The brother and other relatives of Raju Velaji, Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) of Gatta Dalam, an active Maoist from Jijgaon, witnessed a transformation in their village as the Gadchiroli Police inaugurated its 72nd public library in Jijgaon on Saturday under the ‘One Village, One Library’ initiative.
The initiative, conceptualized by Gadchiroli’s Superintendent of Police, Neelotpal (IPS), aims to empower school students, educated unemployed youth, and women and men in the district’s remote areas. The goal is to integrate them into the mainstream by nurturing their intellectual and creative talents, strengthening their perspectives, fostering a passion for reading, and preparing for competitive exams.
The library is located in Jijgaon, under the Mannerajaram police station in the Bhamragad subdivision, over 7km from Mannerajaram.
The construction of this modern library was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Gadchiroli Police, CRPF, SRPF officers and personnel, and local residents who contributed both labour and funds.
Over 500 residents living in the areas falling under the Mannerajaram police station’s jurisdiction attended the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony began with a book procession attended by all senior officers and villagers. The procession served to raise awareness and instill a sense of respect and fondness for books and reading among students and villagers.
Talking to The Indian Express, SP Neelotpal said, “We opened our first library in March 2023 at Kotgul…The idea came from the fact that many people can’t afford to go to the cities, and they don’t have a proper study environment at home. Libraries in Gadchiroli and Nagpur are often very expensive, charging hefty fees. So, we decided to open libraries in or near areas with a police presence.”
“We have now established libraries in 72 locations. The first one, in Kotgul, is a state-of-the-art library. All these libraries operate on community participation. The villagers, our police station, and SRPF and CRPF personnel who are deployed here for three-month rotations contribute to it. This model ensures that community ownership doesn’t fade away. We make the students the custodians of the library, and they all do a fantastic job,” said the SP .
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Currently, 8,000 students are studying at these libraries across Gadchiroli. “The books, including those for competitive exams and others on figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar, are provided by former police officers who have tied up with companies in cities like Pune and Kolhapur to send books the libraries need,” added Neelotpal.
Since the programme started, 205 students have been selected for various government jobs, both in and outside of Gadchiroli, as police constables, talathis, and foresters, among others, informed the SP.
The Mannerajaram police station was reopened in January 2023 because it was a significant security vacuum. This area, particularly Jijgaon, was a major crossing point for Maoists moving from the National Park Area into Gadchiroli by crossing the Indravati river. While a police post was first created in Mannerajaram in the early 2000s, it couldn’t sustain due to Maoist activity, including arson. It had to be closed down, but in January 2023, the post was re-established.
The inauguration was attended by Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations) M. Ramesh, Additional Superintendent of Police (Aheri) Satya Sai Karthik, Assistant Commandant of A/9 Battalion CRPF Amit Sinha, Officer-in-Charge of Manne Rajaram Police Station PSI Shubham Shinde, PSI Prashant Narkhede of SRPF Group 4 Nagpur, along with local sarpanchs, police patils, students, and villagers.
