35 districts in 7 states badly affected by Maoism: Rajnath Singh

As compared to 2010, there was a decline of 53 per cent in the number of violent incidents and 72 per cent in resultant deaths in 2016 and the trend continued in 2017, an official statement said.

maoists, maoism in india, rajnath singh, left wing extremism

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh (Source: PTI)

The Maoist problem continues to be an internal security concern and the menace has badly affected 35 districts in seven states, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. Singh was addressing a meeting of the consultative committee for the Home Ministry on issues related to Left-wing extremism (LWE). While LWE has seen a declining trend in the last three years, 106 districts in 10 states were still affected and the problem remains to be an internal security concern, the home minister said.

As compared to 2010, there was a decline of 53 per cent in the number of violent incidents and 72 per cent in resultant deaths in 2016 and the trend continued in 2017, an official statement said. Singh informed MPs that this year’s overall situation has so far indicated a declining trend and the number of violent incidents had reduced by 25.6 per cent as compared to the corresponding period in 2016.

Singh apprised the Parliamentarians of security measures, including deployment of central armed police forces in LWE-affected states, use of 56 specialised India Reserve Battalions to strengthen the security apparatus, construction of about 400 fortified police stations, besides various training initiatives. Other security measures were also taken like deployment of UAVs, helicopters, unified command and joint command and control centres at Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) and Gaya (Bihar), Singh said.

Story continues below this ad

The home minister said the Centre has been properly monitoring the situation with the necessary assistance of the states by empowering them with financial assistance and security forces with proper training, technology and latest equipment.

He said joint operations by the central armed police forces and the state police have yielded good results in the recent past and hoped that the situation would improve further in the near future. The MPs participated in a detailed discussion on the subject and appreciated the ministry’s efforts in controlling the situation in LWE affected states, the statement said.

The use of technology, intelligence sharing and specialised training for the forces was also discussed. Some of the members mentioned that LWE was not only a law and order problem but also a socio-economic problem.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Loading Taboola...

EXCLUSIVE: EC brings in feature to check misuse of identity to seek voter list deletions

Political Pulse32 min ago

The Election Commission has launched a new 'e-sign' feature on its portal and app to prevent fraud. This comes after allegations of misuse of online voter deletion forms in Karnataka. The feature requires voters to verify their identity using their Aadhaar-linked phone numbers, reducing the possibility of fraud.

View all shorts

Live Blog