From ‘punishment posting' to next steel powerhouse: CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurates several projects in Gadchiroli

Indian Express

8 hours ago

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday that Gadchiroli, once regarded as the state's most backward region – often known to be the place for 'punishment postings' – is now set to become the country's next steel powerhouse, driven by developments from Lloyds Metals and Energy and a model of growth rooted in local employment, conservation, and inclusivity.
Fadnavis was speaking at Konsari village in Gadchiroli's Chamorshi taluka on Tuesday where he inaugurated several projects of Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd (LMEL). He also laid the foundation stone for the company's mega integrated steel plant.
Addressing a public gathering, Fadnavis lauded LMEL's managing director B Prabhakaran for 'walking with society', and making all employees stakeholders in the company's success. 'This is not just industrial development, this is transformation. Every employee is also a shareholder,' he said.
Fadnavis praised the police and the people of Gadchiroli for standing by the Constitution and the democratic system and not with Maoists, who have been thriving in the area for decades. 'Today, even former Naxals are working at Lloyds plant. The Naxal network has been broken, only a few remain, and they too must surrender,' he appealed.
The chief minister, however, cautioned against what he termed 'urban Maoism', referring to alleged misinformation campaigns on social media that claimed tribal land was forcibly acquired and forests destroyed in Gadchiroli. 'These are not voices from Gadchiroli, they are just a few people based in cities like Bengaluru and Kolkata, who are being funded from abroad, trying to keep Adivasis poor, backward, and enslaved,' he said.
Reaffirming his government's commitment, Fadnavis said, 'We will not rest until Gadchiroli becomes the number one district in Maharashtra. The next five years will see income levels rise and lives change in ways people once thought was impossible.'
Drawing inspiration from Dr B R Ambedkar's vision, Fadnavis said the transformation underway in Gadchiroli reflects the vision of India's Constitution. 'This is the real struggle, not just against poverty or underdevelopment, but against a mindset that wants to keep tribal India in the past.'
Mining operations began in Gadchiroli around 2016-17, following official approvals. Since then, Lloyds has played a key role in establishing an end-to-end steel ecosystem in the district, he added. 'We didn't want Gadchiroli to remain just a resource supplier for industries outside, where it would face enormous pollution at the cost of development. Our vision was and is to benefit local youth and help them get jobs here,' Fadnavis said.
He said over 14,000 local youths are now employed with the company. The BJP leader also shared stories of local women who started in housekeeping roles and now drive heavy Volvo trucks, earning over Rs 55,000 per month. He also noted that some women will be operating pellet trucks, breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Fadnavis also announced the bhoomi pujan for an upcoming integrated steel plant, which will generate another 20,000 jobs. The project, he informed, will be completed in 30 months. He also highlighted collaborations between Gondwana University and an Australian university to train youth in advanced mining technologies. 'Students will study partly in Australia and partly in Gadchiroli. Soon the students of Gadchiroli studying at the institute will be known as the best mining engineers of India,' he added.
'May it be a pellet plant, or a slurry pipeline, another conversation I had with B Prabhakaran was that we need to develop the region, but 'jal, jamin, and jungle' (water, land, and forest), which is the identity of Gadchiroli, needs to be preserved. There should not be destruction of this wealth. We need to try and ensure that there is no pollution which harms the beauty of this region,' said Fadnavis.
Responding to concerns about environmental impact, Fadnavis underlined that the Gadchiroli model is based on 'green growth.' He stressed that an 80-kilometre slurry pipeline has been installed by Lloyds to prevent pollution. He was concerned that the slurry could be a cause of concern for environmental pollution, but the pipeline made it look easy. He said the region will soon transition to electric vehicles for most industrial movements.
Fadnavis also announced a mega plantation drive, with 1 crore trees to be planted over the next two years, starting with 40 lakh saplings on Tuesday. He also hinted that a nursery similar to those in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, will also be established to ensure a high survival rate of planted saplings.
The chief minister said the state government's Rs 5 lakh health insurance scheme will be functional in Gadchiroli as the company is keen to build a new hospital in the region. A school will also be constructed.
'Gadchiroli has the potential to produce better steel than China, and that too, green steel,' Fadnavis claimed, reaffirming the push for reducing dependence on gas and coal. Gadchiroli Joint Guardian Minister Ashish Jaiswal, MLAs Dharmaraobaba Atram and Milind Narote and others were present at the event