50 Gondia residents to attend National Unity Day event at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat

Fifty citizens of Gondia district will take part in the National Unity Day celebrations at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, in Gujarat on October 31. The event will be held near the Statue of Unity. For Gondia, a district moving out of the shadow of Naxalism towards development, the invitation is being described as an occasion for national-level recognition.

The event has been organised at Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, on October 31, 2026, the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Under a special initiative of the Union government, people from districts that were earlier Naxal-affected have been invited as special guests to the programme, which carries the message of the country's unity, integrity and sovereignty.

Under the initiative, delegations of 50 citizens each have been invited to Gujarat from Maharashtra's Gondia, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts. The 50 from Gondia belong to the district's Naxal-affected areas. The visit was planned under the guidance of Gondia Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre and coordinated by Additional Superintendent of Police Abhay Dongre.

The visit is taking place in two phases. In the first, three citizens were sent to Ekta Nagar on October 27, 2026, with Police Inspector Pramod Bhatnate of the Naxal Cell, Gondia. They are on a two-day Gujarat sightseeing programme.

The remaining 47 citizens left on October 29, 2026, with Sub-Inspectors Shrikant Hattimare and Deepak Tarvade. Gondia Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dinesh Shukla flagged off the group. In all, 50 citizens will attend the event.

Gondia district once faced fear, insecurity and obstacles to development under the influence of Naxalism. Security, development and rehabilitation measures by the Centre and the Maharashtra government have brought positive change in the district. Facilities such as roads, mobile networks, electricity, water, education and public transport have reached extremely remote, tribal-majority areas. This has strengthened people's connection with the government.

The Gondia district police's community policing initiative, called "Police Dadalora Khidki", is said to have played an important role in this change. Through it, efforts are being made to help people access government schemes, employment and self-employment opportunities, skill development, health services and other welfare schemes. The initiatives aim to build trust between the police and citizens, bring young people into the mainstream of development and keep society away from the influence of Naxalism.

The Union government had resolved to end Naxalism by March 31, 2026. According to official information from the Union Home Ministry, the goal of making the country free of Naxalism was declared achieved on March 31, 2026. Against this background, inviting people from formerly Naxal-affected districts as special guests is seen as honouring peace, public participation and the journey of development.

The delegation of Gondia citizens has thanked the Union government, the Maharashtra government, the agencies concerned and the police for the initiative. Responding, Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre said the Gondia district police force is committed to strengthening the path of peace, trust and development in the district, giving strength to the vision of a Naxal-free, safe and developed Gondia.