Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that occurrences of naxal violence have been reduced by 77% from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, news agency ANI reported.
"The steadfast implementation of the 'national policy and action plan to address left wing extremism (LWE) 2015 has resulted in a consistent decline in LWE violence," Rai stated in a written response to a question from Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh.
"The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77 per cent from all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. similarly, the resultant deaths (civilians and security forces) have reduced by 85 per cent from all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021," the minister was quoted by ANI in its report.
According to the minister, the geographical spread of the violence has also decreased, with just 46 districts reporting LWE-related violence in 2021, down from 96 districts in 2010.
According to the minister, the decrease in geographical dispersion is also reflected in a reduction in the number of districts covered by the security-related spending plan. Rai further stated that the number of sre districts has been lowered from 126 to 90 in April 2018 and to 70 in July 2021.
Similarly, the minister stated that the number of areas generating nearly 90% of the LWE violence, known as the "most LWE afflicted districts," has decreased from 35 in 2018 to 30 in 2021.
The themes of 'police and public order' are delegated to state governments under the seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution. A national policy and action plan, however, was created in 2015 to address the LWE threat comprehensively. The programme envisions a multi-pronged strategy encompassing security-related measures, development initiatives, and guaranteeing local people' rights and entitlements.
On the security front, the MoS stated that the central armed police forces battalions, helicopters, training, financing for the modernization of state police forces, guns and equipment, information sharing, and the construction of reinforced police stations are all provided by the government of India.
"The central government also provides funds for capacity building of the lwe affected states under various schemes like security related expenditure (SRE) scheme and special infrastructure scheme (SIS) to fight the lwe menace effectively," the minister said.
Rai stated that projects worth Rs 991.04 crore have been sanctioned under SIS for the upgradation and reinforcement of special forces, and special intelligence branches, as well as the building of 250 reinforced police stations in LWE affected regions, between 2017 and 21.
Since 2014-15, Rs 2,299 crore has been granted to states under the SRE programme.
According to the minister, the central government has taken various unique steps in LWE-affected states in terms of development.
According to Rai, a special emphasis has been placed on expanding the road network, improving telecommunication connectivity, skill development, and financial inclusion, and more than 11,230 km of roads have already been built in LWE affected areas under specific schemes such as the Road Requirement Plan-1 (RRP-i) and the Road Connectivity Project For LWE affected areas (RCPLWEA).
A total of 2,343 mobile towers were installed under phase-1, and a work order for 2,542 towers was issued under phase-i of the mobile connectivity project for lwe affected areas, according to the minister, who also stated that Rs 3,085.74 crore has been released to the most lwe affected districts under the scheme'special central assistance (sca)' to fill critical gaps in public infrastructure and services.
"Special focus has been given on skill development and entrepreneurship of the youth in these areas. 47 industrial training institute (ITI) and 68 skill development centres (SDC) have been approved under skill development scheme in 47 districts affected by LWE," said the MoS.
"For financial inclusion of the local populace in these areas, 1,258 bank branches were opened, 1348 atms were installed and 22,202 banking correspondents have been made functional in 30 most LWE affected districts in the last seven years. further, 4,903 new post offices have also been opened in 90 LWE-affected districts in the last seven years," Rai added.
(With Inputs From ANI)