The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh carried out a review of the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) situation in the ten LWE affected States here today. The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.  Other States were represented by senior ministers from the States. Chief Secretaries and DGPs of States were also present. From the Centre, the Ministers of State in the Home Ministry, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Home Secretary, Director, Intelligence Bureau and other senior officers were present. For the afternoon session on development, Ministers of Power & New and Renewable Energy, Railways, Civil Aviation, Road Transport and Highways and Communications were present along with senior officials of the ministries. On specific directions of the Home Minister, Districts Magistrates and SPs of the 35 worst affected LWE districts were also invited to provide inputs and feedback from the cutting-edge level and understand their problems. 

            In the morning session issues related to security were discussed. The Home Minister enunciated an operational strategy ‘SAMADHAN’ to fight Left Wing Extremism. The elements of this strategy are S for Smart Leadership, A for Aggressive Strategy, M for Motivation and Training, A for Actionable Intelligence, D for Dashboard-based Key Result Areas and Key Performance Indicators, H for Harnessing Technology,  A for Action Plan for Each Theatre and N for No access to Financing.

            During the meeting, important issues and requests of States included the following:-

(a)        Continuation/resumption of LWE specific schemes like Security Related Expenditure (SRE), Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), Integrated Action Plan (IAP)/ Additional Central Assistance (ACA), Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorism (CIAT) Schools and Fortified Police Stations.

(b)        Inclusion of some new districts under the SRE Scheme.

(c)        Deployment of additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) Battalions. Some States have also sought exemption from payments for CAPF battalions provided by the Centre.

(d)       Most States requested for helicopter support for operations.

(e)        Use of modern technology by the State Police and the CAPF was also discussed.

(f)        Issues related to inter-State coordination, intelligence sharing, setting up of Joint Task Forces for operations along inter-State boundaries were deliberated upon.

(g)        The Chief Minister of Bihar suggested that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) needs to be reviewed to ensure effective choking of fund flow to LWE groups.

(h)        Measures to prevent repetition of incidents such as at Sukma on April 24, 2017 was discussed at length with suggestions from SPs of the 35 worst affected LWE districts.

During the session on development issues, the following points were discussed:

(a)        Minister of Road Transport and Highway informed that various new technologies like pre-fabricated slabs and soil stabilization were been examined. States can initiate pilot projects for construction of roads with these technologies. He has also assured that the States can project any requirement for dispensation in LWE areas.

b)         Minister of New and Renewable Energy Resources informed that the Ministry was undertaking several Solar Parks, Solar Lighting and Solar Pumps schemes for providing low cost energy to LWE affected States.

c)         Minister for Power informed that the electrification of villages in LWE areas is being undertaken on a war footing with Dec, 2018 as the target.

d)         The Airport at Jagdalpur in the heart of Maoist core area will be operational very soon.

e)         Phase-II of Installation of Mobile Towers is being initiated after incorporating the experiences and problems of Phase-I.

g)         Minister of Railways informed that line Hajipur-Sagauli, Giridih-Koderma, Deoghar-Sultanganj is nearing completion.  

            In his concluding remarks, Shri Rajnath Singh said that the meeting had been very purposeful and the participants made very valuable suggestions which have been noted by the MHA. He said that he will personally monitor the progress on these issues. Shri Rajnath Singh also appreciated the wonderful job being done by young officers as Deputy Commissioners/Superintendents of Police in the LWE-affected areas despite some difficulties.

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KSD/NK/PK