Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is on a day-long visit of the State today assessing the preparedness of security forces to fight the menace of CPI (Maoist) personally after rolling out new policy to combat left wing extremism by the states in the country.
Apart from holding series of high-level meetings with the top police officials on Naxal related issues, Singh is also scheduled to visit one of the CRPF camps in the State in order to get acquainted with the ground reality. Adequate arrangements have been made by the State government in this regard.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, ahead of the visit of Singh, held a review meeting with the senior administrative and police officials, on the preparations and claimed that Jharkhand being a Naxal-hit state must get special support from the Centre. All the 24 districts in the State need support under Integrated Action Plan (IAP) from the Centre to take on Naxalism, Soren added.
“Blueprint for the meeting with the Union Home Minister has already been prepared…..We will put our demand for covering all the 24 districts under IAP,” said Chief Secretary Sudhir Prasad. Besides, security related issues will be discussed extensively with the Home Minister, added Prasad.
According to Soren, the menace of Naxalism could be tackled easily preparing a work plan for the next six months. At the same time, infrastructural development of the police force is also important, added the Chief Minister.
In order to provide an opportunity to live a dignified life to the surrendered Naxals, a proposal will also be put before the Home Minister to give them the benefits of life insurance. The State will also put a proposal seeking permission for giving proper directions to the life insurance companies in this regard.
Soren further said that there is an urgent need of a panchyat secretariat in each of the panchayats coming under Saranda Action Plan and ideal villages must be established in the State having all the basic infrastructural facilities like drinking water, electricity road etc along with health and education for children.
Keeping development at the centre under the strategy of Modi government, Singh will discuss the blueprint prepared by the home ministry and is likely to press for deadlines for the implementation of projects.
Stress is being given on the improvement of infrastructure in the Maoist strongholds and at the same time, carrying out coordinated operations to combat left wing extremism in the states.
According to the communications made earlier with the State government, Jharkhand is lagging behind the other states in the fight against Maoists, prompting the home minister to make his first visit to Jharkhand.
The home ministry is also likely to take stock of the formation of Special Forces in Jharkhand on the lines of the ‘Greyhounds’ of Andhra Pradesh funded by the Centre.