Centre to give Rs 250 crore to states to fight naxalism

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Mar 31 (UNI) The government has decided to extend the Security Related Expenditure Scheme to give Rs 250 crore for the next five year to nine naxal affected states to modernise the police force to fight the menace of naxalism, Home Secretary V K Duggal said here today.

Addressing a press conference after chairing the Coordination Centre meeting on Naxalism here, Mr Duggal said these states would receive Rs 50 crore annually to fight naxalism by modernising police force and and other schemes. He said the states have also been asked to fill up all the vacancies in the police force.

Expressing concern over the rise in civilian casuality due to increased intensity of naxal attacks, Mr Duggal said the government has decided to use retired defence personnel in training local police force in de-mining the areas in naxal affected states. This has been decided in view of the fact that most of the civilian casualities are due to naxalites exploding IEDs killing innocent civilians, he added.

Though the number of naxalite attacks have reduced by 18 percent from 475 last year to 391 in the first quarter of this year, the number of civilian casualty has increased from 114 last year to 157 this year, Mr Duggal said.

He said this increase in casualty was due to maximum number of incidents and civilian casualties happening in Chhatisgarh where as compared to 97 last year, 162 incidents of naxal violence have occurred this year. The number of civilians killed in the state has risen dramatically from three last year to 105 this year, he informed and added that the number of security forces killed has also increased in the state from six last year to 27 this year.

He attributed this increase in attack and casualties as a retaliation against the peoples voluntary movement Selva Jhelums peace marches and public meetings organised against the naxal attacks. He said the people have decided to fight against the naxal designs and they are being supported by both the ruling BJP in the state and the Congress.

Describing it as ''peoples uprising against red terrorism, he said this fight between ''two factions'' would continue and it would be consolidated and not abetted. The government would consolidate the rehabilitation and protection measures so as to reduce the civilian casulities.

Denying that the civilians would be armed by the government or Army would be put in place to help them in their fight against naxalism, he said that only 3500 Special Police Officers SPOs would be trained and provided arms to support the civilian movement.

However, the state government felt that the number of SPOs was inadequate in view of the vast size of Chhatisgarh government.

He laid stress on filling vacant police posts and police modernisation. India Reserve Battalions would be deployed for fighting naxalism in these states. Moreover, intelligence sharing between these states is going on right track with Chhatisgarh sharing it with Orissa and Maharashtra.

UNI AJ/SH MA BD1938

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