Now Reading: Former Naxal women walk ramp at Raipur handloom event
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Former Naxal women walk ramp at Raipur handloom event
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The ramp walk is heartening but risks being turned into a feel-good headline that glosses over the grind of rehabilitation. These women have taken a brave step, but the real test is whether they get steady livelihoods, education for their children, and community acceptance. The Chhattisgarh government has asked for relaxed road-building norms in Bastar. Better connectivity and jobs, not one-off events, will determine how many more choose to leave the jungle.
Sources (2): freepressjournal.in, deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
