Even when the ministry of home affairs’ note to add another 18 districts in the existing 60 Left-wing extremism (LWE) affected areas is awaiting approval of the Planning Commission and senior UPA ministers are of the view that there should
be a change in approach in dealing with the Naxal issue and blocks should be made the basic unit to identify affected areas.
Union minister of panchayati raj V. Kishore Chandra Deo has said that there are blocks in the tribals districts which are too big to ensure that the developmental works reach most of the people. He said there is a need to make blocks as nodal centres for delivering benefits of various government schemes of the Central government. Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh too in a lecture on the issue of Naxalism had stressed the importance to focus on blocks in place of districts at least in the LWE-affected areas. On the issue of identification of new LWE-affected districts, Mr Ramesh had supported the demands of states that blocks should be the basic unit for identification. “There are a few districts like Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh, which are not part of 60 LWE districts, but have some blocks which are badly affected,” Mr Ramesh had reasoned. The MHA in its note on another 18 districts for addition to the existing 60 such districts is seeking to bring more areas affected by Naxal violence for Integrated Action Plan (IAP). Among the proposed 18 districts, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number, which include Karim Nagar, Warangal, East Godawari, Visakha-patnam, Vijaywada, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram. Odhisa has three districts of Ganjam, Jajpur and Nayagarh in the list, which also includes two from West Bengal — Bankura and Purulia. Three districts of Jharkhand (Giridih, Kunthi and Ranchi), two districts of Bihar (Munger and Kaimur) and two districts of UP (Mirzapur and Chandouli) are also in the proposed list. Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia is learnt to be “favourably disposed” to the MHA proposal but, sources said, he too wants to give more attention to blocks than districts.
The LWE districts get more attention by the Centre under IAP in which a number of Central schemes are implemented on more liberal norms, with the Centre bearing most of the cost.