The Centre has planned to put in place a “strong” monitoring and oversight mechanism for effective and timely implementation of the newly-drafted comprehensive “National Policy and Action Plan to address left-Wing Extremism” by creating five high-level committees for the purpose. The five committees will be headed by top Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of Naxal-affected States and bureaucrats.
The Core Group of Ministers at the Central Government level will be headed by Union Home Minister and will include as members the Ministers for Finance, Tribal Affairs, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways and Environment, and Forests. The Chief Ministers of the ten Naxal-affected States will be special invitees in the Core Group.
The terms of reference of the Group will include monitoring the Naxal situation in the country, implementation of the national policy and reviewing implementation of security and development-related measures.
The Core Group will also address issues of coordination between various Central Government Ministers/departments and those between the Central and State Governments. The Group that will meet at least twice a year will be empowered to consider modifications in existing norms/guidelines/rules of development programmes/ security-related matters when needed.
The Inter-Ministerial Empowered Group of Officers at the Central Government level will comprise Cabinet Secretary as chairperson and will include as members secretaries of Home Affairs, Niti Ayog, Tribal Affairs, Panchayati Raj, Road Transport and Highways, Environment and Forest, Rural Development. Additional Secretary (lWE) of Union Home Ministry will be included in the Group as Member-Convener.
The terms of reference of the Empowered Group of Officers will include providing guidance to stakeholders on development interventions in a dynamic environment and monitoring implementation of important Central schemes in Naxal-affected States (both security and development).
The Group will also review/modify the existing norms/guidelines of implementation of development programmes and schemes in consultation with the Ministries/Departments besides facilitating inter-ministerial coordination at the Centre on the national policy for countering the ultra-left menace. The body will meet every quarter and hold interactions with State Governments through video-conferencing.
The National Policy and Action Plan to combat Naxalism has also proposed to set up a Centre-State Coordination Committee with Union Home Secretary as Chairperson and comprising Director of Intelligence Bureau, Directors General of Central Paramilitary forces, Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries Home and police chiefs of the 10 Naxal-affected States as members. Additional Secretary (lWE) in the Union Home Ministry will be the Member-Convener of the Committee. The Committee will oversee Inter-State border coordination, monitor Naxal situation and implementation of National Policy and review implementation of security and development-related schemes of the Centre. It will also facilitate coordination between Central and State forces. It will meet every quarter.
The Committee for Coordination at the State-level will be chaired by the Chief Minister of the affected States and will include as members the Home Minister, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Home, Director General of Police, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, senior-most officer of the Intelligence Bureau and Central paramilitary force deployed in the State, Secretaries of Finance, PWD and Information and Public Relations Department and Development Commissioner.
The Committee’s role will include coordination between Central and State agencies and between the various State Government Ministries/ departments. It will also monitor and review Naxal situation and implementation of security and development measures. The Committee is expected to meet once in every two months.
As part of the latest anti-Naxal strategy, an Inter-State Security Officers Coordination Committee will be constituted to make operations along the inter-State boundaries more effective. A mechanism comprising senior security-related officers of adjoining States and Central paramilitary forces will be set up by the affected States for ensuring planning and timely coordination of operations. The committee will meet quarterly in one of the States with a representative from the Union Home Ministry in attendance.