New Delhi/Raipur: One of the three Maoists killed in an encounter with security forces at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday has been identified as Sudhir alias Sudhakar alias Murli. Resident of Warangal in Telangana, he was a top leader of the dreaded Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, one of the Maoists’ strongest foundations. There was a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on his head.
The Centre, meanwhile, informed the Rajya Sabha that incidents of violence by Left Wing Extremists (LWE) have reduced by 81% over the last 14 years. The number of deaths (civilians and security forces) has also come down by 85% from 1,005 in 2010 to 150 in 2024.
In the last six years, the number of deaths caused by Maoists has come down by 26%. While there were 202 deaths of civilians and security forces in 2019, the number was 150 in 2024, Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai stated in a written reply to a question.
“There has also been a sharp decline in the number of districts affected by LW Extremism. The LWE-affected districts have been reduced from 126 to 90 districts by April 2018, further to 70 by July 2021 and then to 38 by April 2024,” it has been stated.
Rai has claimed that Rs 3,260.37 crore was released by the Centre to states under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme between 2014-15 and 2024-25. This was to meet operational and training needs of security forces, expenditure incurred by the states for the rehabilitation of the surrendered LWE cadres, community policing, village defense committees and publicity material.
“Under Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS), funds are provided for strengthening of Special Intelligence Branches (SIBs), Special Forces, District Police and construction of Fortified Police Stations (FPSs). Under the SIS, Rs 1,741 crore has been sanctioned. Further, Rs 1,120.32 crore has been given to Central Agencies between 2014-15 and 2024-25 for helicopters and addressing critical infrastructure in security camps in LWE affected areas, under Assistance to Central Agencies for LWE Management (ACALWEM) Scheme,” the report states.
The Government has also taken several initiatives to improve the lives of people in the LAW Extremism-affected states. Special thrust has been on expansion of road networks, improvement of telecommunications connectivity, skilling and financial inclusion. While 14,618 km of roads have been constructed, 7,768 mobile towers have been commissioned. For skill development, 46 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 49 Skill Development Centres (SDCs) have been made functional.
“For imparting quality education in tribal areas, 178 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) have been made functional. For financial inclusion, the Department of Posts has opened 5,731 post offices with banking services in LWE-affected districts. As many as 1,007 bank branches and 937 ATMs have been opened and 37,850 banking correspondences have been made operational in LWE affected districts,” it has been stated.
