from India press regime
Not ENOUGH Naxals? States fight to keep ‘Maoist-hit’ tag as Centre tries to rejig list
The Centre wants to remove the “Maoist-hit” status of some states
that have not witnessed widespread violence in the past few years, but
resistance from the state governments is creating hurdles. With the Home
Ministry keen to add some other states to the list,
efforts will be made to remove the Maoist-affected status of several
states. Sources said after reviewing the situation in states like Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, attempts were made remove them
from the list, but the state governments did not allow the move to go
ahead. There has been almost no Maoist activity in these states in the
past few years, they added.
The rebel movement has gained momentum in the southern tri-junction
of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, making this a new Maoist
stronghold. “Some districts of these three states, which form a
trijunction, are severely hit by left wing extremism. We want these
states to be declared Maoist-hit,” said a Home Ministry official. “This
is only possible when some other states where there has been no Maoist
activity agree to be removed. Since funds are given to Maoist hit
states, state governments do not want to shed the tag,” the official
added. Sources said within the next year, states that have not recorded
any Maoist activity will not get the benefits given to states affected
by left wing extremism. At present, there are 10 states that are
considered Maoist-affected. These are Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Orissa and Telenagana. The Maoist threat in south India has led to the Home Ministry sending advisories to states and asking them to take preventive measures.
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