Raipur, Nov 1 Chhattisgarh, once identified with Maoist violence, has been undergoing a transformation and emerging as a tourism hub and an attractive investment destination, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday.
He said Chhattisgarh has been contributing to India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation.
“There was a time when the mention of Chhattisgarh immediately brought Maoism to people’s minds. Tourists did not visit this region. But today, as the state celebrates ‘Rajyotsav’, Chhattisgarh has been emerging as a tourism hub,” Mandaviya said while addressing the inaugural ceremony of Rajyotsav-2026, Chhattisgarh’s foundation day celebrations, in Nava Raipur.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai was also present on the occasion.
Mandaviya said Bastar is now hosting tribal sports events and the Bastar Olympics, while tourists are also visiting the region.
“Chhattisgarh is changing. Today, not just national companies but multinational companies are also looking at the state as an attractive destination for investment and business,” the Union Minister said.
He said sportspersons from Chhattisgarh have been making their mark at the national and international levels, while the state is also providing successful political leadership.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, Mandaviya said Modi had set the goal when the country was celebrating the 75th anniversary of Independence, urging people to work towards achieving the vision by the time India celebrates its centenary of Independence.
“But who will build this developed India? Modi ji did not say that he alone would make India a developed nation. He said that all 140 crore people must collectively resolve to achieve this goal,” the Union minister said.
Mandaviya added that the Prime Minister has also laid down specific targets and a roadmap.
“Giving a slogan and delivering speeches from a platform is easy, but translating those words into reality requires a clear roadmap,” he said.
Mandaviya said former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had given a slogan of building an India for the 21st Century; however, an action plan was not formulated to translate the vision into reality.
He said PM Modi had called upon the country’s 140 crore people to take five pledges (Panch Pran) to make India a developed nation.
Recalling former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s role in the formation of Chhattisgarh, which was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, Mandaviya said Vajpayee’s dream is now taking shape as the state progressed on the path of development.
He said Chhattisgarh had faced poverty, lack of basic facilities and resource constraints in its earlier years, but had gradually advanced under different governments.
The state progressed under the 15-year tenure of then Chief Minister Raman Singh, and after the BJP returned to power in 2023, a double-engine government was formed, he said.
“Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Chhattisgarh has been changing and aligning its development journey with the vision of a developed India,” Mandaviya added.
(PTI News)
