Setting the stage for an in-depth dialogue on changing ground realities and the socio-economic resurgence of erstwhile Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected corridors, the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Bhubaneswar, in close collaboration with the Kandhamal district administration and Odisha Police, is hosting a specialised media workshop, ‘Vartalap’, in Phulbani on Thursday.
The workshop forms a key component of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ comprehensive media outreach strategy, aimed at documenting the transformation taking place across former insurgent belts during the post-LWE transition phase.
Focus on Civic Renewal and Infrastructure Saturation
The day-long event will be presided over by Akhil Kumar Mishra, Additional Director General (ADG), PIB and Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Bhubaneswar. Key administrative and security leadership—including the Collector and District Magistrate of Kandhamal, the Superintendent of Police, Kandhamal, senior police officers, and key government functionaries—will interact directly with local media representatives.
Conceived as a multi-stakeholder dialectic, the workshop aims to provide working journalists with first-hand insights into the administrative and policing efforts that have systematically dismantled the extremist infrastructure in the region. Deliberations will examine Kandhamal’s trajectory through a distinct three-phase lens:
- Pre-Conflict Era: The socio-economic landscape before the onset of Naxal violence.
- Insurgency Phase: The decades marked by insurgent disruption and administrative challenges.
- Civic Renewal Phase: The current era of restored rule of law, institutional trust, and accelerated development across tribal hinterlands.
Shattering Physical and Digital Isolation
During the workshop, officials will present detailed accounts of ongoing government initiatives aimed at saturating remote pockets with vital civic and economic infrastructure.
Key focus areas include the expansion of all-weather arterial roads, bridges, and telecom towers designed to eliminate physical and digital isolation. Presentations will also highlight strides achieved in primary healthcare delivery, modernised residential schooling for tribal youth, and cooperative value-addition for minor forest produce to bolster local livelihoods.
