The Chhattisgarh government has recently proposed to the Centre a solution to hasten the implementation of the Road Requirement Plan in the extremism-affected areas. The progress on this project had been slow, particularly in Chhattisgarh. The state recommended splitting the remaining contracts into smaller roles for local contractors to conveniently undertake the projects.
Road Requirement Plan for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is executing the Road Requirement Plan for Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas. This scheme aims at improving road connectivity in 34 LWE affected districts in eight states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. The scheme involves the construction of 5,422 km of roads in these states.
Current Challenges
The progress of the Road Requirement Plan is at 90% completion, with the remaining impasse majorly located in Chhattisgarh. Out of the remaining 419 km of roads across four states, Chhattisgarh contributes a whopping 360 km.
Suggested Solutions
Chhattisgarh has advised the Centre to divide the remaining contracts into smaller parts. This proposal aims to enable local contractors to take up these smaller tasks more manageably. Local people are better positioned to execute the work efficiently when they are given the contracts.
About Left Wing Extremism
LWE organizations advocate for change through violent revolutions. They tend to oppose democratic institutions by interrupting democratic processes on the ground level using violence. These groups deter developmental processes in under-developed regions and manipulate people by keeping them uninformed about current happenings. Globally, Left Wing Extremists are known as Maoists, and in India, they are referred to as Naxalites.
Other Government Initiatives Against LWE
The government has adopted several initiatives to combat LWE. The Greyhounds, an elite anti-naxal force, was established in 1989. Operation Green Hunt was initiated in 2009-10, leading to a significant deployment of security forces in naxal-affected areas. The LWE Mobile Tower Project aimed to boost mobile connectivity in the LWE regions, while the Aspirational Districts Programme aspires to transform districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
SAMADHAN: A Comprehensive Solution to LWE
SAMADHAN stands for Smart Leadership, Aggressive Strategy, Motivation and Training, Actionable Intelligence, Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas), Harnessing Technology, Action plan for each Theatre, and No access to Financing. This doctrine is seen as a comprehensive solution to the LWE problem, encapsulating both short-term and long-term government strategies at different levels.
Way Forward
Although the incidents of LWE violence have decreased recently, continuous efforts are essential to eliminate such groups. The government must ensure the security of peace-loving citizens and the development of naxalism-affected regions. Both the Centre and state governments need to continue working together for development and security. Utilizing technological solutions such as drones could minimize the loss of lives among security personnel.