Red Cover Blown: Gadchiroli Clocks 100% Increase In e-Bike Sales YoY

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Nagpur: Maoist-hit Gadchiroli, where mobile phones were once an unknown entity and govt footprint was missing for decades in guerrilla liberated zones are now witnessing a mind-boggling phenomenon. The impoverished district, now touted as the next ‘Steel City of India’ clocked electric bike sales by over 100% since 2022. Electric cars too made their debut in Gadchiroli, with four of them being registered in the last fiscal.
From around 9,000 vehicles being registered in 2021-22, Gadchiroli clocked over 19,000 vehicles queuing up for registrations in 2024-25. Data shared exclusively with TOI shows no electrical bikes were registered in 2021-22, but sales skyrocketed amidst the state govt’s aggressive push for big-ticket investments coupled with the all-out war against Maoists.
In 2022-23, a total of 68 e-bikes were registered. This figure surged by 100% next year to 140. And then yet another jump of over 100% in 2024-25, with 315 bikes being registered.
Gadchiroli, which does not have railway connectivity, is witnessing a boom in retail and commercial auto sales, something which experts say is just the tip of the iceberg as the mining industry got the momentum hardly three years ago. The creation of thousands of jobs is reflecting in the increase of purchasing power of locals, something which vehicle registration data shows.

Rina Sinha, president of Vidarbha Economic Development (VED) Council, said the vehicle registration data tells the larger story about how the economy in Gadchiroli is on the upswing. “Such data is important because it’s an indicator of how the economy is doing. I have an IT background and believe in data and the story it tells us. What we are seeing in Gadchiroli is similar to the IT-es wave, where BPOs boomed and employed youth had disposable income. In Gadchiroli also we are witnessing a transformation as the govt machinery has backed the development agenda,” said Sinha.
Kapil Chandrayan, an economist and former member of Vidarbha Statutory Development Board (VSDB) said “The vehicle sale data is what we call proxy indicators which give us an insight into the health of the local economy. When vehicles are being purchased, money is circulating into the local economy and benefiting businesses.”
Vinit Padmawar, a state govt employee who works in the remote Bhamragarh district, said the prosperity is visible. “The increase in vehicles is true and the impact can be seen here in Bhamragarh, which once straddled the Red corridor. We have only one petrol pump here and the queue is almost like what we witness in the city. Our youths are easily finding employment within the district, and purchasing a bike is well within their reach now,” said Padmawar.
Chief minister Fadnavis had recently reiterated Gadchiroli will become the next “Steel City” of India, as he has plans to create an integrated hub in the district, where the entire value chain, from ore to finished goods, will be manufactured. The district will also be linked by railways, which will boost both passenger and commercial transportation. An airport is also being planned in the middle of the tribal district, something unimaginable, a decade ago.