Quick construction work sanction, power connection to boost Naxal surrender: Chhattisgarh govt

Raipur: Village panchayats in Chhattisgarh facilitating the surrender of Naxals and declaring themselves free from the menace will be sanctioned construction works of Rs 1 crore, electricity, and phone network- the measures the government hopes will encourage more Maoists to lay down arms.

Doubling down on the zero-tolerance policy to eradicate Naxalism, a day after 30 Naxals were gunned down in separate encounters, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma on Friday said the government would roll out a host of initiatives to rehabilitate surrendered Maoists and the victims of violence.

Under the recently approved Chhattisgarh Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025, the surrendered Naxals will get free accommodation and food for three years and a monthly financial assistance of Rs 10,000.

"Naxalites who have laid down arms will be imparted skills development training and allotted land and houses under the PM housing scheme. Many other provisions, including financial aid, have been included in the new policy," Sharma told reporters.

The implementation of the new policy will encourage more Naxals to surrender and join the mainstream, Sharma said.

He said the government would introduce ''Elvad Panchayat Abhiyan' wherein a village panchayat facilitating the surrender of Naxalites under its limits and passing a resolution that declares itself Maoist-free will be sanctioned construction works worth Rs 1 crore.

Additionally, mobile phone networks and electricity connectivity would be provided in those panchayats.

The new surrender and rehabilitation policy will also cover the victims of naxal violence and those who migrated to other places from their villages due to the Maoist threat. "They will be provided with the financial aid, land and other facilities," Sharma added.

Under the Veer Balidani scheme, the government has allocated Rs 10 crore through the Panchayat Department for installing statues of security personnel who fell to Naxal bullets.

"In the initial phase 500-600 statues will be installed. In future, hundreds of statues of martyred personnel will be raised in their native villages in Chhattisgarh," Sharma said acknowledging the long-pending demand of the kin of martyred personnel.

Sharma said the combined efforts of security forces and the government led to the launch of a bus service from Bijapur town to the district's remotest village Pamed in the naxal-affected area. Similar services were rolled out in the Bastar region for other remote villages.

"For 25 years, Pamed was only accessible through Telangana and one has to cover a distance of 250 kilometres. There was no direct connectivity from Bijapur district headquarters to Pamed.

"Now with the efforts of security forces, Pamed is accessible from Bijapur via Tarrem and Kondapalli, covering a distance of 90 km. A bus started operating for commuters on the route," he said.

He said weekly markets in several remote villages, including Garpa, Pujarikanker and Kondapalli, which were shut for the last several years due to Maoist activities reopened.

"At least 577 new mobile towers have been installed in the region," Sharma added.