# Former Naxal women walk ramp at Raipur handloom event 2026-08-13T06:57:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Nine women who once carried weapons as Maoist cadres in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar forests walked the ramp at a National Handloom Day event in Raipur on Tuesday. Dressed in traditional handloom saris, they drew applause as models, symbolising their return to mainstream life after surrender. The Deccan Herald and the Free Press Journal report that the video of their walk has gone viral. Earlier this week, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to seek relaxed norms under the PMGSY scheme for remote Bastar villages. Sai argued that low population density makes many hamlets ineligible for road projects despite the region's decades-long insurgency and need for connectivity. ## Coverage - freepressjournal.in - deccanherald.com Tags: Bastar, Chhattisgarh, National Handloom Day, Naxal rehabilitation, PMGSY, road connectivity Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/former-naxal-women-walk-ramp-for-national-handloom-day-in-raipur/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/former-naxal-women-walk-ramp-for-national-handloom-day-in-raipur/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.