The Chhattisgarh Government is planning to develop a ‘Scene of Crime Unit Vocational Training Center’ at Nathiyanawagoan in Kanker district of Bastar, officials informed.
The project had been proposed to be developed on two hectares of land for which forest land diversion had been sought by the State Government, officials informed.
Currently the Centre is providing security related assistance to Chhattisgarh in anti-insurgency operations which includes provision of CAPF Bns, helicopters, UAVs and CIAT Schools. In addition, 11 India Reserve Battalions and two Special India Reserve Battalions have been sanctioned to the State. Funds have also been provided for fortification of 75 Police Stations and for capacity building of Special Forces under the Special Infrastructure Scheme.
As part of the multi-pronged strategy to deal with lWE, the Central Government gives equal focus to development measures to bring lWE affected districts at par with other areas, officials informed.
Towards this end, the Central Government has approved a Special Central Assistance Scheme for 35 worst affected lWE districts with an annual outlay of Rs 1000 crore. Important development schemes include the Road Requirement Plan Phase–I under which Chhattisgarh was sanctioned 1988 km of road out of which 1351 km have been completed.
Under the newly launched RRP-II, Chhattisgarh has been sanctioned a further 891 km of road. To improve mobile connectivity, 519 mobile towers have been installed in Phase-I. Another 1028 towers are being planned in Phase-II of the project.
As part of efforts to enhance skill development, Chhattisgarh has been sanctioned nine ITIs and 14 Skill Development Centres. The initiatives taken to improve education infrastructure include approval of two Kendriya Vidyalayas at Bijapur and Sukma and three JNVs at Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kondagaon. Jagdalpur Medical College has been approved for up-gradation as Centre of Excellence at a cost of 200 crore under PMSSY.
The Union Home Ministry has heightened use of UAVs and CCTV surveillance in insurgency pockets of Chhattisgarh, the Central Government has informed.
There is also enhanced co-ordination with the State Police and undertaking intelligence based joint operations, it informed.
Mechanisms like Joint Command and Control Centres at district level have been devised for better coordination and control amongst the various agencies involved in operation.
Notably, Chhattisgarh is now the country’s key paramilitary force station in the Central sector in the aftermath of the martyrdom of 25 CRPF troopers in Sukma in a Maoist ambush in Bastar on May 24 last year.
On May 8 review meeting of lWE affected states last year, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had stated in his address : “You will all agree that in addition to the various facets of security, the socio-economic empowerment of the people at large is essential so that the public support stays with the Government."
It is necessary for States to work on a coordinated strategy of security and development so that the confidence of the public in the democratic process is maintained in the lWE affected areas, he had stated.
Our Government (Centre) has taken various steps with this objective, so that the confidence in our Government has grown in the minds of the tribals and others living in the lWE affected areas. They are coming forward to avail the benefits of Government Schemes, Singh said.
Notably, as many as 259 battalions of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed in Chhattisgarh’s left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected regions as on 2015-16.
The deployment in other states was as follows- Andhra Pradesh ( 16), Telangana ( 12), Bihar (57), Jharkhand ( 144), Madhya Pradesh (8), Maharashtra (34), Odisha (102), Uttar Pradesh ( 6), West Bengal (53).
A total of 691 battalions of CAPF were deployed across the country in lWE areas as on 2015-16, officials stated.
Deployment of CAPFs is a dynamic process and keeps on changing from time to time depending upon the requirements projected by the State as well as demands of other lWE affected states, availability of force and security situation in the particular State, they stated.
Notably, Chhattisgarh stands fourth in the country in terms of the number of districts affected by left Wing Extremism (lWE).
A total of 106 districts in the States are considered as left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected. Of these, Bihar has maximum 22 districts, followed by Jharkhand (21), Odisha(19), Chhattisgarh (16), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,- both 8 each, West Bengal and Maharashtra,-both 4 each, Uttar Pradesh,-3 and Madhya Pradesh, one.
Apart from the above, it is worth mentioning that the numbers of incidents of lWE violence and resultant deaths have also significantly declined during the last four years from 2011 to 2014, officials stated.
The Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved raising of four 'India Reserve Battalions' (IR Bns) for Chhattisgarh State to be deployed in left Wing Extremism (lWE) pockets of the State
The Union Cabinet announced to raise a total of 17 India Reserve Battalions (IR Bns) for Jammu & Kashmir and left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected States, officials stated.
It includes five IR Bns in the State of J&K, three IR Bns in Jharkhand, three IR Bns in Odisha and two IR Bns in Maharashtra including four for Chhattisgarh.
A total of 48 security force personnel and 45 civilians lost their lives in insurgency-infested Bastar region of Chhattisgarh during 2015-16, the Union Home Ministry has informed.
Notably, a total of 413 left Wing Extremist (lWE) cadres surrendered in 2014 as compared to 28 lWE cadres in 2013.