Govt extends special funding to 38 former Naxal-hit districts
To pre-empt the resurgence of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in previously Naxal-affected regions, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to continue special funding for 38 districts across nine states. Terming the districts as “legacy and thrust” areas, the special funding under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) will be used for development and to bolster security infrastructure in these districts, sources said on Monday.
The SRE scheme is sponsored program under the MHA. It is designed to financially support and reimburse State Governments for recurring costs incurred during counter-insurgency and internal security operations.
Sources added though the country has been completely freed from LWE but since these 38 districts have been hit by the Naxal violence for long, they have been included in the Legacy and Thrust category. To check the regrouping of Naxalism and to further strengthen the current security situation, funding under the SRE will continue for some time to undertake development initiatives and security measures, they added.
Notably, in his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had highlighted that though Naxalism has been eliminated but flagged concerns over activities of Deemagi Naxals.
Chhattisgarh tops the list with the highest number of such districts at 13, followed by nine in Odisha and four each in Bihar and Jharkhand.
According to sources, Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Mulugu in Telangana and Alluri Sitharamaraju in Andhra Pradesh have also been identified for coverage in the SRE scheme. The district covered under the SRE scheme in Chhattisgarh are Bastar, Bijapur, Kanker, Narayanpur, Dhamtari, Kabirdham, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, Kondagaon, Rajnandgaon, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Gariaband, Sukma and Dantewada. Boudh, Sundargarh (Rourkela police district), Kalahandi, Korapur, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada and Kandhamal of Odisha find mention in the SRE scheme coverage.
Aurangabad, Gaya, Jamui and Lakhisarai of Bihar and West Singhbhum, Bokaro, Chatra and Latehar of Jharkhand will also be covered under the scheme. Other districts include Balaghat and Mandla (Madhya Pradesh), Gadhchiroli and Gondia (Maharashtra) and Jhargram (West Bengal).
The West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, which was earlier characterised as a District of Concern, was recently upgraded as Legacy and Thrust category district.
For the complete solution of the LWE terrorism, the Union home ministry has been implementing a national policy and plan since 2015, which includes strengthening security measures and undertaking development initiatives. The ministry has credited the effective implementation of the policy for elimination of the LWE problem.
Over the last decade, India transformed its approach to Left-Wing Extremism, from reactive containment to proactive elimination.
