New IR battalions approved to tackle naxals

New Delhi, Mar 6: The Central Government has recently approved the raising of 35 additional India Reserve (IR) battalions during the period 2007-08 to 2009-10, to be sanctioned, as per the internal security situation and requirements, to various States, including naxal-hit areas.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said that in the nine states, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where, for dealing with naxalite activities, assistance for the policing and operational needs of security forces is provided under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme of Ministry of Home Affairs, 26 IR battalions have already been sanctioned earlier.

These have added to the capabilities of the State police forces in dealing with various law and order problems, he said.

For dealing with naxalite activities, States are being assisted in, and requested for, steps as are important for effective policing, which include filling up of vacancies in State police forces and the raising of specialized forces, trained in counter-insurgency and jungle-warfare.

ANI