Claiming that a major portion of the Bastar region was now free of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) insurgency, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM), Bhupesh Baghel on the occasion of New Year at Police Parade Ground in Raipur on January 1 hailed the Security Forces (SFs) for their successes against the rebels, reports NDTV. "I am happy that our police have been doing excellent work in Naxal [Left Wing Extremist, LWE]-affected areas. Naxalism is not just a law-and-order problem, but also a political and social problem. Security forces have set up camps in Maoist strongholds which pushed the rebels on the back foot," the chief minister was quoted as saying in an official release. "Now the forest-dwellers, mostly tribals (in Naxal-affected areas), consider security personnel as their friends and understand that security personnel have been deployed there for their own safety," CM, Baghel said, adding, "This all could become possible because the police are helping locals, and development works, including the construction of roads, bridges and culverts, are taking place. A major portion of Bastar has got rid of the Naxal menace." Earlier, when it came to Chhattisgarh, people outside the state spoke only about Naxalism, "but our government has changed this thinking and this image of the state," the CM added.