Raipur: Silent but sustainable efforts are taking place in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh to empower the poorest among poor financially. It's being done in a calibrated manner marked by well crafted road maps and a multitude of positive micro interventions.

From men to women, the focus is inclusive to ensure their total economic empowerment. Rich in natural and forest resources, women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are charting a course of financial independence. They make vermicompost, which is prepared through a decomposition process using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and others. They make different but colourful earthen stuff. If the District Administration is to be believed, SHGs women of Mangnar village under Bakawand block of the district have earned over Rs 9 lakh. SHGs members also make envelopes and paper carry bags to free Bastar from the menace of plastic.      

The story does not end with Bastar’s ongoing struggle to have a tryst with lasting peace and prosperity. After a wait of 22 years, a tribal food park has also come up in Jagdalpur, not a long period for Bastar to witness a new dawn of development. “As Collector, Bastar, I had planned a project with TRIFED in 1999 to set up a mega Forest Products Processing Park. As MD TRIFED, I had the good fortune to get it done,” tweeted Pravir Krishna on August 29, which Rajat Bansal, current District Magistrate and Collector, re-tweeted.

Amcho Bastar Paryatan is another initiative to empower the locals by creating job opportunities for them. The District Administration has a lofty plan in this regard. Whosoever wishes to set up a home stay facility for tourists will receive funds from the District Mineral Fund Trust (DMTF)! Deprived of institutional succour for years, every positive intervention cheers up locals. They feel and foresee a new dawn in the offing.

In fact, the wholesome governance is at its best in Bastar for which the entire District Administration deserves kudos. The people of Bastar, which is synonymous with red turmoil, are all set to fly with a set of fresh development dreams if all goes well!
       
Bastar deserves what has been denied for years – development, freedom from multiple deficiencies, employment opportunities and so on! In Bastar district, irrigated area is just 1.67 per cent and fertilizer use is 4.6 kg per hectare, which is inadequate to provide proper nutrients to the crop. Bastar is in the grip of multidimensional poverty, despite being Chhattisgarh’s cultural capital.

Spread over 6596.90 sq km, Bastar was once bigger than a state like Kerala and countries like Belgium, Israel. For the district to be systematically managed, two separate districts -- Kanker and Dantewada -- were constructed in 1999. It is surrounded by Kondagaon, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur. With 70 per cent tribal population, Bastar is divided into seven development blocks -- Jagdalpur, Bastar, Bakawand, Lohandiuuda, Tokapal, Darbha and Bastar. Rich in natural beauty and resources, Bastar strives to be better than others. Best wishes!