CRPF deployment; Orissa seeks waiver of Rs 95 crore

Bhubaneswar, Oct 27 (UNI) The Orissa government today urged the Centre to waive the amount of Rs 95 crore, which the state has to pay for expenditure on the deployment of CRPF in the naxal dominated areas.

Home Secretary T K Mishra told newspersons here that the Centre should relax the norms as the naxal problem has become a national one.

As many as four battalions of CRPF were deployed in the naxal prone districts of the state to contain naxal related violence.

Mr Mishra said the state government had made a similar request earlier also.

The Home Secretary said the state government has directed the Director General of Police to recruit 2000 tribal youths in the Police Department from naxal dominated areas, including Malkangiri, Rayagada and Koraput district in a bid to bring them to the main stream.

He said the government had decided to relax the age, educational qualification and height to help them get the job.

Mr Mishra said the youths who have passed class eight would be eligible for the job and would be given appointment on contract basis.

If the authorities found their job satisfactory, they would be regularised after two or three years of service.

The DGP, the Home Secretary said, has been asked to complete the special recruitment drive within two months.

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