The State administration has stepped up surveillance on funds flow to the Maoists as the ultras are collecting over Rs 200 crore annually from Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, sources said.
While a full- fledged surveillance mechanism will be in place to keep a vigil on the funds flow among the Red rebels, ways and means are chalked out to choke the funding.
One of the major sources of collecting money is from Ganja business.
Maoists are funding cannabis cultivation in several districts and are reaping huge fiscal benefits.
So Chief Secretary AP Padhi, while reviewing enforcement activities of the Department of Excise on August 23, has asked the district Collectors to destroy cannabis cultivation in the State in an aggressive way.
ACS Home Asit Tripathy and DGP KB Singh aware about the development are chalking out the action plan along with Secretary Excise Vir Vikram Yadav, sources said.
Crime Branch headed by Special DGP BK Sharma is also active in destroying cannabis cultivation and the Department of Excise is funding the State police for taking up such activities with the support of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Nine districts, including Angul, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Nayagarh, where hemp cultivation is prevalent, are provided funds to destroy cannabis cultivation and choke funds flow to the left Wing Extremists (lWE).
In fact these are also the Maoist affected districts and though the ultras have curtailed their activities in these districts barring Malkangiri but they are quietly funding hemp cultivation and collecting their booties.
So stress is there to stop ganja business in these pockets of the State and step up enforcement activities, said sources.
Intelligence inputs suggest that demonetization had dealt a body blow to the Maoists as they lost huge piles of old currency notes due to the note ban effect.
Maoists are reportedly collecting ransoms in Odisha, Chhatisgarh and Jhakhand from the mining companies, cntractors, Kendu leaf traders, bamboo and other forest produce collecting agencies.
While the Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) are maintaining surveillance on their activities, this elite police organization will also be keeping a tab on money flow to the ultras and choke the funds flow, said sources.
In fact the intelligence agencies of the Union and State Government are keeping vigil on the funds flow for the Maoists and trying to choke the sources effectively.
So they seem to be frustrated and it has stalled their movements, said sources.
In Odisha, the Unified Command, which holds regular meeting, is keeping a tab on the activities of the Maoists and maintaining coordination between the State police and Central Armed Police Forces.
A Multi Disciplinary Group is also monitoring the flow of funds among the Maoists and directing the security agencies to choke the flow of funds to the Red rebels, said sources.