Dawn of normalcy in Naxal hinterland: Chhattisgarh’s Jagargunda gets first bank after decades

Raipur: After decades under the shadow of Left-Wing Extremism, residents of Jagargunda in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district will now have access to formal banking services, with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday virtually inaugurating a new branch of a bank.

Notably, the building where the Indian Overseas Bank is located was targeted by Naxals in the past.

The development represents a significant step toward financial inclusion in one of the most sensitive regions of the state.

The opening of the bank is set to benefit nearly 14,000 people across 12 nearby villages.

"The opening of a bank branch in Jagargunda is a victory of democracy and development over extremism. The double-engine government is committed to revitalising Bastar and ensuring that the wave of change reaches every village," CM Sai said while addressing a gathering from his official residence.

He further stated that, in line with the guarantees made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state is rapidly expanding banking facilities to all gram panchayats.

On April 24, National Panchayat Day, the state launched Atal Panchayat Digital Seva Kendras in 1,460 gram panchayats, enabling rural citizens to access digital banking services.

Highlighting the combined impact of security, development, and public trust, the Chief Minister said that continuous operations by security forces and the firm resolve of Central and state governments are helping Bastar's villages break free from the grip of Naxalism and integrate into the mainstream of development.

State Finance Minister OP Choudhary turned emotionally on the transformation.

Recalling his tenure as District Collector in Dantewada in 2001, he noted how the region was once so heavily Naxal-affected that officials hesitated to enter interior areas.

"At that time, the same building used to house a rural bank's branch that was targeted by Naxals in an attempted loot. Today, that very building has been reopened as a formal bank branch," he added.

To mark the occasion, Choudhary opened a bank account alongside local residents, symbolising community participation in the development journey.

With this new branch, villagers will now directly receive government scheme benefits, including tendu leaf bonuses and payments under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that the LWE menace -- one of India's biggest internal security challenges, apart from terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and insurgency in the northeast -- would end by next March.

According to Central government data released on Saturday, the number of 'LWE-affected districts' fell from 126 to 90 in April 2018, 70 in July 2021 and 38 in April 2024.

Of the total, the number of 'most-affected districts' fell from 12 to six -- four in Chhattisgarh (Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma), one in Jharkhand (West Singhbhum), and one in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli).

The data showed that incidents of Naxal violence had come down to 374 in 2024, a reduction of 81 per cent from 1,936 in 2010.

The total number of deaths (civilians and security forces) had also fallen by 85 per cent from 1,005 in 2010 to 150 in 2024, it showed.