QUESTION 4/2/2019 :Left Wing Extremism (LWE) is showing a downward trend, but still affects many parts of the country. Briefly explain the Government of India’s approach to counter the challenges posed by LWE.(200 words)
लेफ्ट विंग एक्स्ट्रीमिज्म (LWE) एक गिरावट दिखा रहा है, लेकिन अभी भी देश के कई हिस्सों को प्रभावित करता है। LWE द्वारा प्रस्तुत चुनौतियों का सामना करने के लिए भारत सरकार के दृष्टिकोण को संक्षेप में बताएं। (200 शब्द)
HINTS:
For the first time in more than a decade, in 2017 the incidents in left-wing extremism (LWE) affected States remained below the 1,000 mark.
A senior official of the Union Home Ministry attributed the decline to “attrition of various level cadres of Maoists” and the other to the possibility of Maoists “deliberately lying low.”
According to Home Ministry data, 851 incidents were reported till December 15 in 2017, compared to 1016 incidents during the corresponding period last year. The total number of incidents in 2016 was 1048.
The violent incidents in the 10 LWE-affected States have always been above the 1,000 mark, with 2,258 the maximum number of incidents reported in 2009. The most incidents were reported from Chhattisgarh (353) and Jharkhand (240).
‘Not attracting recruits’
K. Vijay Kumar, Senior Security Adviser, MHA said, “First of all, youths are no more enamoured to join the Maoists which has led to the attrition in cadres at all levels. They are not getting even 50% of the recruits they got earlier. The other reason could be strategic: to lie low.”
Mr. Kumar said several instances of top Maoist leadership siphoning off money and running extortion rackets has also attributed to their decline.
“Nothing happened in a year’s time. In 2004 when all Maoist organisations merged, for two years they planned many attacks. By 2010, maximum attrition took place and from there on there has been a steady decline,” said Mr. Kumar.
The Border Security Force (BSF) deployed for anti-Maoist operations apart from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) established base at four new locations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The BSF established a camp at Kartanpalli in Malkangiri in Odisha and at Charre-Marre, Kanhargaon and Jaal Top in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.
‘Leaders ailing’
A senior Home Ministry official said the top Maoist leadership was ageing and many suffered from ailments.
The recruitments were also at an all-time low as security forces had penetrated many territories in the past decade. The earlier reports of Muppala Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathi, the elusive head of the banned CPI (Maoist) making way for his second-in-command and chief of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavraj were not found to be correct.
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- Discuss the steps taken by the government to deal with this threat
- Discuss the Samadhan doctrine launched by MHA – Controlling arms supply to Maoist usiing GPS trackers and Unique Identification number (UID) for Gelatin sticks and explosives manufacturers. Each CRPF battalion deployed in the Maoist hotbed is given atleast one UAV. More helicopter support for operations, including private helicopter services. Joint Task Forces along inter-State boundaries, better inter-state coordination and intelligence sharing. Stricter implementation of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to choke funding to LWE groups.
- Developmental approach such as through Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana for holistic development of the tribal people by targetting their education, employment, healthcare, infrastructure and connectivity; Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act was amended to setup District Mineral Foundation (DMF). Through this fund, all mining districts receive portion of the mining royalties. The money is spend on the development activities decided by the local people etc
- Analyze the impact of this two pronged strategy