The Union home ministry has locked horns with the Planning Commission over the Integrated Action Plan, a key initiative of the UPA government to bridge development deficits in backward areas, particularly the 35 worst Naxal-affected districts in the country.
The MHA rejected the Plan body’s move to scrap the scheme, which gives “untied” money to collectors in these areas to push development projects. The commission feels the scheme is not yielding results, and the money should be routed through panchayats.
The ministry is expected to seek Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention to resolve the standoff. MHA officials feel panchayats are largely non-existent in the worst-hit areas, and in some they are indirectly controlled by the Maoists.