Addressing the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) and later briefing reporters, Ahluwalia said the Home Ministry, Finance Ministry along with state chief ministers were currently looking into ground reports submitted by officials who had visited naxal-hit districts.

The officials, following their visit, have come up with several suggestions on design, flexibility and funding in order to reduce trust deficit in these areas which the Centre along with state governments is examining, he added.

Stating that there is no specific time-frame fixed for the implementation of SIAP, he said the objective was to see how best institutions of governance and empowerment of people in these areas are streamlined and strengthened to dispel sense of alienation among the affected people and win them over.

Pointing out security, law and order was not the only issue, he said a panel of secretaries headed by Home Secretary G K Pillai has been put in place to push forward for speedy implementation of Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act or PESA. The Act is aimed at vesting greater powers to tribal communities over land and resources. The Pillai panel is adopting a twin-track approach in the Naxal-hit regions by looking at ways of synchronising other laws and programmes of government, including the Forest Regulations and Forest Rights Act.

The panel, he said, has urged  the Panchayati Raj Ministry to find means to bring benefits of Rs 50,000 crore annual trade of minor forest produce to these communities. The SIAP is aimed at addressing how best to bridge funding as also development deficit in these areas and work towards uplift of the people.
DH News Service