India, Sept. 13 -- Bastar, once synonymous with deprivation and insurgency, is today emerging as a beacon of investment, opportunity, and inclusive development. With public and private commitments worth nearly '52,000 crore, the region is on course to become one of Chhattisgarh's fastest growing industrial and socio-economic hubs. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who inaugurated the programme, said the Bastar region is at the centre of his government's new industrial policy, as it is rich in mineral resources and abundant natural wealth, offering immense possibilities for development within itself.

"Maoism had been hampering Bastar's development. We have resolved that we will bring Bastar into the mainstream and make it the central axis of...