: The Odisha Government on Monday said as many as 300 left-wing extremists have returned to the mainstream in the past five years.
Furnishing a written reply to a query in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “During the last five years, more than 300 persons have joined the mainstream in Odisha by shunning violence. Out of them, more than 170 persons have benefitted in accordance with the ‘Surrender and Rehabilitation’ scheme.”
Under ‘Surrender and Rehabilitation’ scheme, surrendered naxalites are entitled to financial assistance up to Rs. 2,50,000, payment up to Rs. 25,000 for surrender with weapons and cash at the rate of 0.4 decimal of homestead land.
The Odisha government also provides house building grant at the rate of Indira Awas Yojna to ultras who give up arms.
A screening committee after careful scrutiny of each case recommends rehabilitation of left-wing extremists, Mr. Patnaik said. He, however, declined to reveal the names of ultras rehabilitated under the scheme citing security reasons.
The Odisha Government has claimed that the naxal situation has been gradually improving in the State. Not a single security personnel involved in counter-Maoism operations was killed in 2014.
In the last three years, there was relatively low level of violence in Odisha . During this period, 66 civilians and 26 security persons lost their lives in 254 Maoist incidents. In comparison to this, 2009, 2010 and 2011 witnessed 377 naxal-related violent incidents in which 109 general public and 71 security personnel were killed by extremists.
To a query on what steps were being taken to prevent killing of civilians in Maoist-affected districts, Mr. Patnaik, who also holds Home portfolio, said, “The Odisha Government has created specialised forces and upgraded intelligence and security infrastructure in naxal-affected areas to effectively deal with naxal activities and secure the safety and security of people.”
“Preventive area domination operations and anti-naxal operations are regularly done in the naxal-affected areas in co-ordination with Central Armed Police Forces deployed in Odisha as well as security agencies of the bordering LWE affected States,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
