India - Indian government increases in the monetary...Maoism is an ideology, will not respond to these offers.” compensation for Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres who put the path of bloodshed behind them and return to the mainstream. ”

On March 4th, the Indian government announced a dramatic increase in the monetary compensation for Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres who put the path of bloodshed behind them and return to the mainstream. ” All top Maoists, including members of their politburo or commanders of state, zonal or district committees, will receive a monetary package worth Rs. 2.5 lakh ($4,600), while junior level cadres of this outlawed organisation will receive a one-time package worth Rs. 1.5 lakh ($2,760), when they surrender,” said Rajiv Sharma, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The offer goes into effect on April 1st. Speaking to Khabar South Asia, he highlighted the extent of the increase. “This is nearly 25 times more for the rebel leaders and 15 times more for junior cadres than what was being granted to them until now,” Sharma said. “In addition, the surrendered rebels will receive an additional monthly package worth Rs. 3,000 ($55) every month – a three-fold raise from the current amount given to them – for a period of three years from the date of surrender.”
The funds will come from the MHA’s Security Related Expenditure programme. Money for surrendered arms In addition to the payment they will receive for surrendering, defecting militants will also be compensated for surrendered equipment, an MHA official explained. The amount will depend on the type of weapon. “A Maoist rebel laying down a light machine gun will receive an additional Rs. 30,000 ($550), while he/she will get an additional Rs. 25,000 ($460) for surrendering a sniper rifle or rocket-propelled grenade,” said Sanjay Agarwal, a security adviser at the ministry. “They will also get an additional Rs. 15,000 ($275) for laying down any weapon in the AK series; Rs. 5,000 ($90) for a high frequency communication radio system; and Rs. 3,000 ($55) for a revolver or pistol, irrespective of whether the weapon has been looted from the security forces or obtained from any other place,” he said.
Besides approving the MHA’s new surrender-and-rehabilitation policy, the Finance Ministry has also agreed to double the fund for community policing from the present Rs. 500,000 ($9,200) for every district annually to Rs. 1m ($18,400) per year to instil confidence among locals. Will the offer work? Observers in Maoist-affected areas say the compensation package is likely to attract some segments of the insurgency. “Many poor villagers have joined the outlawed group for want of money, and this section of the rebels is likely to respond to the incentives,” said Omprakash Choudhary, collector and district magistrate of Dantewada, a Maoist hotbed in Chhattisgarh. ”
... Speaking from Jharkand, the founder of a student organisation said the impact could be limited to rank-and-file guerrillas. “The incentives will only lure those in the lower rungs of the organisation to surrender,” said Surya Singh Besra, who is founder-secretary of the All-Jharkhand Students’ Union (AJSU). “The senior leaders, for whom Maoism is an ideology, will not respond to these offers.”