BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to bolster development in Naxal-hit regions of Odisha, the state government on Friday urged the Centre to fast-track track installation of mobile towers under various connectivity schemes in areas affected by left-wing extremism (LWE).
At a high-level meeting on LWE chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha requested the Centre to provide a dedicated helicopter to the state for movement of troops, maintenance of forward posts and respond to exigencies arising out of Naxal related conflicts.
Shah expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by the Odisha government to curb Naxal menace. He assured all assistance will be provided to the state and efforts taken by the Centre to completely wipe out the LWE menace from the country in the coming year.
“LWE is a grave internal security challenge for the nation. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha has achieved significant success in combating the menace. Well-calibrated security response backed by focused developmental interventions and people-centric policies of the government have brought about a remarkable transformation in the situation in most of the affected areas”, said Arukha during the meeting.
The areas that were once under the influence of CPI (Maoist) have shrunk from 21 districts to limited pockets of 10 districts. The intensity of violence has declined and the mass support base and recruitment of local cadres in the banned outfit dwindled. The areas where extremism has been eliminated have witnessed significant transformation due to proactive developmental initiatives and people-centric policies, he said.
Odisha government pointed out that Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri district, once a bastion of Maoists for decades, has been brought under complete control of security forces. The area has been integrated with the socio-economic-political mainstream by remarkable progress in every sphere of development.