New Delhi- Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be totally eliminated from the country in two years and stressed the need for constant surveillance in the areas freed from Naxals so that the problem does not revive there again.
Chairing a meeting to review the security situation in LWE-affected states, Shah said the Modi government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against left wing extremism since 2014.
As a result, he said, the year 2022 saw the lowest level of LWE violence and deaths in the last four decades.
Left Wing Extremism will be totally eliminated from the country in two years, he said, adding, “Naxalism is a curse to humanity and we are resolved to uproot it in all its forms”.
The review meeting was attended by the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also attended the meeting where Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were represented by state ministers.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the face of Naxal-affected areas in the state was changing for the better due to development schemes.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Mumbai, Shinde said urban Naxalism is being propagated through the internet and social media, and there is a need to create an effective mechanism to stop it, he added.
Jharakhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also advocated continued deployment of paramilitary forces to battle the problem. The chief minister also sought the fixing of the tenure of the IG of CRPF deputed in the state for at least three years in order to maintain continuity in anti-Naxal operations.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy Friday affirmed that left wing extremism is on the wane in the state and Maoist activities are confined only to a few pockets.
Home minister Shah said all the affected states need to make efforts by forming a joint team of civil and police administration to dismantle the network of financial support of LWE.
Shah said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are working closely with all state agencies to attack the financing of the LWE.
There is also a need to monitor Naxals from areas where this problem has been eliminated do not take shelter in other states, he said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the cooperation of all the affected states, he said, success has been achieved in curbing LWE in the last few years and now the fight has reached to a decisive phase.
He said vacuum areas have been shrinking since 2019 as 195 new camps of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been established while 44 more new ones will be set up.
Shah said the deployment of CAPFs against LWE, rationalisation of development and setting up camps in vacuum areas are the priorities of the Modi government.
He said there has been a decline of more than 52 per cent in LWE related violence, 69 per cent in deaths, 72 per cent in security force personnel deaths and 68 per cent in civilian deaths between 2014 and 2023 compared to the period from 2005 to 2014.
He said the Modi government had increased the ex-gratia amount for victims of LWE violence from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh in 2017, now it has been further increased to Rs 40 lakh.
The home minister said the Modi government is taking several steps to speed up the development in LWE-affected states.
Special attention is being given to areas like road construction, telecommunication, financial inclusion, skill development and education, he said.
Shah said the centre government has launched more than 14,000 projects under the Special Central Assistance (SCA) scheme to accelerate development in the districts most affected by LWE.
He said more than 80 per cent of these projects have been completed and Rs 3,296 crore released to LWE-affected states under the scheme.
He said under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), projects worth Rs 992 crore have been sanctioned for the construction of fortified police stations, strengthening of state intelligence branches and special forces of LWE-affected states.
In last nine years, the Modi government has more than doubled the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) in comparison to the earlier period.
According to the data provided by the Union Home Ministry, there has been a 52 per cent decline in total incidents of violence — from 14,862 (during May 2005 to April 2014) to 7,128 (during May 2014 to April 2023); 69 per cent decline in LWE-related deaths — from 6,035 (May 2005-April 2014) to 1,868 (May 2014-April 2023); and 72 per cent decline in the death of security personnel — from 1,750 (May 2005-April 2014) to 485 (May 2014-April 2023).
In case of civilian deaths, there has been a 68 per cent decline — from 4,285 (May 2005-April 2023) to 1,383 (May 2016-April 2023); 53 per cent decline in districts reporting violence — from 96 (2010) to 45 (2022); and 62 per cent decline in police stations reporting violence — from 465 (2010) and 176 (2022).
Several union ministers, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, the director generals of Central Armed Police Forces, secretaries to the central government, chief secretaries and DGPs of states and other senior officials also attended the meeting.
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