Abujhmar in Chhattisgarh now on path to embrace development

By Sundeep Pouranik

Raipur, Sep 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Abujhmar area in Chhattisgarh has been known as the most backward region in the world. But with time the situation on the ground has started changing for the better as people living in this area are ready to embrace the path of development as red terror or Maoism has been eliminated to a large extent. The people have started receiving better public facilities along with employment.

In the remote areas of Abujhmar (Narayanpur district), people are getting timely access to basic facilities such as education, health, roads and public distribution system. The construction of roads, bridges and culverts in this Naxal-affected area was far more difficult than elsewhere in the state. This has been made possible due to joint efforts of the district administration and the police department.

All the necessary facilities are gradually being provided in the development block Orchha headquarters of the Narayanpur district surrounded by dense forests, rivers, drains and hills. The long wait for the weekly haat-bazaars has also ended with the opening of grocery stores and medical shops for fulfilling essential needs of the people.

Earlier, there were limited means of moving in and around Abujhmar. But now with time the construction work on roads, bridges, culverts etc is taking place at a rapid pace. The movement of traffic has improved a lot and people have started joining the mainstream on the path of development.

Rural banks have also been set up for the people. Telecommunication towers have been erected for providing better internet connectivity which has considerably improved as compared to the past.

The five-kilometre area of the Orchha block headquarter is being made a free Wi-Fi zone. With the creation of a Wi-Fi zone, youth, locals and children will be able to join the mainstream by watching and listening to events taking place in the country and the world through high speed internet. Other government work is being done online with the help of the banking system.

Providing door-to-door electricity connections in remote areas was a challenging task for the government but the latter's efforts have been lauded by the people. Those areas where conventional power lines could not be installed, electricity has been provided with the help of solar power plants.

For providing quality education to children, hostel-ashrams as well as high schools and higher secondary schools are being run across the state in which sufficient number of teachers have been posted. At the same time, Porta Cabin residential schools are being run for Maoist-affected children.

The tribal farmers of Abujhmar have been demanding for the three generations that it is the only place in India where no title deeds exist for its inhabitants.

These people practice farming but due to lack of Kisan Credit Card, they cannot get loans from banks. There is no arrangement for the sale of their produce. The title deeds are not mentioned in the revenue records due to which they cannot avail of the benefit of any government schemes.

Collector Rituraj Raghuvanshi says that on the instructions of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, survey work is being done expeditiously in the villages of Abujhmar area by the state government. The survey of 2,500 farmers across 61 villages has been completed in Orchha block of Narayanpur where 'Masahati Pattas' (land ownership deeds) have been distributed to the farmers.

After receiving the Masahati Patta, such farmers will now start getting the benefits of the government welfare schemes. KCC has also been distributed to the farmers so that they would now be able to receive loans from banks.

A large part of Naxal-affected Narayanpur district has not been able to connect with the mainstream even today due to the uneven geographical conditions.

Abujhmar is an area covered with forests, rivers and streams. This has been the reason that people had to struggle a lot for getting basic facilities provided by the government as well as health services.

Now bike ambulances have been set up. The first two bike ambulances were successfully run over small rivers, streams, trails and rough roads in the interior areas. The service has been expanded to further improve the health services in the district.

In 2022, only 134 incidents of Maoist violence have taken place so far, which is nearly four times less than the violent incidents before 2018.

Source: IANS