Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM) Bhupesh Baghel on December 17 said Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) activities and violence are on the wane in the tribal Bastar region where his Government is now focusing on introducing welfare and other development schemes, reports The Times of India. “Maoists are now just confined to certain pockets in the remote forest areas. There has been a significant decline in incidents of Naxalite violence. The perception that Chhattisgarh is a ‘Naxal-Garh is also changing fast”, CM Baghel said on the occasion of his completing three years in office as chief minister. Indicating that his government is keen to implement Panchayat (Extension to scheduled Areas) Act-1996 (PESA) soon, the CM said the Panchayat and Rural Development minister T S Singhdeo and his team are working on the draft rules to be notified to be formulated under PESA Act. “Once it is finalized and comes up before the cabinet, we will approve it for implementation”, he added. Asserting that his government is moving forward towards the development of Bastar keeping in view the needs and expectations of the people, Baghel said community participation and a system based on consensus and cooperation has now been established in the tribal region.