(MENAFN- IANS) Raipur/Bastar, July 24 (IANS) A sweeping surrender of 66 hardcore Maoists took place across Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, marking a major setback for left-wing extremism in the state.

Among those who laid down arms were 49 cadres carrying a collective bounty of Rs 2.27 crore, including high-ranking leaders and long-time insurgents, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said.

The most prominent among them was Ramanna Irpa alias Jagdish, a Special Zonal Committee Member with a Rs 25 lakh reward on his head.

The mass surrender occurred across five districts, with 25 cadres from Bijapur, 15 from Dantewada, 13 from Kanker, 8 from Narayanpur, and 5 from Sukma formally renouncing violence and pledging allegiance to the democratic system, the chief minister wrote on his X handle.

A significant portion of the group comprised female operatives, some of whom had been active in the Maoist ranks for over two decades.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai narrated about the development as a turning point in chhattisgarh's security landscape, particularly Bastar region.

He said that 1,570 Maoist cadres had surrendered over the past 18 months under the influence of the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy, describing the trend as evidence of the effectiveness of governance, infrastructure outreach, and public welfare delivery.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for enabling the transformation through a“double engine government” approach.

At the core of the rehabilitation effort is the“Puna Margem” campaign -- translated as Revival through Rehabilitation -- which offers financial assistance, vocational support, and reintegration pathways to surrendered insurgents.

In Dantewada, 16 Maoists surrendered on Thursday, including five rewarded cadres and a couple identified as Budhram alias Lalu Kuharam and Kamli alias Moti Potavi.

“Budhram, a divisional committee member with a Rs 8 lakh bounty, was involved in major ambushes in 2013 and 2018. Kamli had participated in encounters in Irpanar, Gobel-Bhatbeda, and Thulthuli forest zones, and was listed with a Rs 5 lakh reward. Others included Pojja alias Podiya Madkam with a Rs 2 lakh bounty and women cadres Aayate alias Sangeeta Sodi and Pandey Madvi, both listed with Rs 1 lakh rewards. Many surrendered cadres were previously engaged in sabotage activities such as road disruption, deforestation, and propaganda during bandh weeks,” Udit Pushkar, Assistant Superintendent of Police (operations) Dantewada said and added one among them is a couple.

Police officials confirmed that all surrendered cadres would receive immediate assistance and structured rehabilitation, with appeals to other Maoist members to abandon arms and return to civilian life.

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