Chhattisgarh targets maoist-hit areas with incentives for schools, mini-malls under new industrial push

Fresh from a string of successful encounters against Maoists in Bastar, the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government has rolled out an amended industrial development policy aimed at rebooting rural and semi-urban growth in areas long disrupted by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE).

Under the revised policy, CBSE-affiliated private schools with capacity for over 500 students (classes 1 to 12), along with mini malls housing multiplexes, have been included in the State's thrust sector - opening them to targeted incentives.

"Once the security vacuum is filled by the presence of state and central forces, the focus is on restoring normalcy through education and amenities," said a senior official. "Many private schools had shut down earlier because teachers wouldn't report to duty due to Maoist threats."

The initiative, part of the broader industrial policy, does not carry a separate budget line but is backed by the State's ₹1.65 lakh crore allocation for 2025-26. Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the move would address long-standing infrastructure deficits. "This isn't just an economic plan. It's about empowering youth, improving life in small towns and ensuring inclusive development," Sai told ET.

Officials said the first three private schools in underserved areas would be eligible for special incentives. Meanwhile, the mini-mall scheme will target towns and rural blocks within a 10 km radius of development centres, nudging private investors to bet on tier-3 and tier-4 towns instead of the bigger cities like Raipur or Bilaspur.

The policy realignment comes as the Centre pushes to end LWE by March 2026. Chhattisgarh remains the most affected state - with 200 Naxals killed in encounters this year alone, 183 of them in the Bastar division. Last week, Maoist general secretary Nambala Keshavrao alias Basavaraju - carrying a ₹1.5 crore bounty - was eliminated in an encounter in the Narayanpur-Bijapur region.