First Top Official To Visit This Chhattisgarh Village, Once A Maoist Stronghold

Until very recently, Maoists openly operated "terror schools" and "Bhumkal hostels" in Abujhmarh, the unofficial headquarters of Maoists. Children were forcibly recruited and trained in the use of firearms. The Maoists memorials scattered across Rekawaya, a remote village in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, some 300 km from capital Raipur, stand as a testament to the fact that the 'Red Terror' once held absolute sway here. 

All that was in the past. Now, things are looking up.

Namrata Jain, the Collector of Narayanpur, made history by becoming the first District Collector to visit Rekaway - a remote village situated deep within the Indravati Reserve Forest. Once an impenetrable stronghold of Maoists, this village is now joining the mainstream.

Embracing their traditional culture, the villagers extended a warm welcome to the Collector, the top district official, by adorning her with garlands of Mahua flowers. 

For these tribal communities, who had remained isolated for years, this was not merely an administrative visit, but rather the very arrival of 'democracy' at their doorstep. 

Local women expressed their joy by singing welcome songs in the Gondi language. At the very spot where an ideology of hatred was once sown, the Collector inaugurated a 'New Ashram School Building'.

The top official also sat amidst the children to discuss their studies and future aspirations. She distributed sports equipment and books to the children, making it abundantly clear that the pen would outweigh the gun.

During a 'Jan Chaupal (public outreach session)', the villagers petitioned the Collector for roads, mobile network connectivity, ration supplies, and access to the benefits of the 'Mahtari Vandan Yojana'. 

Some villagers expressed a desire to step beyond the confines of their 'ancestral boundaries' to visit the state capital, Raipur, and see the Legislative Assembly building. Without delay, the Collector issued instructions to officials to make arrangements for the villagers' tour of Raipur.

Collector Namrata Jain, the 2019 batch officer, stands as the most powerful symbol of the changing face of Narayanpur.