Centre awaits states' feedback on anti-Maoist policy

The government is awaiting responses from a section of states on its anti-Maoist policy before giving it a final touch and present it before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

The Home Ministry said the new policy to counter the “growing threat” of Maoists has been formulated already.

“We have sent it to states for their recommendations. Some have replied. Some have not. We are trying to get their response. Once it is through, we will take it to CCS for final clearance,”  Rajnath Singh has said.

As part of improving infrastructure in Maoist-affected states, the government has sanctioned installation of 2,199 mobile towers, for which work is currently in progress.

A senior official said this would help in improving communication network in such areas and help security forces in a huge manner. Also, the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Base has been shifted from Hyderabad to Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. “This would reduce the flying time required by the security forces to reach to the Maoist-effected areas. This will also result in availability of extra flying hours for security forces for Maoist related operations,” the official said.

According to the ministry, the country is already witnessing success in tackling Maoists. It said that there is a reduction in incidents of violence and in the number of resultant deaths.

There has been a “substantial decline” of about 22 per cent in the number of deaths during 2014 as compared to 2013. Official statistics showed that 671 Maoists surrendered in 2014 as against 282 in 2013. Till May 15 this year, 170 Maoists had surrendered.

Till May 15, 64 civilians were killed in Maoists violence, which is less than the 100 killed in the corresponding period last year. Similarly, the number of security personnel killed was 34, while it was 55 during the same period last year.