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Journalism of Courage
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday asserted that accelerated development and calibrated police action would continue to be the two pillars of the Centres anti-Naxal policy.
Addressing a meting of the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs here,Chidambaram said that though on both these fronts primary responsibility rests with the state government,the Centre too has an important role to play.
Talking about police action against Naxalites,the Home Minister said while the Centre provides paramilitary forces,it is the officers of the state police who have to lead the operations.
Success of the operations largely depends on the soundness of the plans,prepared by the state and its efficient implementation, he said.
Talking about developmental in Naxal-hit areas,he said that while the Centre provides substantial funds to the state government under various schemes,the machinery to implement the schemes and utilise the funds rests with the state governments.
In this connection,he pointed out that nearly one-third of the funds provided to the 35 worst affected Naxal districts under developmental schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana,National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme ,Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana,National Rural Drinking Water Supply Programme,Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Indira Awas Yojana,remain unutilised. He also said there were questions about whether the money spent actually reached the intended beneficiaries.
Chidambaram also refuted the allegation that security forces were working with obsolete weapons.
4 BMP jawans killed in Maoist attack
AURANGABAD: Four Bihar Military Police (BMP) jawans were killed and another one was seriously injured when Maoists sprayed bullets on a police patrol in Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Monday,the police said. The incident happened at Tandawa Bazaar area in the district when the BMP personnel along with the District Armed Police Force were patrolling the area. Six Maoists,armed with sophisticated weapons,indiscriminately fired at them,the police said.
