Overview
- Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated Pandum Café on November 17 inside the Poona Margham Police Lines complex in Jagdalpur.
- The café employs surrendered Maoist cadres alongside people from families affected by Naxal violence under a government-led rehabilitation effort.
- Staff members completed training in hospitality, café operations, customer service, hygiene, food safety and entrepreneurship before opening.
- Authorities describe the outlet as a pilot socio-economic model that could be replicated across the region and may encourage further surrenders.
- Coverage situates the launch within a period of weakened Maoist influence in Bastar, with officials emphasizing reintegration as part of broader security and development policy.