Spurt In Maoist Violence In Odisha In 2020

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: Contrary to the claim by Odisha Police that the Maoist violence in the state has been brought under control, the Centre has said there is a spurt in the violence perpetrated by the Left-Wing Extremists in the state.

Informing the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said although the number of the Maoist violence had come down to 45 in 2019 as compared to 75 in 2018, there were 50 incidents of violence by the ultras in Odisha in 2020.

He also said the Centre has included 90 districts of 11 states, including 15 districts of Odisha in the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme to supplement the efforts to effectively deal with the Maoists.

The 15 Maoist-hit districts of Odisha included in the SRE scheme are Angul, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh.

Notably, Odisha Government in the State Assembly last year had stated that the Maoists are active in 10 districts.