{"id":909,"date":"2025-04-05T12:54:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T12:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/?p=909"},"modified":"2025-04-05T12:54:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T12:54:42","slug":"union-home-minister-announces-%e2%82%b91-crore-development-fund-for-every-naxal-free-villagepledge-to-bring-tribal-identity-and-culture-to-the-global-stagehistoric-conclusion-of-bastar-pandum-2025-cel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/?p=909","title":{"rendered":"Union Home Minister Announces \u20b91 Crore Development Fund for Every Naxal-Free VillagePledge to Bring Tribal Identity and Culture to the Global StageHistoric Conclusion of Bastar Pandum 2025 Celebrated in Dantewada\u201cBastar Will Now Be Known for Development, Not Guns\u201d \u2013 Union Home Minister Amit Shah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Raipur, April 5, 2025 \u2013 The grand closing ceremony of Bastar Pandum 2025, a celebration of tribal traditions, folk art, and cultural heritage, was held today in Dantewada. The event marked a historic moment for the region and witnessed the participation of thousands of artists and dignitaries.Bastar Pandum to Become a National FestivalIn his address, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that from next year, Bastar Pandum will be celebrated as a national festival. Artists from tribal districts across the country will be invited to participate, giving Bastar\u2019s rich culture a platform on the global stage.He paid tribute to tribal deities and remembered Maharaja Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo for his sacrifice in protecting water, forests, land, and culture. He also honored freedom fighter and symbol of social justice, Babu Jagjivan Ram, on his birth anniversary, acknowledging his life-long struggle for the rights of Dalits, backward classes, and tribal communities.Massive Participation and Expansion PlansA total of 47,000 artists from 1,850 gram panchayats, 12 nagar panchayats, 8 municipal councils, and 1 municipality participated in Bastar Pandum. The festival, held from March 12 to April 5, featured competitions in 7 categories this year and will expand to 12 categories next year.Preserving Tribal Language, Music, and TraditionsShah emphasized that Bastar\u2019s dialects, musical instruments, devotional songs, and traditions are not just a treasure of Chhattisgarh but of the entire nation. He called for collective efforts to preserve them for future generations.New Development Initiative: \u20b91 Crore for Naxal-Free VillagesIn a major announcement, Shah declared that villages aiding in the surrender of Naxals will be declared \u201cNaxal-Free Villages\u201d and awarded \u20b91 crore for development. He urged villagers to convene gram sabhas and assist in the surrender process.Direct Purchase of Tendu Leaves at \u20b95,500 Per Standard BagTo eliminate middlemen, Shah announced that the government will directly purchase tendu leaves at \u20b95,500 per standard bag, with payments made directly to tribal bank accounts. This, he said, would break the economic control of Naxals.Rehabilitation for Surrendered NaxalsThe Home Minister assured that Naxals who surrender will be given protection, respect, and a chance to reintegrate into the mainstream. However, those who refuse to surrender will face strict action from security forces.Basic Amenities for Every VillageShah outlined plans to ensure that every village has access to schools, health clinics, Aadhaar and ration cards, and health insurance facilities \u2013 part of a comprehensive development strategy.&#8217;Vocal for Local&#8217;: Global Markets for Bastar\u2019s CraftsUnder the &#8216;Vocal for Local&#8217; campaign, Shah announced efforts to promote Bastar\u2019s bell metal, terracotta, wooden crafts, Godna art, and paintings in national and international markets, including Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371-1024x641.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-911\" srcset=\"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371-1024x641.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371-768x481.jpg 768w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371-1536x962.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808371.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">National Recognition for Tribal HeroesHe noted that the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda has been declared Tribal Pride Day and celebrated the historic elevation of Smt. Droupadi Murmu as India\u2019s first tribal woman President as a symbol of respect toward tribal communities.Milestones of the Modi GovernmentShah highlighted achievements of the Modi government: over 4 crore homes built, 11 crore LPG connections, toilets in 12 crore homes, piped water in 15 crore homes, and free ration and health insurance for 70 crore people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/publiccg.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1002808374.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bastar\u2019s New Dream: From Rebels to Leaders\u201cTrue development will be when Bastar produces doctors, collectors, barristers, and officers,\u201d Shah said. He called upon the youth to leave behind weapons and embrace the power of education, technology, and progress.&#8211;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raipur, April 5, 2025 \u2013 The grand closing ceremony of Bastar Pandum 2025, a celebration of tribal traditions, folk art, and cultural heritage, was held today in Dantewada. The event marked a historic moment for the region and witnessed the participation of thousands of artists and dignitaries.Bastar Pandum to Become a National FestivalIn his address, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-uncategorized"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-08 06:03:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=909"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":913,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909\/revisions\/913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/publiccg.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}