Uddhav Thackeray pushes for more funds to tackle Maoist-hit areas in Maharashtra

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday participated in the meeting on left- wing extremism held in Delhi and pressed for more funds for development in Maoist-affected districts for education, infrastructure and communication

Maharashtra chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday participated in the meeting on left- wing extremism (LWE) held in Delhi and pressed for more funds for development in the affected districts for education, infrastructure and communication. While state government said Maoist activities in three affected districts were under control, it has reportedly expressed concerns over the spread of the activities in key cities of the state.

Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday participated in the meeting in Delhi. While Maharashtra said Maoist activities in three affected districts were under control, it has reportedly expressed concerns over the spread of the activities in key cities of the state. (Hindustan Times)

Thackeray, along with the chief ministers, home ministers from few other states, participated in the review meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs and chaired by its minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday. Launched in 2015, the National Policy and Action Plan on LWE, the central government has focused on the development of Maoism-infested districts. Three Maharashtra districts — Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Gondia — were identified as the LWE-affected districts with more development funds provided for them under the national policy.

During the meeting, the CM has reportedly said that Maoist activities in three districts have subsided significantly over the past few years. Expressing satisfaction over the funding from the Centre, Maharashtra CM reportedly urged the Centre for more funds for the infrastructure related to the police stations, communication network and road construction.

“The naxal activities in these districts have come down significantly. Infrastructure network in these districts have been strengthened over the past few years and it has helped the infested areas to come to the mainstream. Facilities like single-window services have been provided to the villagers in these districts. Many such government schemes are made available at police stations. The state has demanded for more funds for development of schools, installing more police posts and ensuring better communication network for these districts. The poor connectivity of internet services in remote places of these districts not only hamper the communication by the police forces, but also prove hurdle some for students. The state has raised demand for improvement on this front,” said an official from the home department.

The CM has reportedly expressed concerns over the movement spreading its wings in some of the cities in the state. “The home department has information about sporadic activities in some parts of the leading cities of the state. There could be attempts to make the tribal areas as their experiment hubs for the activities. The uncertainty, poverty and unemployment could be used for spreading the base. The state government wants the Centre to focus to neutralise such attempts,” said the official.

According to the statement issued by the Central government, the Union home minister said it is very important to neutralise the sources of income of the left-wing extremists. The agencies of the Central and state governments should try to stop this by making a system together. He urged all the chief ministers to give priority to the problem of LWE for the next one year, so that a permanent solution can be found in this problem. He said that it requires building pressure, increasing speed and better coordination.