Ex-Naxals Now Building Industrial Gadchiroli in Maharashtra Ramesh Renkatvo, a former Maoist who once lived in the forests of Etapalli taluka, has found a new life in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, after leaving the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) movement. At 10 years old, he joined the rebels without understanding the consequences, but after 13 years of hardship, he chose to surrender. Today, he works as a crane operator at a steel factory, earns a steady income, and lives in a house built under the government’s rehabilitation scheme with his wife and four daughters. “I want my daughters to have education and opportunities I never had,” he said, reflecting on his journey from a life of uncertainty to one of stability. Renkatvo’s transformation mirrors the experiences of many former Maoists who joined the movement as children or teenagers. After years of struggle, they surrendered and began rebuilding their lives. The industrialization of Gadchiroli, driven by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s development initiatives, has created new opportunities. Lloyds Metal & Energy Ltd was the first company in the district to employ former rebels, hiring around 24 individuals, including eight couples. The company’s managing director, B Prabhakaran, personally met with the former rebels before offering them jobs, enabling them to start anew with dignified employment. Manium Sonu Atla, another former Maoist, joined the movement at 13 in 2011 after witnessing armed cadres visit his village. “Villagers used to give them food and supplies, but the reality was far different,” he recalled. As police patrols increased after 2014, access to villages for supplies became harder, forcing Atla to surrender in 2019. He and his wife received a bounty of 4.#devendra_fadnavis #gadchiroli #ramesh_renkatvo #lloyds_metal_energy_ltd #b_prabhakaran
