Raipur, March 10 Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said on Tuesday that most paramilitary forces deployed in the Bastar region of the state are likely to be withdrawn by March 31, 2027.
Responding to a discussion on the budget demand proposals of his departments in the assembly, he said March 31, 2026 has been set as the target date for ending armed Naxalism.
After the discussion, the assembly passed the demand proposals of the Panchayat and Rural Development, Home, Jail and Science and Technology departments held by Sharma.
"March 31, 2026 has been fixed as the date for the end of armed Naxalism, and it has also been decided that the forces will start returning by March 31, 2027. Some may go back even earlier," he said.
He added that discussions have taken place to fix March 31, 2027 as the timeline for the withdrawal of central forces, though the schedule may vary slightly.
"After that, all the central forces would also leave," he said.
Sharma informed the House that the police department has been allocated Rs 7,130.48 crore under the revenue expenditure head and Rs 590.53 crore under the capital expenditure head in the main budget, totaling Rs 7,721.01 crore.
He said Rs 38 crore have been earmarked for fixed deposits and vocational training for surrendered Left Wing Extremist cadres under the central rehabilitation policy to facilitate their rehabilitation.
The deputy CM said the state government has proposed six new posts to set up a modern IT centre at the police headquarters in Nava Raipur to strengthen the investigation and prevention of modern and cybercrimes.
The government has also approved new posts under special police forces, including the Anti-Terrorist Squad, State Industrial Security Force, Special Operations Group, Anti-Narcotics Task Force and bomb disposal units, he said.
Sharma said four central jails in Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur and Ambikapur have received ISO 9001:2015 certification, reflecting the government's focus on quality improvement.
A provision of Rs 1.05 crore has been made in the budget to install a "Prison Calling System" in 16 jails across the state, enabling inmates to speak with their family members and lawyers through voice or video calls, he said.
Earlier, participating in the discussion, former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel said everyone wants Naxalism to end and peace to prevail in the region.
He noted that the government has repeatedly stated that Naxalism would end by March 31, 2026.
"Only 21 days are left for March 31. We hope that after that the withdrawal of paramilitary forces will begin," Baghel said.
Baghel also said a special session of the assembly should be convened on March 31 to celebrate the end of Naxalism in the state.
He, however, said that after the end of Naxalism, Bastar should primarily benefit the local people.
After the discussion, Baghel demanded a division of votes on a cut motion.
The motion was rejected after voting, with 37 votes against it and 24 in favour.
Later, the Assembly passed the budget demand proposals for Sharma's departments.