Jharkhand police train youth from Maoist infested belts

Ranchi, May 29 (ANI): In a novel initiative, the Jharkhand Police is imparting vocational training to the unemployed youth of Maoist infested belts to enable them earn a livelihood as well as join the mainstream.

About 250 youth from the Maoist infested areas are presently being trained for recruitment in army, paramilitary forces and state police. Besides, they are being given training in driving is also being imparted to them.

It is intended also at bringing back the youth, who are moving towards left extremism because of unemployment, to the mainstream.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP), Ranchi, the initiative is sure to break the local support base of the Maoists, who recruit a large number of local youth every year.

"Our main concentration was rural areas. Because we know that those living in big cities will get this opportunity anytime because of their geographical location. But those living in villages don't even have access to newspapers and basic information. There are many unemployed youth who are school dropouts and are idle. They do not even try or don't have the right channel to do anything," said Praveen Kumar, superintendent of police (SP), Ranchi, said.

"According to my personal observation, all this has created a furore among the Maoists because they are aware that this initiative would lead to eradication of their local support base," Praveen added.

Praveen further stated that around 157 youth are being given driving lessons and that they would even make arrangements for issuing driving licence to them.

Police have brought these youth from remote areas, mainly Maoist stronghold areas, to state capital Ranchi where apart from providing training, free food and lodging is also provided to them.

Trainees feel the training is a hope for a better future for all of them, as the unemployment has threatened their survival.

"We are scared but unemployed and do not have any means for survival. Even though we live in Maoist infested belt but it's better to do something rather than dying empty stomach so that's the reason why we are here today," said Sagar Baraik, a youth from a Maoist infested area.

Maoists, who have been running an almost four-decade-long insurgency, control vast tracts of rural land in about a dozen states in east, central and parts of southern India. They say they are fighting for the rights of farmers and the poor. By Girija Shankar Ojha (ANI)