Union Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to begin his review of counter-Naxal measures in Maoist hit areas from today. He will assess the ongoing ground operations and real-time measures that are being taken up in the Naxal regions.
It is expected that this top brass meeting on security measures will be attended by top officials of civil and police administration from 10 affected states. Paramilitary officials are also expected to take part in the mentioned proceedings.
Informing the media about the meeting, an official from the Home Ministry said that the union home minister will look at the ongoing operations against the Naxals. Amit Shah will also observe the developmental activities that are being undertaken in the Naxal affected areas. It is first such meeting on Naxal issue since Amit Shah assumed his charge as a Home Minister.
It has been reported that at present, 10 states of the Indian nation is affected by Naxalism. These 10 states are- Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Although it has been analyzed that the districts affected by Naxalism in these states have fallen down considerably.
Last month, G Kishan Reddy (Union Minister of State for Home) told media that the preparations of the current government have resulted in a major decline of Naxalism. Because of the proactive measures of his government, now the Maoist fear has been only confined to 60 districts.
Data from the Home Ministry shows that a total of 8,782 cases of Naxal violence were reported during 2009-13 as against 4,969 during 2014-18. This translates into a reduction of 43.4 percent. And out of 60 districts, only 10 districts account for two-third of LWE (Left-wing extremism) violence. The LWE-related incidents of violence between April 2014 and May 2019 have also come down by 43 percent.
For tackling LWE, the government has already come up with a National Policy and Action Plan, 2015. The plan addresses to focus on envisaging a multi-pronged strategy involving security-related measures and ensuring the rights of local residents. The plan also focuses on development measures (public services and infrastructure) in the region. To achieve this, an annual sum of Rs. 1000 crore has been kept as special central assistance for the most LWE-affected districts.
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