Badesatti became Chhattisgarh’s first Naxar-free Gram panchayat, introducing Elvid program

Since the recent introduction of Elvid Panchayat Yojana, Badesatti in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh has become the first panchayat without Naxar in the state, during which such areas will receive developments worth Rs 1 crore.

Badsatti, within the range of the Phulbagi police station, is about 45 km from the Sukma regional headquarters, achieving a coveted feat after 11 Ultras surrendered on Friday.

Elvid Panchayat Yojana, part of the Chhattisgarh Naxal surrender/victim’s relief and rehabilitation policy, 20025 regulations approved the development of Panchayats worth Rs 1 crore, announced the surrender of the Naxalites, and passed a resolution to declare themselves as Maiast and declared themselves useless.
“With the support of police, the local panchayat encouraged those linked with the bannered outfit in our area to quit violence and join the mainstream. On Friday, 11 cadres from our panchayat surrendered. Now no person from our village is linked to the organisation and our village has become Naxal free,” Badesatti sarpanch Kalmu Joga (33) told PTI over phone.

He said the resolution was declared Naxar-free to qualify the village for Elvid Panchayat Yojana.

“The village does not have Panchayat’s buildings and hospitals, and the school only takes classes before the standard eight times. “After the camp was set up, a road was constructed in the area and development started taking place. Soon, Naxal activities started declining. Of the eight hamlets in the panchayat, six have power supply, while electrification work is underway in the remaining two. The panchayat has a population of 1700, of which 1400 are voters,” said Jamuna Kumar Rajak, Company Commander of CAF’s 1st battalion stationed in Badesatti.

“Under Jal Jeevan’s mission, water pipe laying is underway, while an elevated tank is erected and a well has been dug out to supply water to the elevated tanks. Badsatti owns a residential school until Level 8 and another Ashram (hotel) are built,” Rajak added.

Bastar Range Inspector General Sundarraj P said that despite the sometimes reported Maoist actions, Badasatti has not witnessed any major LWE incidents in the past few years. In September 2023, the Nassaltics attacked a police patrol, but no one was injured.

In 2020, the Naxals called Badsatti’s three Singaporeans (Singanpara Localitaly) police whistleblowers and killed them. In November of that year, Maoists damaged a newly built health center.

“With the surrender of these 11 Nasalits, the Badsatti Village is not threatening and qualifies for the benefits of the new program. In the past few days, the police have contacted local Panchayat representatives to encourage surrender of militia and members of the revolutionary party who were forbidden clothing. It has been successful.”

He said: “All the surrendered Naxars received Rs 50,000 in aid. They will be repaired further according to the government’s policy. Our goal is to lift the entire Bastar area out of the threat. There will be more villages in the future (for such surrender).

The Bastar area includes the Bastar, Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma areas. During a visit to Dantewada earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised Elvis’ panchayat plan and asked people to launch a campaign to make every village in the Bastari region without Naxal without villages to get Rs 1 crore of development work. Shah said the Narendra Modi government has decided to eradicate Namasism by March 31, 2026.