Response of the State governments
(Excerpts from Naxal Conflict Monitor Vol-II, April - June 2006
In late March 2006, the State government of Andhra Pradesh issued orders to raise 15th Andhra Pradesh Special Police Battalion exclusively comprising of tribals from the Naxal affected areas. The battalion comprising of 1,000 personnel will have 10 Inspectors, 30 Sub-Inspectors, 45 Assistant Sub Inspectors, 277 Head Constables and 820 constables.
Bihar : Want the full coppers
The Ministry of Home Affairs has allocated an annual budget of Rs 23,000 crores for all the Naxalite affected States. Out of these, the state government of
Chhattisgarh: Demand choppers
The Chhattisgarh State Government demanded choppers for reconnaissance and para dropping of the forces in the Maoist strongholds. With a view to recruit more eligible people, read as Adivasis, to strengthen the State Police, the Chhattisgarh Government on 28 April 2006 relaxed parameters of recruitment by reducing the required height of 158 cm to 153 cm for the candidates.
Jharkhand: Price for the soldiers' limbs
‘If any of the 25,000 personnel engaged in anti-Naxal drive suffers fatal wounds or permanent total disability or loses two limbs or sight, his or her family will be entitled to a maximum benefit of Rs 11.5 lakh,” stated Jhakhand's Home Minister Sudesh Mahto.
In April 2006, the Jharkhand government increased the insurance to dependants of jawans killed in operations against Naxalites in the state to Rs 21.5 lakh, instead of Rs 10 lakh which are being paid presently. The annual premium amount of Rs 2,47,50,000 for 2006 has already been paid by the state government for the “group personal accident insurance policy”. About 25,000 security personnel engaged in anti-insurgency operations including from other states will also be benefited. The insurance amount would be apart from the Rs 10 lakh package, awarded by the State Government to families of such martyrs.
On 20 April 2006, the Jharkhand government also announced a new surrender policy. It offered Rs 50,000 in cash to each surrendered Naxalite and a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000. Other benefits include cash equivalent to the price of the weapon surrendered, a life insurance cover worth Rs 10 lakhs, vocational training for two years, one acre of agricultural land, health and educational facility for their children. The Naxalites will also be entitled to a lawyer to fight their case in the court. In case, the surrendered Naxalites want different lawyer, the government would bear all the expenses. The village, whose residents help in mass surrender of Naxalites, will get Rs 25 lakhs as bonus for development and the villagers would decide how to use the money for the development of their area.
Karnataka: Secret plans
“I will not publicise it. It will be revealed after the problem is tackled,” - declared Chief Minister Mr Kumaraswamy on his secret plan to tackle the Naxalite problem.
Earlier, the state government decided to allocate special funds for developing Naxal-affected villages in Karnataka over the next two years. Each gram panchayat, village council, would be given Rs 10 lakh a year for two years for developing Naxal affected villages in their jurisdiction. As many as 315 villages under 152 gram panchayats in 11 districts have been identified as Naxal-affected. The state government has directed the gram panchatyats to prepare a comprehensive development plan as per the guidelines of the Kugrama Suvarna Scheme by 15 May 2006. The gram panchayats will be the implementing agencies for these programmes. The government has also directed use of other grants from the government, zilla and taluk panchayats for developing these villages on priority.
Orissa: Extension of the ban
On 9 June 2006, Orissa government banned CPI (Maoists) and seven of its front organizations- Damana Pratirodh Manch, Revolutionary Democratic Front, Chasi Mulia Samiti, Kui Lawenga Sangha, Jana Natya Mandali, Krantikari Kisan Samiti and Bal Sangam.
The Orissa government has also approved a comprehensive rehabilitation package for the Naxals who surrender. The rehabilitation package consists of payment up to Rs 10,000 on acceptance of surrender, payment up to Rs 20,000 for surrendering arms and ammunition, allotment of homestead land, house building grant up to Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000 for marriage, assistance to take loan up to Rs 2 lakhs from banks on which there will be no interest for two years, subsidy up to Rs 50,000 after repayment of 75 per cent of the loan, free medical treatment in government hospitals within the state and cost of fees and textbooks for study up to high school. The government also proposed to withdraw cases involving minor offences against surrendered Naxalites.