Amit Shah Showcases Chhattisgarh's 25-Year Transformation in Raipur
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday delivered a comprehensive assessment of Chhattisgarh's 25-year journey as a state, framing it as a remarkable development turnaround driven by BJP governance. Speaking at the national conclave 'Chhattisgarh @ 25: Shifting the Lens' in Raipur, Shah asserted that the state has evolved from being perceived as a backward, 'bimaru', and Maoist-affected region to standing on the brink of becoming a top-performing state.
Fiscal and Economic Indicators Highlight Progress
Shah's presentation leaned heavily on measurable fiscal and growth metrics. He claimed that comparing the state's budget trajectory from 2000 to 2025 reveals a dramatic 30% increase in annual budget size, which he described as a significant enhancement of financial capacity. The Home Minister emphasized that the scale of change in Chhattisgarh is quantifiable through numbers.
He cited per-capita revenue growth and Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) expansion as key markers, arguing that multiple economic indicators converge to show prosperity expanding both in scale and per-person terms. Shah recalled the term 'Bimaru rajya'—once used for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh—and contended that these states and their successors, including Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand, are now on the verge of becoming developed states.
Agricultural and Infrastructure Milestones
In agriculture, Shah reported that irrigation coverage has doubled over 25 years. He stated that kharif production has tripled, while rabi output—which depends more on irrigation than rainfall—has seen a six-fold increase, a development he framed as particularly significant.
Health infrastructure has also expanded substantially, with district hospitals increasing from seven to 30 and medical colleges growing from one to 16. On nutrition and child development, Shah highlighted a major expansion of Anganwadi buildings, along with reductions in malnutrition-linked hotspots and improvements in mortality indicators. He stressed that these gains occurred despite large areas previously being inaccessible due to Maoist disruption.
Bastar: The Next Growth Frontier
Shah projected Bastar as the next major development frontier as Maoist influence recedes. He argued that the region's abundant resources could have made it one of India's most developed districts, but insurgency disrupted institutions and blocked welfare access. With Maoism "coming to an end," Shah claimed the growth curve will steepen, and Bastar could become the country's most developed tribal district within a decade.
Education, Connectivity, and Investment Gains
The Home Minister also flagged improvements in education and connectivity. He noted significant enhancements in education outcomes, including the expansion of Eklavya residential schools from none to 75, and a three-fold rise in hostels and support systems for children.
On connectivity, Shah claimed national highways have doubled and rural road expansion has been unprecedented. He cited a major jump in investment inflows, arguing that Chhattisgarh has entered a higher-growth phase that would have seemed "unimaginable" earlier. The state now ranks among the top producers of several minerals and industrial raw materials, including:
- Coal
- Tin
- Iron ore
- Limestone
- Bauxite
Political Context and Future Vision
Shah credited "ideology-led governance" under the BJP for delivering a "qualitative transformation" in a relatively short time. He outlined a political arc, noting an initial phase of Congress rule, followed by a long BJP phase under Raman Singh that pushed development while confronting Maoist violence. Shah alleged that during the subsequent Congress government, the state experienced "scams and corruption," with development and Maoist containment suffering for five years, before the BJP returned to power under Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Framing Chhattisgarh as central to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Viksit Bharat 2045" vision, Shah asserted that the state's 25-year track record suggests it can grow even faster in coming years. "Chhattisgarh will be freed from red terror and made one of the top states," he declared, pitching the next phase as a combined story of security consolidation and accelerated development.
Shah underscored that Chhattisgarh, created on November 1, 2000, began amid "very unique circumstances," with distance from the old administrative centre of Madhya Pradesh and a geography and culture demanding separate governance. He concluded that resources existed earlier, but development did not match potential until focused governance took hold.
