The Modi government is working to give international recognition to Bastar Pandum by taking the traditions, culture, and art of this region to the entire world.
Next year, the Modi government will celebrate the ‘Bastar Pandum’ festival in 12 categories, and tribal artists from across the country will participate in it.
Naxalites cannot stop the development of Bastar; Bastar has now become a synonym for the future, not fear.
Where there was the echo of bullets, now school bells are ringing; where building roads was a dream, highways are being built.
To make the dreams of development come true, everyone should make sincere and fearless efforts; there is no need to be afraid in Modi Ji’s rule.
Now, Bastar is moving forward with the flame of development, trust, and victory instead of Naxalism.
The Chhattisgarh government will declare a village that gets all Naxalites to surrender from their village as ‘Naxalism-free’ and give a development fund of one crore rupees.
Let there be a Sub-Inspector from Sukma, a Barrister from Bastar, a Doctor from Dantewada, and a Collector from Kanker – this is how Bastar is being built.
The Modi government is committed to freeing the entire country from Naxalism by March 2026.
Raipur, April 5, 2025/Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah addressed the Bastar Pandum program in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh today. On this occasion, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Vijay Sharma along with many dignitaries were present.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that Maharaja Praveer Chandra Bhanjdev sacrificed his life for the water, forests, land and culture of the tribes. He said that his popularity here as a benevolent king was not tolerated by the then government and he was assassinated as part of a conspiracy. Shri Shah said that today, when the entire Bastar is on the verge of becoming free from red terror and is moving on the path of development, the soul of Praveer Chandra Ji, wherever it may be, will be giving its blessings to the people of Bastar.
Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, from next year onwards, artists from every tribal district of the country will be included in the Bastar Pandum. He said that in order to give international fame to Bastar Pandum, the Modi government is working to take the traditions, culture and art of Bastar to the whole world by taking ambassadors of all countries on a tour of Bastar. Shri Shah said that 47,000 artists from 1885 Gram Panchayats, 12 Nagar Panchayats, 8 Nagar Parishads, one Municipality and 32 Janpads have participated in this festival. The District Administration and the Culture Department have allocated Rs 5 crore for Bastar Pandum. He said that this Pandum will work to promote and preserve local and traditional art, culture, handicrafts, festivals, food, dialect, language, customs, costumes, jewellery, traditional songs and music and cuisine in their original form.
The Home Minister said that we want the youth of our Bastar to get the most modern education, compete on every platform with the youth of the world and achieve prosperity all over the world, but never forget their culture, language, traditions. He said that the culture, dialects, musical instruments and food of Bastar are not only the jewels of the culture of Chhattisgarh but of the whole of India and we have to cherish them. Shri Shah said that the Bastar Pandum festival which is being celebrated in seven categories will be celebrated in 12 categories next year and tribals from all over the country will participate in it. The Home Minister said that the strength of India is unity in diversity, a confluence of many types of cultures, arts, traditions, languages, dialects and cuisines. He said that we will stand in every competition with the world but we will also preserve our culture and other heritage and Bastar Pandum is the beginning of this.
The Union Home Minister said that the era when bullets were fired and bombs exploded here is gone. He appealed to all the Naxalites to lay down their arms and join the mainstream because Bastar wants development. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji wants to give everything to Bastar, but this is possible only when there is peace in Bastar. Development is possible only when children go to school, mothers’ health is taken care of, tribals and youth do not suffer from malnutrition, arrangements are made for children’s education, there is a dispensary in every village and a hospital in the tehsil. He said that it is