Cabinet Secretary reviews Maoist situation in the country

New Delhi, Jul 10: Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha today reviewed the situation in Left Wing Extremism-hit areas in the country and directed that all ongoing development projects should be completed on priority.

At a high-level meeting, Sinha reviewed the progress of various developmental and security initiatives such as installation of mobile towers, construction of roads under the Road Requirement Plan-I and construction of fortified police stations.

After detailed deliberations, the Cabinet Secretary directed various Ministries to expedite the completion of the ongoing projects on priority, an official statement said.

Other issues which came up for review include filling up of police vacancies, raising of Special India Reserve Battalions, forest clearances, claims of title deeds under the Forest Rights Act, opening of new schools and hostels, training of youth for skill development and priority to roads in LWE areas under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana.

Union Home Secretary LC Goyal, Secretaries of Tribal Affairs, Rural Development, Environment and Forest, Road Transport and Highways and School Education and Literacy, senior officers of Ministry of Defence, Intelligence Bureau, Central Reserve Police Force and National Security Council Secretariat attended the meeting.

Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of LWE-affected states participated in the meeting through video conferencing. Maoists problem continues to be the biggest threat for the country's internal security.

A total of 562 incidents of Naxal violence were reported across the country from January 1 to June 15, 2015, of which 155 were reported in Jharkhand (188 incidents in corresponding period in 2014), 55 incidents in Bihar (55 in 2014), 31 in Odisha (61 in 2014) and 25 in Maharashtra (43 in 2014).

PTI