Former Maoists tourist guides appointed under Telangana rehabilitation initiative
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy appointed 20 former Maoists from tribal communities as tourist guides under a rehabilitation initiative, marking a key step in integrating them into mainstream society through the former Maoists tourist guides programme.
He handed over appointment letters to the selected candidates during a programme held alongside the foundation ceremony for the Future City Police Commissionerate in Bharat Future City.
The government selected the first batch under the Giridarshak programme. Authorities trained the tribal youth and later appointed them as tourist guides under the Tourism Department to create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
Officials from the police, tribal welfare, tourism, forest and endowments departments jointly supervised the training process. Moreover, the departments prepared candidates to assist visitors at government-managed tourist destinations.
Former Maoists tourist guides deployed in tribal districts
Under the former Maoists tourist guides initiative, the first batch of 20 guides will work mainly in tourist locations across Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. They will explain local culture and regional history to visitors.
In addition, they will help tourists follow forest regulations and assist officials in ensuring visitor safety. The government deployed them in regions that earlier witnessed extremist activity.
Meanwhile, officials said development activities were expanding in Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts. They added that the programme aimed to build confidence among tribal youth and involve them in tourism-led development.
Officials stated that the initiative sought to transform former Maoists into contributors to society through structured employment. The selected candidates will perform duties in special uniforms at designated tourist locations.
They noted that individuals who once guided Maoists in forest areas would now guide tourists visiting the same regions.
During the programme, the Chief Minister instructed officials to provide six months of soft skills training at Young India Skills University. He also directed departments to offer subject training and provide scholarships during the training period under the former Maoists tourist guides initiative.
అజ్ఞాతం వీడి జనజీవన స్రవంతిలో కలిసి మావోయిస్టులను సమాజంలో భాగస్వామ్యం చేయాలన్న వినూత్న ఆలోచనతో 20 మంది మాజీ మావోయిస్టు గిరిజన యువకులను గిరిదర్శకులుగా రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వం నియమించింది. ఈ కార్యక్రమంలో భాగంగా తొలి విడతగా ఎంపిక చేసిన వారికి ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ @revanth_anumula గారి చేతుల… pic.twitter.com/OratxpdzMJ
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) April 28, 2026
