Jagargunda in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district has got its first operational bank branch in over two decades, marking a significant shift in a region long affected by Naxal violence, with a nationalised bank resuming services after years of disruption.
A branch of the Indian Overseas Bank has begun operations in Jagargunda, an area that remained under Naxal control for decades and where an earlier bank branch was blown up and looted by Maoists in 2002. The vault of the destroyed bank still lies at the site, a reminder of the violence that once crippled normal life in the region.
The reopening follows sustained anti-Naxal operations and development efforts by the Chhattisgarh government after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the state. Residents, who earlier travelled 60-70 kilometres to access banking facilities in Bijapur, Sukma or Dantewada, can now avail services within their village.
“Jagargunda was famous for its tamarind market, and the bank there was blown up by Naxalites. But now a bank has been re-established there. Earlier, people had to travel 60-70 kilometres to Bijapur, Sukma, or Dantewada for banking facilities. Now, with the opening of the bank in Jagargunda, about 600 people have already opened accounts, and they are getting banking services,” Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said.
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Bastar Range Inspector General Sundarraj P said, “Continuous and extensive anti-naxal operations to eliminate naxalism, coupled with developmental works in the Bastar division, are the priority.” “In this sequence, banking facilities are being made available to the public in Jagargunda and other interior areas,” he added.
The IG said the restoration of banking services was crucial for reviving economic activity. “With the restoration of banking facilities, continuous efforts are being made to create a positive environment for the revival of the tamarind market as well as for trade, commerce, education, and healthcare services,” he said.
Indian Overseas Bank assistant manager Shankar said over 600 accounts had already been opened. “There is no other bank within a 50-kilometre radius. People from 14 villages come here to open accounts… With the opening of the bank's branch, people are getting the benefits of government schemes directly into their accounts,” he said.
Jagargunda sarpanch Nitya Kosma recalled decades of hardship. “Life here was extremely difficult. Jagargunda had the highest naxalite influence in the district,” she said, adding that villagers are now benefiting from schemes such as the Mahtari Vandan Yojana following the bank’s reopening.
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