Amid an ongoing leadership tussle in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel invited former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to the Bastar region when he met Mr. Gandhi in Delhi last week.
The former Congress chief is yet to finalise his travel programme to the State but Mr. Baghel was quick to announce Mr. Gandhi’s acceptance of his invitation.
While a visit by the former Congress chief may be interpreted as an endorsement of Mr. Baghel, the Chief Minister’s camp is also keen to “impress” Mr. Gandhi by showcasing his government’s “camp model of governance” in the Naxal/Maoist hit areas of the State.
For the past several months, the Baghel government has focussed on holding “integrated development camps” in the seven tribal-dominated districts of the Bastar division — Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Bastar (Jagdalpur) and Kanker — where citizens are provided various government services like Aadhar cards, ration cards, health cards under the Ayushman scheme, and caste certificates, among others. The local administration holds special camps for tribals living in remote areas of the seven districts.
First, security forces, mainly Central Reserve Police Force deployed in the area, “sanitise” a particular area/village that can be easily accessed by several villages in a particular neighbourhood. Then, alongside a security camp, a facility camp is held where villagers are encouraged to come and avail the services. The State government claims that it provides transport as well as food to incentivise villagers.
It is the Chhattisgarh version of “governance at the doorstep” model that States like West Bengal and Delhi have been trying out lately.
“Apart from the security aspect, the biggest issue is Internet connectivity in the interior areas. To make an Aadhar card, you need to connect to the server. That’s why we set up camps where there is Internet connectivity,” said an official who didn’t wish to be quoted.
The official claimed that in Naxal-hit Bijapur district, over 11,484 new Aadhar cards were issued while another 11,000 cards were updated. Similar camps have been held in Minapa, Silger and Sarkeguda.
Besides development camps, the Baghel government is also trying to induct tribal youth into the State police force through the local ‘Poona Narkom’ campaign, imparting police training at Chhindgarh in Sukma district.
“There was a time when the youth of Bastar did not join in the recruitment of security forces due to fear of Naxalites, but now the circumstances have changed,” said the official.
While the Baghel faction is keen to score on the “camp model” with the high command, his rival and Health Minister T. S. Singh Deo has made it clear that the final word on the leadership battle has not been spoken yet.
