Dantewada (Chhattisgarh) [India], April 5 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday highlighted a new initiative incentive announced by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. Under this incentive, villages that achieve complete surrender of all Naxalites will be declared 'Naxal-free' and rewarded with a Rs 1 crore development fund.

'Vishnu Deo Sai and Vijay Sharma have made an announcement that the village which makes every Naxalite surrender, that village will be declared Naxal-free and one crore rupees will be given as development fund, 'said Amit Shah while addressing a public meeting in Dantewada on Saturday.

Shah reaffirmed the government's commitment to rehabilitating those who surrender, stating, 'If you join the mainstream, the Government of India and the Chhattisgarh Government will ensure your full protection.'

'Now the time has gone when bullets were fired and bombs exploded here. I have come to request all those people who have weapons in their hands, all the Naxalite brothers, to give up their weapons. No one is happy when a Naxalite is killed, but this area needs development...,' said Shah while making an appeal to leave violence and return to the mainstream.

Shah had further said that Naxalism is on the verge of ending in Bastar and that the BJP government is committed to freeing India from the grip of 'Laal Aatank' by March 2026.

'In the last three months, 521 Naxals have surrendered. A total of 881 Naxals surrendered in 2024. I assure you that those who surrender will be inducted into the mainstream. But those who continue to bear arms will be dealt with by security forces. Bastar is no longer a symbol of fear but of a future,' Shah said.

'Agle March tak, hum poore desh ko is laal atank se mukt karne ka kaam Bharatiya Janata Party ki sarkar karegi (By next March, the BJP government will work to free the entire country from Naxalism),' he added.

Shah also recalled how political leaders were earlier discouraged from visiting the region. 'Leaders used to be stopped from giving speeches here. The Chief Minister would say, 'Don't go.' But now, we are celebrating Ram Navami and Ashtami with 50,000 Adivasi brothers and sisters,' he said.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy CM Vijay Sharma shared the stage with Shah. Cabinet Ministers Kedar Kashyap and Ramvichar Netam and BJP State President Kiran Singh Dev were also present at the event. (ANI)