Raipur, 24 May 2025
During the meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog, an intimate moment came up which caught everyone’s attention. During the lunch break, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi held the hand of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai and said smilingly, “Chhattisgarh ki baat abhi baki hai.” This one sentence reflected the Prime Minister’s affection, trust and special interest towards the state. At that moment, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Shri M.K. Stalin, who were present nearby, also witnessed this conversation with a smile.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi lauded the positive changes taking place in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, industrial investments, and the concrete steps taken by the State Government towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bastar’. Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai spoke about how Bastar is now becoming a symbol of possibility, not struggle – where guns were once fired, machines, laptops and startups are now the talk. From setting up the country’s first semiconductor unit and AI data centre in Nava Raipur to the auction of lithium blocks – Chhattisgarh is now not only a state of resources, but is becoming a laboratory for the India of the future.
This moment was not of any formal dialogue, but of spontaneous acceptance and appreciation of the efforts of Chief Minister Shri Sai committed to the development of Chhattisgarh by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. While states across the country presented their development models in the meeting of NITI Aayog, Chhattisgarh’s presentation received special interest and appreciation of the Prime Minister. This is a clear indication that Chhattisgarh is no longer just an emerging state, but has become a state playing a decisive role in the overall development of the country.
