In MP’s Balaghat, schools stand where red once reigned

Balaghat: Once marked in intelligence dossiers as a Maoist base village, Chukka Tola in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh lay deep inside the ecosystem that sustained CPI (Maoist) leadership, including Milind Teltumbde, a central committee member carrying a Rs 50-lakh bounty who was killed in a massive encounter in Gadchiroli in 2021. That village was not cleared by force, but chosen. From this former insurgent nerve centre, Balaghat police have rolled out a post-conflict, intelligence-driven counter-strategy: reclaiming the Red corridor through schools.

Led by SP Aaditya Mishra, a 2018-batch IPS officer, the Ekal Suvidha Kendra ‘Vidyanjali’ project runs on a no-contractor, police-executed model, where constables to senior officers contribute ‘shramdaan’, physically rebuilding neglected primary schools funded by public participation across remote tribal belts.

Officers say the idea emerged from field intelligence inputs that pointed to a clear pattern—extremist influence had taken root in areas where basic education infrastructure had collapsed, leaving children outside the formal system and communities disconnected from the state.

What began with a single abandoned school in Chukka Tola has now scaled into a district-wide intervention. As per project data, work on about 250 schools has already been completed, with 276 schools adopted by 36 adopters, surpassing the initial target of transforming 100 schools by Jan 26, 2026. Each school has been upgraded at an average cost of about Rs 1.2 lakh, with roughly Rs 1 lakh spent on materials such as cement, paint and tiles, and about Rs 20,000 on labour, much of it contributed through police effort, bringing costs down to nearly one-fourth of conventional models.

On the ground, the transformation is visible in layers. At Chukka Tola, the school that once had crumbling boundary walls, unkempt grounds and no secure entry point now has a freshly painted main gate, landscaped campus and defined periphery.

Inside, classrooms that earlier had broken furniture, peeling plaster and poor lighting have been converted into functional learning spaces with desks, bright walls and teaching aids. Basic facilities have been prioritised, with unsafe kitchen sheds replaced by clean cooking spaces, dilapidated sanitation units rebuilt into tiled hygiene blocks, and provision of drinking water, electrification and covered campus areas ensured.

The initiative gained momentum after the administration declared the effective eradication of Naxal activity in the district in Dec 2025, following which the focus shifted to long-term stabilisation through development. Officials said the project began with a pilot covering five schools before expanding into a large-scale intervention.

In the early phase, SP Aaditya Mishra, along with his wife and father, personally adopted schools, setting the tone for the initiative. Officials said this move encouraged wider participation, after which local businessmen and community members came forward with financial support.

“The aim is to rejuvenate primary schools. Through this initiative, we are not just painting walls; we are building a future where every child has access to better facilities and learning conditions,” Mishra said.

Subsequently, about 280 schools across the district were identified for repair and upgrading. Funding for the initiative has been mobilised entirely through public participation, with contributions amounting to nearly Rs 3.90 crore collected from citizens and institutions.

Authorities say the aim is to complete renovation of all identified schools within the broader timeline set for consolidating gains made in eliminating Naxal influence.

To ensure transparency and wider participation, a dedicated Vidyanjali portal has been developed, allowing individuals and organisations to contribute directly to the project.

Similar work is now underway across interior pockets of Kirnapur, Baihar and Malajkhand, where police personnel are directly involved in construction—carrying materials, plastering walls and painting classrooms themselves.

The initiative is being implemented as a social adoption model under the Ekal Suvidha Kendra Vidyanjali framework, involving civil society, professionals and local contributors. A Vidyanjali Society has been registered with a dedicated bank account, PAN and DARPAN ID to ensure transparency and channelise CSR funds and public contributions.

The scope of work goes beyond basic repairs, covering structural safety, sanitation and classroom environment. Schools are being equipped with repaired roofs and floors, secure boundary walls, functional doors and windows, improved furniture, lighting and fans, clean drinking water facilities and hygienic kitchen sheds for mid-day meals.

Authorities say the larger aim is to improve learning conditions and bring children back into the formal education system in remote tribal areas. “If schools function well, it strengthens the entire ecosystem. This is also about ensuring that no negative influence returns to these areas,” Mishra said.

Parallel efforts include rehabilitation of surrendered Maoists, facilitation of identity documents, banking access and livelihood support for affected families, aimed at breaking cycles of alienation.

Senior officers describe the initiative as a shift in policing philosophy, from enforcement to engagement, where development is being used as a tool to secure lasting peace.