BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has received nearly Rs 3,000 crore under different Central schemes for countering Maoist activities in Odisha during the last 13 years.
The schemes include Integrated Action Plan (IAP), Security Related Expenditure scheme (SRE), Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), construction and trengthening of fortified police station, modernisation of police forces and the scheme for setting up Counter Insurgency and Anti-terrorist (CIAT) schools.
The Centre also provided nine battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and eight battalions of Border Security Forces (BSF) during the period for deployment in Naxal affected areas. According to sources, Rs 368.72 crore has been spent in Nuapada, Kalahandi and Balangir districts under the IAP. Several schemes including construction of roads, bridges, culverts, construction of school buildings, SC and ST hostels, anganwadi centres, primary health centres, implementation of drinking water facility, electrification, skill building and other projects identified under the District Level Committees (DLCs) are taken up under the IAP.
Incidents of Naxal violence have, however, come down in the State during 2005-2016. Official sources said there were 919 incidents of Naxal violence during the period in which 184 security personnel were killed while Maoists killed 259 people.
As many as 152 Maoists were killed by security forces during the anti-Maoist campaign. In a written reply to a question from Dibya Sankar Mishra (BJD), Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said in the Assembly that 19 revenue districts of Odisha out of total 30 are considered Naxal-affected in varying degrees.
He said the State Government has taken several steps to upgrade police stations in Naxal infested blocks. The Chief Minsiter said to reduce Naxal activities in the affected areas of Kalahandi district, the presence of security forces has been enhanced, intelligence upgraded and intelligencebased anti-Naxal operations have been intensified.