Naxal menace remains area of concern: Rajnath

Maoist menace remains an area of concern for the internal security of the country but forces have managed significant improvement over the years, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.
 
Addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Naxal menace, Singh said the overall situation this year so far also indicates a declining trend in Maoist incidents compared to corresponding period of 2016. The number of violent incidents has declined by 25.6% during the period.
 
The Minister said this remains an area of concern for the internal security of the country but the forces exhibited significant improvement over the years and the declining trend continued in the last three years.
 
Providing figures, he told the meeting that there was a 53% decline in a number of violent incidents and 72% dip in deaths in 2016 compared to 2010. This trend is continuing in 2017, he said.
 
The MPs who participated in the meeting said the Naxal problem is not just a law and order but also a socio-economic problem. "There is a need for adopting a sustained policy and intelligence sharing in the LWE affected States. They also suggested that police should be further strengthened with the use of better communication and connectivity facilities," an MHA statement said.
 
Singh informed the meeting that 743 Scheduled Tribes candidates from four most affected LWE districts of Chhattisgarh -- Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma -- have been recruited in Bastariya Battalion in order to enhance local representation in the security forces.
 
The Minister said the Centre has been properly monitoring the situation. The MHA gives necessary assistance to states and empowers them with financial assistance besides giving security forces proper training, technology and latest equipment, he said.
 
Singh mentioned that the joint operations of paramilitary forces and state police have given good results in the recent past and hoped that the situation will further improve in the near future.