It has formed a
high-level committee to oversee anti-Maoist efforts instead of the home
ministry
NEW DELHI: Alarmed by the growing menace of naxal violence that has
already spread its tentacles across 12 states, the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO) has stepped in to directly monitor the issue though the
home ministry, which was till now dealing with the subject.
A high-powered committee headed by cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar
and comprising secretaries of some of the key ministries has been
entrusted with the task of overseeing naxal-oriented operations, both
on the security and development fronts. The committee was slated to
meet on July 18, but this has become uncertain in view of UPA
government getting set to face a vote of confidence on July 21-22.
Although the move is being viewed in the administrative circles as some
kind of admonishment for the home ministry for its
“none-too-impressive” track record in fighting the naxal violence and
insurgency, the ministry sources think otherwise.
A senior ministry official said that the committee headed by the
cabinet secretary has been brought into picture to ensure coordination
among different ministries dealing with various development projects.
The cabinet secretary-led panel has to be seen in the backdrop of prime
minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s remarks in parliament that naxal violence
was the biggest danger to the country’s internal security. He was of
the view that the menace cannot be tackled by force alone. It has to be
accompanied by the development of the backward areas to prevent them
from becoming nurseries for recruitment of the fresh cadres by the
insurgent group. Development means providing basic amenities and
employment to the youth to prevent them from falling in the naxal net,
the government sources felt.
In preparation for the July 18 meeting of the high-powered panel, home
secretary Madhukar Gupta is holding a meeting of the director generals
of police and home secretaries of over a dozen naxal-affected states.
Apparently, the exercise is meant to get a first-hand account of the
prevailing situation in these states. The worst-hit states are Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Orissa and West
Bengal.
There has been a marginal increase in the amount of naxal violence in
2007 with 1,565 recorded incidents as against 1,509 in 2006. Out of
these, in 2007, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand accounted for 67.99% of the
incidents and 75.57% of the total killings.
According to the home ministry statistics, 14 out of 923 police
stations of Maharashtra are naxal-violence affected. The highest number
of police stations affected by the violence was 93 (2006) and 59 (2007)
in Andhra Pradesh followed by 85 (2006) and 99 (2007) in Jharkhand and
Chhattisgarh 81 (2006) and 71 (2007).
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http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1177818
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