India, Nov. 30 -- Thirty-seven Maoists, 27 of them collectively carrying a reward of Rs.65 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Sunday, police said.

The cadres, including 12 women, turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officials as part of the "Poona Margem" (from rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Dantewada superintendent of police, Gaurav Rai, said.

Rai said the initiative, launched by Bastar range police, has emerged as a transformative effort to establish lasting peace, dignity and all-round development in the Bastar region.

Key cadres among those who surrendered include Kumali alias Anita Mandavi, Geeta alias Lakshmi Madkam, Ranjan alias Soma Mandavi and Bhima alias Jahaj Kalmu - ...