Raipur
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah visited the CRPF camp in Netanar village of Bastar district and inaugurated the Shaheed Veer Gundadhur Seva Dera, a public service centre designed to provide digital citizen services to local residents.
During the visit, Shah interacted with women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at a tamarind processing unit. The women explained how processing and selling tamarind pulp has significantly increased their income. Shah also tasted the local Bastar tamarind and appreciated its unique quality. Lambi Nag, a member of the Gundadhur SHG, said the group members are now earning up to ₹1 lakh annually through tamarind processing.
The Home Minister also inspected the Seva Setu Kendra, where villagers can access multiple online government services under one roof. Resident Sukhdevi shared that she was able to register her five-month-old daughter, Padma, for an identity card, without traveling 10 km to Nangur as earlier required. The centre now provides ID updates, KYC verification, mobile number registration, and digital documentation services locally.
Another resident, Sonamani, said she completed her KYC verification for the Mahtari Vandan Yojana at the centre, which earlier required a difficult trip to town. The facility also enables villagers to obtain birth certificates, income certificates, and caste certificates.
The centre is also training women as “Bank Sakhis” (banking correspondents) to support rural banking services, including deposits, withdrawals, SHG account opening, KYC updates, and credit linkage support within the village.
Shah later visited a tailoring training centre, where women are being trained in basic and advanced stitching skills. Trainee Vijaya Kumari said the training would help her become financially independent and support her family.
The visit concluded at a traditional paddy de-husking (dhan dheki) training centre, aimed at increasing rural income by improving rice processing activities and utilizing paddy husk as cattle feed.
