As naxalites continued to hit out at the security establishment in and outside Orissa with renewed force, the Centre announced moves to set up six counter-insurgency schools to train commando forces to fight naxals in the states and create a specialised anti-naxal force within the CRPF.
But the Union government also asked four naxal-hit states, including Orissa, to tone down their expectations for central funds.
The Centre had last year identified eight districts — two in each state — and asked state governments to come up with their wish list for these districts as a pilot project. After discussions that have continued for nearly a year, the home ministry finally told the states on Wednesday to trim their list.
“It seems the Planning Commission has only approved only Rs 25 crore for each district,” said a state government official.
Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh had come up with plans that would have cost the Centre anywhere between Rs 50-60 crore for each district.