Over 100 districts will be declared maoist-hit
More than 100 districts will soon be officially declared as affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country with the Centre planning to add 20 more districts to its present list of 83 LWE districts. The move follows numerous representations by state governments that the “Naxal problem exists in more areas” than previously thought and
require Central assistance to boost security infrastructure. Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be the major beneficiaries.
The home ministry on Monday informed the DGPs of nine Maoist-hit states that it has reworked its parameters for including districts under its Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, currently covering 83 districts, to help them avail the benefits of Central funds better. The criteria includes Naxal-violence profile, atleast 30 per cent tribal population and nearly 50 per cent people living below poverty line. Similarly, the home ministry has proposed to add an additional 20 districts to the ambitious Integrated Action Plan. The MHA will soon hold a meeting with Planning Commission officials on the issue.
“While some districts had a high violence profile, they did not meet the other criteria. We have decided to be more flexible so that more districts can benefit from the schemes,” a senior government official said. Presently, there are 16 LWE districts in Andhra Pradesh, 9 in Chhattisgarh , 15 each in Bihar and Orissa and the highest at 18 districts in Jharkhand.
At Monday’s meet, Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal was asked to maintain vigil amidst intelligence inputs warning that Maoists may try to make a comeback in the Junglemahal area.
Mr Chidambaram is learnt to have said that even as a stalemate continues, the security forces appear to have made better progress than last year. He also impressed upon the DGPs to remain alert as Maoists are making efforts to enter newer areas, sources disclosed. In another significant move, the NTRO will soon be operating from Hyderabad to fly the UAVs over the Naxal-affected zones. Responding to the states’ demands, the MHA assured that additional Central forces will be provided to strengthen the anti-Naxal operations in inter-state “border” areas and an additional 4 choppers of the IAF will be pressed into service soon.
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