dance forms, and tribal art of the Bastar region.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Bastar region is Naxal-free, saying that when a target was set at a meeting in January 2024, many felt it was not possible to achieve it.
Addressing the gathering in the Jagdalpur area of Bastar, Amit Shah said the goal has been achieved with the hard work of security forces.
“Today, we have finally arrived at the day when Bastar is Naxal-free. On January 21, 2024, we decided in a closed room to end Naxalism by March 31, 2026. We made this announcement in August 2024. At the time, many said it was not possible and that such decisions are not taken in closed rooms. Now, we have achieved our goal,” he said.
“There are several innocent tribal people here whose kin were brutally killed by Naxals. DRG and CoBRA fought with Naxals with great valour”, he added. (ANI)
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