New Delhi, July 14: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr K. Rosaiah, called on the Centre to re-visit the criteria being followed to declare a district Naxal-affected. He sought inclusion of some areas from Andhra to the list.
This was stated by Mr Rosaiah during the conference of the Chief Ministers of the Naxal-affected states called by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.
It is pertinent to note that if a district is declared Naxal-affected it is entitled for a focused development programme of the home ministry. To begin with, Mr Rosaiah has sought the inclusion of Vishakapatnam on a priority basis.
Adilabad, Karim Nagar, Warangal, Khammam, East Godavari,Vizianagaram and Srikakulam need to be included for the focused development programme, according to him. Mr Rosaiah said that these districts were running the risk of falling back into the hands of extremists. “If Andhra Pradesh has to sustain the gains of controlling Left-wing extremism on a permanent basis, it is imperative to categorise all eight border districts as special focus districts for development by bringing about necessary change in the selection criteria. It will be appropriate to consolidate the gains we have achieved after sustained efforts in terms of retrieving the areas from extremist influence,” he said.
He also sought speedy clearance to the proposals sent by his government to the home ministry that are to the tune of 1,607 crores. These include demands for 16 more CRPF companies 24 and a troop-carrier.